r/EntrepreneurCanada

I am a US Citizen and found a Canadian business that I'd like to acquire (and have it be operated by my family member who is a Canadian citizen. ). I have enough assets and collateral to guarantee my loan and the business is profitable with enough cash flows to easily service the loan. What lenders should I talk to ? Canadian small biz lenders say they don't lend to US citizens, and US lenders tell me they can't lend for a non US purchase.

My family member doesn't have enough collateral or downpayment. I am putting the money. They are simply going to run it on salary and some performance equity

I've been building a small digital services business here in Canada, offering virtual assistant, graphic design, and social media management services.

As I've been learning more about running a business, I've realized there's no shortage of advice online, but a lot of it comes from people outside Canada. Sometimes I wonder if the challenges are a little different here.

For those of you running businesses in Canada, what's been the biggest challenge you've faced over the past year?

Has it been:

• Finding clients?
• Managing cash flow?
• Hiring?
• Marketing?
• Rising business costs?
• Something else?

I'm still in the process of growing my business, and I'd really like to learn from people who are building businesses in the Canadian market. Hearing real experiences is much more valuable than reading generic advice online.

Looking back, what's one lesson you've learned that you wish you'd known earlier?

Hey everyone!

I’m an active Thumbtack Pro from Washington, and over the past year I built an app called NAVI because I couldn’t find a simple tool that fit the way I actually work.

NAVI is designed specifically for solo cleaners and small service businesses.

Current features include:

✅ Calendar for jobs
✅ Client management
✅ Follow-up reminders (never forget repeat customers)
✅ Notes & job photos
✅ Estimates & invoices
✅ Backup & restore
✅ Revenue insights

I’m not selling anything.

I’m looking for about 20 business owners willing to use NAVI and give honest feedback.

Everyone who joins early will receive NAVI Pro for free during testing.

If you’re interested, comment below or send me a message and I’ll send the TestFlight invite.

I’d really appreciate any feedback—good or bad. Thanks!

Hey everyone! My name is Shaniqua and I work with Buddy Pay Solutions and Digital Growth Labs. We are giving one business 50% off their first month of marketing with BuddyPay Solutions + Digital Growth Labs.

Includes a full marketing audit, website + social review, and a custom strategy to help bring in more customers and improve your online presence.

To enter:
👉 Use the link below
👉 No Instagram needed

⭐ BONUS: You can also get an extra entry by applying for a FREE marketing audit with Digital Growth Labs — just add “CONTEST” after your name on the form.

👇 Enter here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DaOP919Es1e/?igsh=aTc0dGxkczJmOHp6
👇 Those Without Instagram: https://digital-growth-labs.vercel.app/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZnRzaASxAdJwZG9mAmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABp3k_P6En6DOZp89OTzAUDZiGObcNdtNT0T5fjMkyRbLp4fuKZAPXCY5_p3hm_aem_eJaxQLVvdALg9NKcHMqgPg
(Make sure you put CONTEST beside your name so we know and can enter you in!)

Winner announced Friday July 10th at 6 PM PST 🍀

Hi, I'm working on an app and wondering what any of you think. Would you use it? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

My agent will read your incoming emails and draft replies when needed. But it will not send. You will be able to give the drafted reply more context to make the reply exactly the way you want it.

It will check your calendar so as to respond to meeting requests at times you have open in your calendar.

And it will remind you of any tasks you are committing to via email. So you don't forget what you agreed to do. For example, you agree to follow up and send a report next Tuesday. You will get a reminder that links to the email so you can put it in your calendar and actually do what you promised.

The idea is to save you time and mental bandwidth when it comes to your inbox. In a way that makes sure your emails are answered professionally, and tracked. It's not for everyone. My target market are busy professionals who are their inbox as a chore.

Thanks again for your thoughts

If you had access to $1M in capital, how would you invest it with the goal of multiplying it over time?

I’m not talking about gambling it on one high risk idea. I’m thinking more along the lines of building or buying cash flowing assets, improving them, and either holding long term or exiting at a higher value.

