In this page contains a Business Start-Up Checklist and Business Start-Up How To ....

Business Start-Up Checklist

The business start-up checklist below is meant to remind you of the tasks you may have to perform when starting your business.

Not every small business will have to complete each step depending on the circumstances of the individual business.

Choose a business based on your skills and interests

Research the business idea

- What will you sell?
- Who will buy it and how often?
- Are you willing to do what it takes to sell the product?
- What will it cost to produce, advertise, sell & deliver?
- Can you make a profit and how long will it take to make a profit?
- What government regulations apply?

Write a business plan (Structure, financials, management skills, marketing, etc.)
Choose a business name
Verify right to use the name
See if the business name is available as a domain name
Register the business name and get a business certificate
Choose a location for the business or make space in the house for it
Check zoning laws
Have business phone or extra residential phone lines installed
Check into business insurance needs
Find out about health insurance if you will not have coverage under a spouse
Get adequate business insurance or a business rider to a homeowner's policy
Apply for GST and/or PST tax number if required
Meet with an Certified General Account (CGA) to discuss the tax and business structure of your business
Contact the Employment Standards Branch office of the Ministry of Skills, Development and Labour, listed in the blue pages of the telephone book
Apply for employee identification number if you will have employees
Find out about workers' compensation (WCB) if you will have employees
Open a bank account for the business
Have business cards and stationery printed
Purchase equipment or supplies
Order inventory
Order signage
Order fixtures
Get an email address
Have sales literature prepared
Call for information about Yellow Pages advertising.
Place advertising in newspapers or other media if yours is the type of business that will benefit from paid advertising
Call everyone you know and let them know you are in business
File partnership or corporate papers if business structure
Get any required business licenses or permits
Reserve your corporate name if you will be incorporating
Register or reserve trademark
Register copyrights
Apply for patent if you will be marketing an invention
Register your domain name even if you aren't ready to use it yet
Find a web hosting company
Get your web site set up

Business Startup How Too ....

You can complete the most common business registration forms quickly and conveniently at the OneStop Business Registration System.

1. Registering your Business Name

Register your business with the provincial Registrar of Companies if you are going to operate under any name other than your own. This applies whether you operate as a sole proprietorship, a partnership or a limited company. If you operate a proprietorship in your own name, without adding any other words ("Associates or "Partners," for example) you don't need to register your business.

You should register your business before you get your business licence, and allow at least seven days for the name search and registration.

You can get a registration package from any Government Agent's office. Contact your local Government Agent or:

Registrar of Companies
2nd Floor, 940 Blanshard Street, Victoria, BC

Mailing address:
PO Box 9431 Stn Prov Gov
Victoria BC, Canada V8W 9V3
Tel: (250) 387-7848 Fax: (250)356-0206
From Vancouver call: (604)775-1041
Web Site: http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/registries/corppg/

Name Approval Form

Declaration of Partnership or Proprietorship

Corporate Registry Fee Schedule Corporate Registry listing of all available forms.

2. Getting a Business Licence

Your business needs to be licenced before you operate within municipal boundaries and/or Regional District. You might also need to get licences in the municipalities in which you don't have a facility, but where you carry on business. It's a good idea to check with each of the municipalities your business will serve.

If your business is located in an incorporated municipality (city, town, village or district), you can get a business licence from the municipal business licence office. Your local municipal hall can be found in the blue pages of your telephone book.

2a. Land Use and Zoning
If your business is in a municipality, check with municipal authorities to make sure it meets zoning and building regulations. If it's in an unincorporated area, check with the Regional District.

3. Provincial Sales Tax (Social Service Tax)

You must register with the Consumer Taxation Branch, Ministry of Finance and Corporate Relations, and collect a social service tax, more commonly known as the retail sales tax, if you are involved in any of the following activities:

selling retail goods;
leasing goods;
providing legal services;
selling parking rights within the Vancouver Regional Transit Service Area;
providing taxable services (e.g. repairs to goods); and,
providing telecommunications services.

