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STARTING A BUSINESS

Choosing a Business Name
Learn how to choose a great business name - taking growth, the Internet, and legal issues into account.
Canadian Business Financing: Grants and Loans for Young Entrepreneurs in Canada
Accessing capitals can be a frustrating process for young entrepreneurs with a great idea, but little chance of securing a traditional loan. This article lists grant and loan programs for young Canadian business owners.
MyPakage: Redefining More Than Just Mens Underwear (Start-Ups Uncovered)
How does a Canadian undergarment company plan to shake-up the world of men's fashion? In this issue of Start-Ups Uncovered Alexandra DeLory connected with Anurag Gupta, CEO and Partner at MyPakage Underwear, to find out.
Start-ups Uncovered: Introducing 49st.com
Meet 49st, Toronto-based start-up with a unique approach to managing and promoting events online. Over the coming year CanadaOne will follow their story, to take you behind the scenes of a hopeful Canadian start-up.
An In-Depth Guide for Independent Contractors in Canada
With at least 1.8 million Canadians in temporary and contract employment, our in-depth primer was created to explain what you need to know if you currently work as an independent contractor or are consider becoming one.
3 Tips on Choosing the Franchise that Is Right for You
Buying a franchise is a big decision. Here are 3 tips for you to consider while weighing your options.
Expanding Your Franchising: Tips for Crossing Borders
When it comes to business expansion, there are quite a few things to consider and in this article we will examine them.
What Are the Differences in Buying a Franchise in a New System versus an Established One?
Ned Levitt talks about the pros and cons of different types of franchise systems.
What Are the Differences in Buying a Franchise in a New System versus an Established One?
7 Things to Consider Before Buying a Franchise: A Lawyer's Perspective
Doing your homework carefully before you buy a franchise will help you avoid litigation after the deal has closed. These tips from Jonathan Mesiano-Crookston, a lawyer that advises both franchisors and franchisees, should help.
Coming Home: Home-Based Franchise Opportunities for the Entrepreneurial Mind
Many  service oriented  franchisors are now offering two of today's most sought after business trends - home based businesses and franchise driven concepts - in one powerful package.
Coming Home: Home-Based Franchise Opportunities for the Entrepreneurial Mind
Many  service oriented  franchisors are now offering two of today's most sought after business trends - home based businesses and franchise driven concepts - in one powerful package.
Seven Facts and Myths About Franchising in Canada
If you are considering buying a franchise, it is important for you to do your homework and inform yourself of both the benefits and risks. What's more, you need to prepare yourself to deflect high pressured sales tactics and keep your emotions out of the decision.
Creating an Action Plan for your Canadian Small Business
The ability to take action and put ideas into practices is what sets great businesses apart from the rest. Here is how you can create an action plan for your business in five steps. You may be surprised by some of the suggestions.
Starting a Business in Canada: Understanding the Basics of Buying a Franchise
There are many reasons to consider the franchise option, but the most important reason is that franchises have a high likelihood of success. To help people who are looking at starting a business better understand the ins and outs of franchising, we are creating this free guide. To get started, consider how franchises differ from other forms of business.
Be Awesome: How Social Media Can Help You Use Un-Marketing in Your Business
Scott Stratten has a straight-forward strategy for putting 'unmarketing' to work in your business: Be Awesome. With over 85,000 Twitter followers and a book that hit the bestseller list as it came off the presses, he leads by example. In this video interview we catch up with Scott to learn more about how small businesses can use social media and unmarketing in their companies.
Starting a Business in Canada: Understanding the Basics of Buying a Franchise
There are many reasons to consider the franchise option, but the most important reason is that franchises have a high likelihood of success. To help people who are looking at starting a business better understand the ins and outs of franchising, we are creating this free guide. To get started, consider how franchises differ from other forms of business.
Seven Facts and Myths About Franchising in Canada
If you are considering buying a franchise, it is important for you to do your homework and inform yourself of both the benefits and risks. What's more, you need to prepare yourself to deflect high pressured sales tactics and keep your emotions out of the decision. Here is a look at some key things to keep in mind if you are thinking of becoming a franchisee.
