What do you guys think about startups in Canada?
Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t see a very strong movement of startups trying to solve real local problems. And when I say startups, I mean actual early-stage startups — not companies with 100 employees and a billion dollars in funding already.
Running a small consulting practice on the side of my main work and lead gen is, honestly, the thing I keep putting off because it feels like a full job in itself. Tried doing the whole multi-channel thing for a bit, content plus ads plus LinkedIn outreach all at once, and it just fell apart because I didn't have the time to follow through on any of it properly. Ended up scaling back to one channel and one landing page with a simple follow-up sequence in a CRM, and that's been more consistent than doing everything half-heartedly. For context I'm using something lightweight like HubSpot's free tier or Pipedrive, nothing fancy, just enough to track leads and automate a couple of touchpoints. The thing I keep hearing from other small operators is that referrals and warm, outreach still punch way above their weight compared to cold stuff, especially when you're time-limited. Makes sense when you think about it, conversion is better so you need less volume to get the same result. That said I don't think multi-channel is dead, it just seems to work better when it's, tightly scoped rather than trying to run everything at once with no real system behind it. One thing I've been paying more attention to lately is owned channels, email list, SEO, directories, stuff where rising ad costs and privacy changes don't suddenly tank your reach overnight. Feels more sustainable for a small practice. Curious what's actually working for people here in Canada, especially if you're running something with under 10 people. Are you doing any paid ads or mostly organic and word of mouth?
My incorporation bills exclusively us clients , and I do not collect HST from them.
However some of my expenses such as office bills are in canada on which I pay HST
Am I still eligible for HST ITC ?
Hello Everyone! I opened a cleaning business last year and work on it outside of my 9-5. I really want to grow it this year but am struggling to find new leads and was thinking maybe some of you were in similar situation and know how to get out of this.
I am busy Monday to Friday 9-5. Clients that i have already suggested me to their friends but those cleanings are not regular and primarily move in move out. I was thinking to run google adds but don't want to pay for the lead and then find out that they need cleaning when I am busy so i can service them. I also don't want to blindly hire someone I haven't checked yet and also accepting a lead while not having someone trained sounds like a big gamble and risk to reputation if I cant find a good cleaner.
Those of you who were in a similar situation how did you get out of it? Where did you find leads.
P.S. I am looking for suggestions not marketing pitches. I don't have it in my budget yet
Hi everyone. I stopped shipping to the US in August when the tariffs came into effect, mainly due to uncertainty, back and forth rules changing and expected paperwork. I did have a fair customer base in the US (about 10% of my sales) and some people are still interested in ordering. I'm wondering if it's worth re-visiting shipping back to the US. I use Stallion Express for most of my shipments.
I sell stickers and other small items. Some are made in Canada, others in the US but a fair part of the products are made in China. It looks like tariffs would only apply to the products from China. Are they still asking for certificate of origin for small shipments (under $200)?
Any insight would be helpful.
Hey everyone!
After more than 15 years in the field, I have finally decided to take the plunge, and I'm in the early stages of launching my own boutique digital marketing and IT consulting agency based in Vancouver, BC, primarily serving local SMBs. Wanted to share where I'm at and ask for a gut-check from folks who've been through this.
What I've done so far:
Two questions for the community:
1. Service agreements (Client Contracts): DIY or lawyer?
Is it worth using a platform like LawDepot for client contracts (scope of work, payment terms, IP ownership, kill fees)? Or is it worth paying a lawyer for a custom contract from the start? Curious what other solo consultants and agency owners have done here.
2. What else am I missing?
Any other registrations, licences, or formalities I should be aware of as a solo service-based business in BC? I know GST registration kicks in at $30K revenue. Is there anything else I might be overlooking?
Appreciate any advice! I’m happy to share what I've learned so far if it's useful to anyone just starting out!
Hi all,
We used Moneris for almost 10 years without any major issues. A Clover salesperson later convinced my father to switch because their fees were significantly cheaper.
About three months later, a “customer” (who turned out to be a scammer) came to our store repeatedly for about a month and later disputed all of his transactions.
After we challenged the disputes, Clover suddenly terminated our account, saying we had too many chargebacks. We were never contacted beforehand and nobody tried to understand the situation. We feel like we were treated as the problem instead of the victim of fraud.
Now we are losing hundreds of dollars in card sales every day, and we are worried because both Clover and Moneris now seem to consider us “high risk.”
Someone suggested that we open a new business bank account with a new bank and apply again with a different processor.
Has anyone here experienced something similar or have any advice on what we should do next?
Any suggestions are appreciated！！！
Hi Everyone, I am looking for advice. We are a small business of 4 and have been really struggling the past few years. This year has been the worst so far and we are barely making ends meet. We have pivoted significantly into printing, we have a vinyl printer, sublimation printer, DTF printer, UV DTF and a promotional UV DTF that prints right on products. The printing side is what has been keeping our head above water but the competition is fierce in Alberta. We need some help with getting back on our feet, are there any options for a business that isn’t new but could use some funding or subsidies out there? Any suggestions would be super helpful, I have been working my butt off but just can’t seem to get a head and getting concerned for my staff. Thanks any financial suggestions would be appreciated
Hi everyone,
I'm researching how small businesses in Canada usually communicate with suppliers when placing orders or reordering products.
