How To Start A Business In Canada

How to Start a Business in Canada

Quarantine might have gotten the creative gears in your brain running if you’re wondering about how to start a business. Fret not, it may seem like a lot of work but if you’re dedicated then the rewards may outweigh the hard work required to start a business. Read our guide to get informed about how to start a business.

Come up with your business idea

In order to start a business, you need to have a business idea. To give yourself the best chances for success, and it must be a good one as well. If you want to know how to start a business, no matter where you are on the globe, you must know that every successful business starts from an idea that has enough potential to see it through to the market.

You need to look at the market and its trends, and see if there’s anything that you might have an interest in. It may also be useless if you get into something that you’re not passionate about – find out what you want to do, and test it out before you invest your resources into it and start a business.

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Draw up a business plan

Drawing up a business plan serves an important purpose when you want to start a business. A business plan will help you structure the idea that you’ve kept aside for your business; while drawing one up, you should examine the market, products, and industry you’re going to be working in.

All of this really helps sort out your strategies, and a business plan is something your investors will want to see as well. A thorough and well-planned business plan will not only guide you correctly when you start a business, but it will also be the reason why a person or a bank lends you money.

Choose an innovative business name

When thinking about a business name before you start your business, you need to consider the marketing and legal limitations. In terms of legal limitations, when you learn how to start a business, it’s crucial to also know that the Canadian government places strict regulations on corporations but is very lenient towards sole proprietors. However, every business needs to consider the legal issues before keeping a business name because a wrong decision may cost you a lot of money!

In terms of marketing issues, you need to understand that your business name has to communicate the purpose of your business in a few words or so. It should be interesting and innovative as well, so that you can catch people’s attention.

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Choose a type of ownership

In order to learn how to start a business, the first very important steps include the type of ownership you plan on keeping. To form your business’ structure, you can choose between a sole proprietorship, a partnership, or a corporation. Within a corporation, you can choose between a public limited company or a private limited company, and a cooperative as well.

For you to choose the perfect type of ownership for your business, there will be a few factors that you need to keep in mind. These factors will vary from how many people you want to work with, the type of liability you want to keep, and also the tax deductions for your business.

Consider the financing options

This is a key factor; before you even begin reading on how to start a business, you need to have your financing options figured out. While many people have enough cash themselves to start up a business using their own money, some people may have to refer to borrowing.

You can consider many options of financing such as debt financing, sharing equity, or even government grants. Each option that you choose will have several obligations that you will have to fulfill, so don’t jump quickly on one decision. Take your time and research the method that seems best to you.

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Get a business license

Within your municipality, you may have to get a business license to operate legally. While this is not important for all businesses, many new businesses might have to get a license depending on the type of ownership. When you read up on how to start a business, this will be a question frequently coming up; where to get a license from?

You may find more details about getting a license on your government’s website, and if your town or city doesn’t have one then you can contact them for information regarding it. Depending on the ownership, you may also need other types of licenses and permits. It’s essential to research these as well.

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Register your business

If you want help from experts researching available business names and registering your business, we have just the right partner for you.

Through Ownr, you can register your business in minutes – it’s that easy and straightforward! About 40,000 businesses have gotten themselves registered through Ownr, so we can guarantee that this place is extremely reliable.

Ownr breaks down the steps of learning how to start a business, at the lowest prices available in the market. There are exclusive Ownr perks that you can get and there’s even a platform where you can do everything in one place – no need to look elsewhere for anything! You wouldn’t believe how quickly you’ll be able to open your very own business, but through Ownr, it will take you less than 15 minutes to do so. They’ve got you covered!

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Register for GST or HST

Unless your business has a gross income of $30,000 and under for four consecutive quarters, you might need to register your business for the GST and HST. GST is short for goods and services tax, and HST is short for harmonized sales tax. The exemption for small-scale businesses is also not always applicable because if you’re running a taxi service, you might still have to register for these taxes.

This is the technical part about learning how to start a business. It may still be in your favor to register yourself for GST/HST, because through Input Tax Credits, you could get back the money you’ve spent on taxes to use on purchases for business uses.

Provincial sales tax registration

In some regions, when you read the steps on how to start a business, you may find that some of the countries have not combined their harmonized sales tax with the federal tax. In the event of this, you may have to register for provincial sales tax as well.

For example, in Alberta, Manitoba, and British Columbia, you will have to register as a collector of PST, which is short for provincial sales tax. Some of the provinces have their own provincial taxes, for example, Quebec Sales Tax (QST).

Employees

While you may start off as just one person, you may learn when you read on how to start a business, the time to hire people in your business may come sooner rather than later! It’s always best to be prepared for what’s coming, and there are many things you may have to consider before taking on employees in your business.

Legally, you must cover your business and ensure that it is well-suited to hire employees. When you hire employees you’ll also have to handle payroll, worker’s insurance for compensation, and also insurance for employment. You may also need to ensure every employee’s safety at work.

Get business insurance

When you first begin reading on how to start a business, you should find out that you are legally required to file for employment insurance. However, it’s always safe to have additional insurance and there may be a number of policies related to your premises, liability, business interruption, disability, and also key persons.

An insurance agent will be able to guide you properly through this matter and help you determine which policy you should get for your business.

Keep track of your records

It’s always a good habit to keep track of your business records as soon as you open your business. When learning how to start a business, you will also find out that basic accounting might help you scale your business as it keeps things more organized for you. It’s essential to open up a business account and keep your business receipts organized as well – this will help you when you have to pay your taxes.

Decide on a marketing strategy

Promotion of your business might be the cherry on top of everything that you learn when you read about how to start a business in Canada. You should plan your marketing strategy early on so that when it’s time to put things together and let the action begin, you won’t just sit there with your products out in the open and have no one to buy them. Goals and marketing initiatives can help you go a long way when you aim for success!

Final words on how to start a business

Now you know some of the many components of how to start a business. There’s much more research to be done on each of these topics along the way. Take the processes step by step, and our guide will help you understand how to start a business from scratch. Let’s watch you become an entrepreneur!

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FAQs about
Business Loans

What is a business loan?

A business loan is when money is borrowed from a lender for business needs with an agreement to pay it back, with interest, in instalments over an agreed period. Business loans are specifically for business owners who need funding for business costs such as purchasing inventory or the expansion of their operation.

How does a business loan work?

A business loan works in the same way as any other loan. The business receives a certain amount of money from a lender and repays it over a specified period including accrued interest. Payments can be made either monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly until the full loan amount owing is paid.

Why should I get a business loan?

Acquiring funding in the form of a loan will enable you to purchase assets, such as new inventory or more efficient machinery, or to purchase property to expand your operation. In a way, a business loan is an investment in your business by a lender. Therefore, before applying for one, determine how you will make the money to pay it back in the long term.

How will I support my business loan?

Our tips on supporting your business loan is to make a down payment and set up collateral.

What if my business has bad credit?

This is always one of the factors lenders consider to determine your repayment and your reliability. It's definitely better to have a good credit score so that your business loan can be successful.

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October 29, 2023
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