A Guide to Expense Deductions in Your Canadian Business
The federal government's rules for tax deductions for businesses are not always clear-cut. Here, we help you navigate around some of the stickier ones.
HST Primer: What Businesses in Ontario and British Columbia Need to Know
If you are a business in Ontario or B.C., HST takes effect on July 1, 2010 whether you like it or not. This comprehensive, plain-language guide will help you manage the transition.
Small Business Financing in Canada: Show Me the Money!
Need money? Here are some of the most important sources of financing for start-up and growing businesses in Canada.
Small Businesses See Opportunity During Recession
Who is more likely to survive in tough economic times, David or Goliath? Read on to learn how two small businesses are building at a time when larger companies are cutting back.
Registering a Business in Yukon, Canada
Need help registering a business in Yukon? This article will tell you walk you through the process.
Internet Start-ups: Then & Now
In this special CanadaOne feature we are broadcasting an abridged version of Mark Evan's speech, "Two Solitudes: The real differences between running an Internet start-up now and during the dot-com boom", to the Toronto Venture Group. (Run time: 21 minutes)
Being Unique is a Good Thing ... Isn't It?
As a new entrepreneur you will want to make sure that your business stands apart from the competition. Beware, however, of getting caught into taking an approach that is too different.
Expect to Get Half as Much and Take Twice as Long!
Think you're ready to test your mettle and retire into starting a business? Dr. Paul Adams outlines a simple test will help you determine whether this is a great idea or pending disaster.
Do I Want to Own My Own Business?
Before you take the giant leap of starting your own business, be sure that you are happy with your answers to the questions in this article.
Should I Start My Own Company?
For many starting their own business is the path to life fullfilment, success and riches. Reality can often be quite different than the great  dream . Before you decide to start your own business, you should take the time to consider these critical questions.
A Consumer Credit Rating Primer
What you don't know about credit ratings could hurt you on both a personal and business level. In this interview we asked Ken Porter, President, TransUnion Canada to explain the fundamentals of credit ratings.
Business Partnerships Need Pre-Nuptial Agreements
Before you finalize that partnership deal you need to complete a written partnership agreement. Here is what you will want to include in that document.
Help! What Taxes Must I Pay?
Just started your business and baffled about how to tackle your taxes? Use this quick Q&A guide to get a basic handle on what taxes you have to pay, how to pay them and when.
The Formula for Success
What do some entrepreneurs do differently that enables them to achieve almost mythical business success? This month we look at the characteristics that separate successful entrepreneurs from their peers.
Registering a Business in Quebec
Are you thinking of starting a business in Quebec? Learn how to register your name by following these steps.
Business Coach: Common Sense Leadership
Do you ever find yourself wondering if you are the leader your employees need? Or perhaps their actions don't seem to line up with your expectations. Paul Adams shows you how you can become a smart leader with these simple steps.
Cut Costs without Cutting Corners
The day to day expenses of running a business can quickly add up. That's why we've compiled a list of cost cutting ideas that can save you money without losing face with your customers.
The Ins and Outs of Individual Credit
You've decided to run a credit check on a potential client to ensure that you'll get paid for your services. Once the report arrives what are you really looking at and how can you use the information to make the best decision? This article can help.
Registering a Business in Prince Edward Island, Canada
Need help registering a business in PEI? This article will tell you walk you through the process.
Awaken the Leader Within You Ten easy steps to developing your leadership skills
Do you want to improve your leadership skills? Here are ten easy steps that will help you awaken the leader in you and rekindle your passion for greatness.
Registering a Business in Nova Scotia, Canada
Want to know how to register a business in Nova Scotia? Here's how.
Success is in the Detail
The failure of a business doesn't happen overnight, it is often the product of neglect, and overlooked details. Learn to spot the warning signs before your business becomes a statistic.
Starting a New Business Checklist
Do you know what licenses, zoning considerations, bylaws, taxes and other things you need to start a business? Our handy list provides a shortcut to the answers.