Do business owners commonly use:
I'm especially interested in understanding which communication channels are most convenient and most frequently used for repeat orders.
If you own a small business or work closely with one, what method do you personally prefer and why?
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Currently shopping for the bank with the best advantage-fee ratio, I will be starting out with a few transactions but eventually will deal with high volume transactions, which bank account would be best to start with?
Hi,
I plan on registering a sole proprietorship business dealing primarily in e-commerce. I have also a wage subsidy grant from the government for a program I participated in, and I want to use the wage subsidy to pay myself, while building a business. Has anyone hired someone on a wage subsidy, what do you need to provide as an employer to the government to hire somebody and can it be yourself?
Hi, I’m looking for the best POS or payment option for my situation.
I’ll be selling cold beverages at a Canada Day event for one day only, and I’d like to accept cash, debit, and credit card payments.
I don’t need anything long term or complicated, just something simple and affordable for a one-time pop-up. Do you have any recommendations for a payment system that would work for this?
Is there a list of recommended software or must reads for first time small business entrepreneurs? I am thinking of opening a small therapy clinic for children with special needs. I have plenty of experience in this field and have worked closely with a couple different owners, and I think I am ready to try on my own. I am looking for things like:
-Recommended bookkeeping software: Quickbooks? Wagepoint (its own thing just for payroll?)
-Recommended website hosting?
-Email hosting: Google for business? Outlook?
-Client info tracking: Jane?
-Payment processing: Square? Strip? Moneris?
Is there a basic book that covers topics like this, as well as an intro to managing payroll, bookkeeping, advertising, HR principles (e.g. firing, layoffs, hiring)
Hi everyone, I’m looking to grow my network and would love to connect with other Canadian small business owners.
About me: I own a shipping company, and I might be able to help with Can Post, UPS, Puro, etc., questions if you have any. I live in Vancouver, BC. I love to go out and explore nature any chance I can. I’m an open book and will answer any questions you have about me or my business.
Not looking to sell you anything or do an advert. I’m genuinely looking to connect and would love more acquaintances who understand the challenges of owning a business.
Please DM if you’re looking for this too.
Hi r/canadasmallbusiness
I’m a solo founder building a bookkeeping tool for Canadian freelancers and contractors and I need real people to test it and tell me what’s broken.
The idea is simple — you log expenses through WhatsApp, either by sending a photo, forwarding an invoice, or just typing it out. Monby handles the categorization for CRA and keeps a running log for you.
It’s early days and I genuinely need honest feedback from real users to know what to build next.
DM me if you’re willing to give it a try — happy to answer any questions too.
I have finally hit my breaking point with RBC and am ready to switch banks. I don't want to write a 5,000 word reddit post detailing all of my issues with RBC, but one in particular is that I find the online banking platform very frustrating to use. It is half RBC Edge (which is reasonably modern and functional) and half RBC Express (which is ancient). We spend far too much time on the phone with RBC Express Client Support getting assistance with things that should be easy to do in a few clicks.
Do any of the major banks have a decent online banking platform? I am considering TD, BMO, Scotiabank, or National. We left CIBC a long time ago over a gigantic f-up on their part.
Not considering anything more modern like Venn or similar options.
I'm running a small tech operation and have some excess capital. I'd like to do a business loan where a colleague of mine will pay me interest / profits from his financial operations which is between 10-20% interest per year.
However I'm not sure how this is treated on a tax implication. Eg is the interest earned considered capital gains, or revenue? How much taxes / reporting should I have to consider?
We run small (3 person) real estate law office in North York, mostly helping with closings / title transfers / property-related stuff. For several years we persistently trying to get more leads, but our own marketing attempts been kinda all over the place.
Now I want to try working with legal marketing agency (ideally Toronto based), or someone who specifically does SEO for law firms, but not sure how to tell who actually knows what they’re doing vs who just throws buzzwords, so want to hear some experiences and cases here. Also very-very curious what red flags to watch for, like long contracts, guaranteed rankings, weird backlink promises, etc.
I’d rather hear from people who’ve actually been through it, not agencies trying to pitch me.
Not looking for DMs please, just real feedback or lessons learned. Thanks!
We have 12 staff across two locations and labor laws require training records, emergency contacts, and signed policies on file. It’s all in a binder and we find missing forms during inspections.
I need new hires to get a digital packet, upload signed docs, and complete training, with reminders if overdue. If someone’s certificate expires in 30 days, text them and me. At audit time I need one export with everything. Staff don’t have company emails, so it has to work on their phones. Paper is failing us.
We have 12 staff across two locations and labor laws require training records, emergency contacts, and signed policies on file. It’s all in a binder and we find missing forms during inspections.
I need new hires to get a digital packet, upload signed docs, and complete training, with reminders if overdue. If someone’s certificate expires in 30 days, text them and me. At audit time I need one export with everything. Staff don’t have company emails, so it has to work on their phones. Paper is failing us.