Some ideas I’ve been seriously thinking about:

- Apartment buildings / multifamily rentals: Group capital together, acquire smaller apartment buildings, improve operations, grow cash flow, then either hold or sell the portfolio later.
- Residential rentals / short-term rentals: Buy residential properties, rent them traditionally, or convert the right properties into short-term rentals where the market supports it.
- Buying existing businesses: Acquire a small business outright, buy in as an equity partner, or invest in an owner who needs capital. Improve systems, management, marketing, and profitability, then hold for cash flow or sell at a better multiple.
- E-commerce: Amazon, Shopify, private label, or some kind of online product business. Higher risk, but potentially scalable if the right product and system are found.
- AI / automation agency or tech services: Partner with people who understand AI implementation and help businesses automate workflows, reduce costs, or improve operations.
- Public markets: Dividend stocks, ETFs, bonds, crypto, or possibly active trading, although this feels more passive/speculative compared to building or buying something operational.

For the entrepreneurs here:
What would you actually do with $1M if the goal was to turn it into meaningfully more?
What would you avoid?

I’m looking for practical, real world answers from people who have built, bought, scaled, or invested in businesses/assets before.

I am building automation systems for construction and construction aid companies but i had an idea to build systems for them as well. It is a beta project so I need 2 companies that are interested for me to test the systems with no payment for 60 days. Would anyone like to try it out

A few weeks ago I posted here about not knowing how to sell my product. That post taught me more in 48 hours than 7 months of working alone. The comments, the DMs, the people who took time to actually read what I wrote I wasn't expecting any of that.

So I'm back. Different situation this time

I built a platform that connects franchise units within the same brand. Not connecting different brands or different companies specifically the case where one person or group owns multiple locations of the same franchise and each location is hiring independently, with no visibility into what the others are doing. A strong candidate gets turned down at one unit and just disappears, when they could've been exactly what another unit in the same network needed.I had early users. Then I ran into real problems with the platform things that were breaking the experience for the people using it. Some of them left because of it, and honestly I don't blame them. (The update that came after was specifically to fix what made them leave not new features, just fixing what was wrong.) That process took longer than I wanted and cost me relationships I was starting to build

The platform is stable now. That part I'm confident about

What I don't have is what comes next: franchise operators who are actually willing to try it. Not sign a contract, not commit to anything just talk to me. Tell me if this maps to something they've actually felt, or if I'm solving a problem that doesn't hurt as much as I think it does

If you work in franchising, own multiple locations, have consulted in that space, or have gone through something similar with your own project I'd genuinely like to hear from you. No pitch. Just a real conversation.

Comments or DMs both work

I am building automation systems for construction and construction aid companies but i had an idea to build systems for them as well. It is a beta project so I need 2 companies that are interested for me to test the systems with no payment for 60 days. Would anyone like to try it out

I was a CRA auditor for about a decade before I went out on my own, so I've been inside the books of more businesses than I can count at this point. And honestly, the same thing happens over and over when people are buying or investing. They get excited about the revenue, the seller tells them it's a cash cow, everyone shakes hands, and then a few months later, the money isn't showing up the way they were promised.

A couple of things worth checking before you hand anyone a cheque.

First is add-backs. Sellers love to "adjust" their earnings, and a lot of the time, that just means they were running personal stuff through the business. Once you strip that out, the real profit can be way lower than what's on the listing.

Then there's the cash side. A business can look profitable and still be broke if customers pay slowly and the bills come fast. Profit on a statement is not the same as money in the bank, and people mix those two up constantly.

I'd also pull their GST/PST and payroll remittance history early. If they're behind with CRA, you can end up walking into someone else's problem.

And watch out for one giant customer. If 40 percent of the revenue is from one client and that client walks after the sale, you basically bought a different business than the one you were looking at.

Here's the thing, though. I know most people reading this already know they should get the numbers checked. The problem is actually getting it done. Try booking a decent CPA right now. Half of them won't take you unless you're already a year-round client, the other half take three days to email you back, and when you finally do get someone, a proper business evaluation runs you a few thousand dollars and a couple of weeks of back and forth. So people just skip it and go with their gut, which is exactly how you end up overpaying for a business that doesn't cash flow.