Registering a Business in Manitoba, Canada
Turning your Idea into a Business: Protect your Product with a Patent
While having a patent gives you exclusive rights that make your product more attractive to investors, it must be weighed against the costs and time needed to secure this protection.
Turning your Idea into a Business: Before the Product Launch
You don't just build a better mousetrap. You've got to build your mousetrap and show it catches mice before anybody's interested in buying your mousetrap. Especially in something that doesn't have a lot of background.
Turning your Idea into a Business: Creating an Effective Business Plan
Inventor or start-up: here are some solid tips that will help your create an effective business plan for your new idea.
Turning your Idea into a Business: Market Research, Prototypes and Product Evaluations
While you can study the successes of others, there isn't a standardized roadmap that will lead you to success. It will be difficult to identify the best path, and some roads may put you in dangerous territory. Not only that, but different routes will require different supplies.
So, You Want to Be a Consultant
There is more than meets the eye to these people then jetting around the world. We get the goods on what it really takes to make it in this business.
Turning your Idea into a Business: Getting an Idea and Getting Started
So you have an idea, but how do you make it a business. This invention series will guide you through the process.
Don't Put it Off Any Longer: Cure that Procrastination Virus
Do you find yourself waiting to the last minute to tackle projects? This month we take a look at the common habit of procrastination.
The 12 Steps to Entrepreneurial Success: Manage Your Money, Your Most Important Asset
If money management is not your top talent, don't toss your business plans aside, learn to master it. Knowledge, curbing your spending impulses, patience, and the fear of failing may do it for you. Here are some general rules of successful cash management.
The 12 Steps to Entrepreneurial Success: Recognize The Risk
Dr. Paul Adams continues his series on entrepreneurial success. This month he looks at managing your most important asset – your money.
The 12 Steps to Entrepreneurial Success: A Sure Way to Fail: Quit too Soon!
Dr. Paul Adams continues his series on entrepreneurial success. This month he looks at managing your most important asset – your money.
The 12 Steps to Entrepreneurial Success: The Twelve Affirmations to Success
Borrowing on the common self-help practice of  affirmation for action,  here are the  12 Steps  presented as promises to yourself. Many people credit success and sought after behavioral changes to the use of affirmations- perhaps you will as well.
The 12 Steps (Advice) to Entrepreneurial Success: If You Want Success Ask for it. And Keep Asking.
As you will discover, asking your customers to pay their bills is routine. If you dislike asking for your money-you must rise to the challenge.
The 12 Steps (Advice) to Entrepreneurial Success: Practice the  Golden Rule  in all of Your Affairs
Short cuts and sharp dealings to quick success make great fodder for novels and movies - but are not smart practices to build a successful business. The role models of  greed is good  and  have I got a deal for you,  can lead you to failure.
The 12 Steps (Advice) to Entrepreneurial Success: Avoid the Perils of Expansion
Watch out for the temptation to own the biggest business on the block. As we live in a society where bigness is viewed as a symbol of success, be careful that you do not confuse success with how fast you can expand your business.
How To Set Up A Business
Should you incorporate? The experts from mylegalanswers.com offer insights into choosing a business structure.
The 12 Steps (Advice) to Entrepreneurial Success: Introduction
Success. It's not easy, nor is it based on luck. Drawing on personal experiences as an entrepreneur and research as a business professor, Paul Adams has discovered some common threads of success, which he has broken into twelve steps. Here are the first s
The 12 Steps (Advice) to Entrepreneurial Success: Understanding Yourself
Do you wonder why there are those charmed individuals that the gods seem to favour–what is it they have that others don't? Is it some mystical charm, the right fortune cookie, or something more down to earth such as knowing who they are and what they want out of life?
The 12 Steps (Advice) to Entrepreneurial Success: Getting Things Done
If you are thinking about starting a business -do you know how to get things done? People who meet goals, accomplish objectives, and perform as promised, usually succeed in life.
The 12 Steps (Advice) to Entrepreneurial Success: Apply Yourself- Don't Be Lazy
Boy, do I hate to admit that I may be lazy. But, at times I know I am. And I suspect I could indulge myself even more if my guilt mechanism would permit it.