The Consumer Taxation Branch will issue you a Certificate of Registration and provide information on your responsibilities. To register, or to get more detailed information, contact your local Government Agent or:

VANCOUVER INFORMATION SERVICES
Ministry of Finance and Corporate Relations
Consumer Taxation Branch, Vancouver
500-605 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 5J3
Tel: (604) 660-4524
Fax:(604) 660-1104
Web Site: http://www.rev.gov.bc.ca/ctb

LOCAL NUMBERS FOR PST ENQUIRIES

Williams Lake - 398-4750

Or call Enquiry BC at 1.800.663.7867, and ask to be transferred to 604.660.4524.

Visit the Consumer Taxation Branch website, for the phone numbers of offices serving your community.

4. Business Number

You receive a Business Number (BN), when you open one or more of Canada Customs Revenue Agency's four major business accounts, as follows:

corporate income tax;
import/export;
payroll deductions; and
Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Your BN identifies you and the various accounts you maintain. You can get a Business Number Registration Kit from Business Windows, located in many Canada Customs and Revenue Agency offices in BC.

Tel: 1-800-959-5525

4a. Goods and Services Tax (GST)
You must register for GST whether your business is a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation, as long as your annual revenues from taxable goods and services are over $30,000. You must also register if you are a taxi or limousine operator, regardless of revenues. If your annual revenues are under $30,000, you don't have to register, but you can if you want to as long as you are involved in a commercial activity. When you register for the GST, you will be assigned a Business Number (BN).

PRIMARY CONTACT
Canada Customs and Revenue Agency
Business Window
1166 West Pender St
Vancouver, BC V6E 3H8
Tel: 1-800-959-5525
Fax: (604) 691-4446
http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/

More information:
General Information for GST Registrants

5. Workers' Compensation Board (WCB)

Responsibility for complying with WCB Regulations, and for paying the premiums, rests with employers, as they control the workplace.

Most businesses in British Columbia have compensation coverage, about 80 per cent of all employers in fact. If you're not sure whether you need coverage, you should contact the WCB for more information. You need to be absolutely sure about your responsibility. There's too much at stake, in terms of liability and peace of mind, not to be.

For more information please contact:

PRIMARY CONTACT

See local area offices of the Workers' Compensation Board.

Head Office:
Workers' Compensation Board
6951 Westminster Hwy
Richmond, BC Canada V7C 1C6
Tel: (604) 273-2266 Fax: (604) 244-6490/244-6392
Toll Free: 1 800 661-2112
Web Site: http://www.worksafebc.com/

WCB Registration
Personal Optional Protection Insurance

6. Labour Requirements

If you are hiring employees or subcontracting labour, you will need to know about minimum wages, statutory holidays, maximum hours and other employer/employee rights. For this and other related information, contact the nearest Employment Standards Branch office of the Ministry of Skills, Development and Labour, listed in the blue pages of the telephone book. For details on employer/employee rights under the new Employment Standards Act, contact the local Employment Standards Branch office.

tel: 1-800-663-3316
or (250) 612-4100 in the Prince George area

Administration Office:

Employment Standards Branch
Ministry of Skills, Development and Labour
1st Floor, 634 Humboldt Street
Victoria, BC
Tel: (250) 387-3300
Fax: (250) 356-1886

Mailing Address:
PO Box 9570 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9K1
Website: http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb

A Guide to the Employment Standards Act

7. Business Records

Whether you are a corporation, sole proprietorship or partnership, you will need an efficient record and accounting system, as required by law. We recommend you contact the nearest Canada Customs and Revenue Agency office for relevant forms, information on expense deductions, interpretation bulletins and income tax return forms. We also recommend you hire an accountant to help you with this sometimes complicated, but necessary part of your business.

PRIMARY CONTACT
Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, Tax Services
Vancouver District Office
1166 West Pender St.
Vancouver, BC V6E 3H8