Robert Bellenir's blog

One Livingston County couple’s journey into entrepreneurship has reached a critical point—business launch day is apporaching.

Success in business is never automatic. And business success is not based on luck—although a little luck never hurts. It depends primarily on the owner's foresight and organization. Even then, of course, there are no guarantees. The latest statistics from the Small Business Administration (SBA) show that seven out of ten new employer firms last at least two years, and about half survive five years.

So you have decided to start a business. Maybe you have the next best idea and you're trying to figure out if it's viable or not. Or maybe you're out of work, or just fed up with your current job, and looking for an alternative. But not so fast my friend.

Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs fall victim to a number of common myths pertaining to entrepreneurship in America. According to Scott Shane, in his book entitled “The Illusions of Entrepreneurship,” America is not the land of opportunity—at least for new entrepreneurs.

Nothing is more inspiring to would-be entrepreneurs than to hear about real-world entrepreneurial stories. If you have an entrepreneurial story you’d like to share, please let us know. In this series of posts, a Livingston County couple shares their motivations and experiences as first-time entrepreneurs.

► This is the first installment of a series of posts relating to starting a business in Michigan.

Most everyone at some point has thought about starting their own business. Whether your motivation is a dire economy or a buyout offer, starting your own business has great appeal to many “Michiganders” these days.