The 12 Steps (Advice) to Entrepreneurial Success: The Importance of Getting Organized
Disorganized entrepreneurs find it tough to manage their businesses. They become  reactive instead of proactive,  in other words, defensive, allowing the needs of the business and the demands of employees to establish their schedule and workday.
The 12 Steps to Entrepreneurial Success: Keep Your Emotions in Check
How we feel about ourselves and the world around us can help us to prosper or it can sabotage our success. To be successful in business or other activities, don't overlook the effect of your emotions.
The 12 Steps (Advice) to Entrepreneurial Success: Learn to Say No
Contrary to popular opinion, saying no is not always negative thinking- it may mean the survival of your business. Saying yes too often can place your money and your business at risk. As tough as it is to do, saying no is saying yes to your success.
Conquer the Fear of Public Speaking
Stomp that #2 fear and gain the skills to knock their socks off the next time you represent your company in front of a live audience.
Accounting 101: Balance Sheet Basics
If owners equity calculations send your head spinning, read on for a clear understanding of balance sheet basics for small business owners.
HR Benefits for Small Businesses - Look Beyond the Salary Bottom Line [Part 1]
An outstanding benefits plan can help you grab great employees out of the reach of competitors and keep them happy at your company.
Ten Steps to Your Own Business
Dividing a business start-up into 10 clear-cut steps makes this sometimes daunting process seem much more manageable for new entrepreneurs.
Accounting 101: Calculating Financial Ratios
This month we're digging into the books as we look at the ratios most commonly used by the bank to assess your credit application.
Understanding Financial Statements
financial statements, money, accounting, loans, financing, banks, lenders, applications, Income Statement, Balance Sheet
Understanding the Banker's Formula: Part II
Understanding how to secure financing from the bank is not an obvious or simple task. In this article we look at common balance sheet mistakes that can stop you from getting the credit you need to grow your business.
Registering a Business in Saskatchewan
Starting a business in Saskatchewan? Here's how to register your company.
Success is Managing with Common Sense and a Flair for Leadership
Leadership skills are critical to the success of a new venture. Do you have them? Whether or not you think you're a gifted leader, you should consider putting management theories aside and focus on common sense as you build your business, Paul Adams says
Understanding the Bankers' Formula
How can you improve the odds of securing credit from a bank? In this article we look at factors that affect your ability to secure debt financing.
Registering a Business in New Brunswick
Starting a business in New Brunswick? Here's how to reserve a name and register a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation.
How to Register a Business in Newfoundland & Labrador
If filling out forms, performing name searches and paying registration fees is something you'd like to avoid, then you might try registering your business in Newfoundland. Writer Melissa Cotton discovered that none of these annoying procedures are requir
Success Requires Action not Talk!
You need urgency to be an entrepreneur. If you hire someone who doesn't have it, it could sap your resources and ruin your business, as Paul Adams recounts in his article.
How to Register a Business in Alberta, Canada
The skinny on registering a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation in Alberta, Canada.
Registering a Business in Ontario, Canada
Want to know how to register a business in Ontario? Here's how.
Are You Waiting for the Perfect Goal?
Successful entrepreneurs are driven by goals, which are integral to their success. Here's how you can define goals that will get you moving.
Can You Discover the Secrets of Success?
Looking for a get rich quick solution to make yourself a millionaire? It's time to put the hype aside and consider what it really takes to be successful.
If You Want to be a Success in Business- Just Say No!
In the complex cycles of supply and demand, knowing when to say 'no' may be the difference between success and bankrupcy.
Bookkeeping...Why Bother?
Despite the hassels there are many excellent reasons to make bookkeeping a priority. Read on to find out why you should not procrastinate when it comes to keeping your company's accounts.
Writing an Effective Business Plan: Introduction
Need to write a winning business plan? This article will teach you how to do just that, with information on the four major sections of a business plan and tips for writing a business plan that gets investors excited.