I'd rather you not do that. So if you're looking at a deal right now, I do a free 15-minute call to start. You tell me about the deal, I tell you what I'm seeing, what the red flags are, and whether it's even worth digging into further. If it is, I'll walk you through what a full evaluation looks like and what it runs. If it's not, I'll tell you that too.

If that sounds useful, just shoot me a DM and I'll send you the link.

Edit: I am a licensed CPA who owns and operates a licensed CPA firm.

Hi everyone, my name is Edward, i come from Asia and now base in Vancouver. I have both startup and tech background and i m starting an AI company here. I felt that Vancouver is a bit lag behind (especially in summer since everyone seems to be very chill) in technologies and seems that people don't actually work very hard. Am i the only one feeling this ? As a solo entrepreneur sometime i feel very lonely here.

I am a technical person want to create a B2B app, create a product that is actually useful. I do have an idea that would be nice to run by business person. Ideally you have some background or experience in talking to business customers since I don’t really have an experience in that department nor do i feel am the right person for that.

Equity if we go with my idea would start low but increase as you bring in customers. If we go with a new idea after back and forth, we would be 50-50 partners. I dont want anyone who wants to integrate AI just because its a shiny new thing. The boring B2B apps should be reliable and AI isnt that yet.

Only Vancouver based tho please. Dm if interested

Hey everyone, I’m JR.
I studied psychology, work in banking, and have spent years obsessing over one question:

Why do some people seem to keep growing while others stay stuck?

That question eventually turned into a book called Built Not Bought.

I’m not here to sell anything. Honestly, I’m just interested in conversations about behaviour, learning, mental health, personal growth, and what actually helps people move forward.

Looking forward to learning from all of you.

I am hopeful that this novel will help some entrepreneurs sell and navigate the sale of their business. Over the next decade, $2 trillion in Canadian small business value will change hands as the founder generation ages out. 76% of SME owners plan to exit. Only 9% have a formal succession plan. The gap between those two numbers is where fortunes are lost — not to bad luck, but to bad timing, bad structure, and decisions that seemed harmless until they weren't.

The $2 Trillion Handshake is the Canadian founder's field guide to getting this right. It walks you through every stage of a successful exit: how to stop being the bottleneck in your own business, how buyers actually calculate what your company is worth, how to use the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption and the new Employee Ownership Trust to keep more of what you've built, and how to navigate the deal itself — from the first unsolicited offer to the wire clearing.

This book covers what your accountant hasn't told you, what your lawyer assumes you already know, and what most founders only learn after it's too late to act on it.

This book is for you if:

• You own a Canadian small or mid-sized business and plan to sell in the next 3–10 years
• You've been told your business is worth "a multiple of EBITDA" and have no idea what that means for you
• You want to understand the tax structures — LCGE, share vs. asset sale, family trusts — before you're sitting across from a buyer
• You've received an unsolicited offer and don't know whether to take it seriously

https://www.amazon.com/Trillion-Handshake-Canadian-Founders-Defending-ebook/dp/B0GX2ZZ6VC/ref=sr_1_6?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.IdJR1J-AT_0dkKgbps8DW20QV5tP-2hislZhkyoa9-6LyEzFWgxRYb-WAn9ZVf8R-ulvCmPr0IozPKamsvRb2SwKPsjqeukplpgIz9RR1rlzpaCzHsGHCflqpnYEcFgvyBU-Sy_UEhCfxvgxk9kvYLoIo02g2RO6z3XXVZBBKEVfzT8Fq6b7dlBKbfX9dwZoE3kV7LURcWq9Ouwi9S8HKg1HQHWLx0_uSJSyK--o63g.57YkQZSxugU8ft2RF1eUW5M9TG9Is24zl3_QhbN1Gr0&dib_tag=se&qid=1782236664&refinements=p_27%3ASean+McFadden&s=books&sr=1-6