Writing an Effective Business Plan: Page 2 - An Overview
As you start to visualize how different aspects of your business will look, research your market, verify your assumptions, and put together some basic financial projections you have already entered the planning process. Add some structure – using an outline to direct your research and planning – and you are well on your way to creating a business plan.
Writing an Effective Business Plan: Page 3 - Why Plan?
Many entrepreneurs will skip over the planning stage, but to do so is to put your business at risk. The process of researching and planning helps you thoroughly understand the business, your competitors, market conditions, and the risks.
Writing an Effective Business Plan: Page 4 - The Executive Summary
In two pages or less, your executive summary needs to describe the business opportunity, provide an overview of your plan (including your business model, strategies, and management team) and provide a brief summary of key financial information.
Writing an Effective Business Plan: Page 5 - Business Data
The first section of your plan contains business data. This information describes the business, its target market (ideal customers of your business), the strategies you will use to set yourself apart from your competition, key company personnel, your marketing strategy, and some of the main risks facing your business. In essence, you are using words to build a picture of your business.
Writing an Effective Business Plan: Page 6 - Financial Data
While words will describe your business strategies, numbers will define your business opportunity. For an existing business, you will want to include financial statements for the last three years, along with projections for the next 1-5 years. Projections will include a balance sheet, an income statement, and a cashflow summary.
Writing an Effective Business Plan: Page 7 - Supporting Data
The addition of supporting data often sees a plan grow from its initial 20 pages to the final 50-100 pages. It is here that you include relevant information on the tactics of your business. Do you have a list of major suppliers? Clients? Rate cards from your competitors? Include this information in your plan's appendices.
Writing an Effective Business Plan: Page 8 - The Outline
There is no one outline that will work for all business plans. The outline you will use for your business will depend on the type of business, the stage of business, and the reason for preparing a business plan. Nonetheless, there are some standard items included in every plan. Here is a look at one sample outline.
Prompted to Business Success
Do you sometimes feel like your business is rushing forward, and barely leaving you time to reflect and refocus? If so, you'll want to read on as Marion Oberg Riise, an Alberta-based entrepreneur, explains how you can prompt your way to business success.
Should Small Business be Cautious of Incubators? Part I
Is an incubator the answer to all your business' needs, or is it not much more than media hype? Read on to find out more about incubators, and how you can find the right fit for your company.
Should Small Business be Cautious of Incubators? Part II
The second section of this two-part article looks at questions you should ask before signing on the dotted line with an incubator, investor or venture capitalist.
Who Needs a Mentor!
A sounding board, a trusted resource. Someone who can listen - and challenge you to new levels. Mentors offer untold value to new entrepreneurs; in this article Reg Pirie explains why you need them, and how to find them.
Marketing Biz: Getting Started on a Shoestring
If you had the ear of a leading marketing guru, what questions who you ask? We were recently fortunate enough to have this opportunity, as we interviewed Jay Levinson, the noted author of Guerrilla Marketing.
Ten Things You Must Know Before You Sign a Business Lease
Things you need to know before negotiating a business lease.
Doomed to Fail Before You Start
Want to start your own business? Reg Pirie offers excellent advice that can help you avoid business failure!
Registering a Business in British Columbia, Canada
Here's how to register a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation in British Columbia, Canada.
Inventor, Innovator And Entrepreneur Success Secret #2: It's All About 'Them'
Understanding how to succeed in your business may be as simple as adopting a customer-focus.
On Becoming a Successful Inventor, Innovator or Entrepreneur: Insider Secret #1
Jim Laughren looks at how to develop an good idea into a money-making invention.
The Attraction, Marketing and Publicity Toolkit Checklist
This extensive checklist will help you expand, track and evaluate your marketing & publicity efforts.
Starting a Business: Choosing a Year-End
Read this article to learn how to select a year-end for a Canadian sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation.
Mission and Vision Statements: Envision your Business, Realize your Goals
Vision and goals may seem like the
Work Smarter Not Harder: Using Strategy to Improve your Business
How many of us work harder, when we should really work smarter? This article looks at how you can use strategy to accomplish more .. with less!
Know your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
This article looks at how you can power drive your sales and marketing by understanding what makes your business unique.