If you are ready to start a business, a useful starting point is the Business Start-Up Info-Guide. This document will go over the federal and provincial programs, services and regulations that exist for starting a business in Nova Scotia.

Review Important Steps in Starting a Business to learn more about selecting a business structure, registering your business, hiring, bookkeeping, and more.

Your Business Plan

Once you have decided to start a specific business, one of the first things to consider is your business plan. The Business Plan Guide will provide you with an overview of why a business plan is important and what it can do for you. The Interactive Business Planner is a free online tool to assist you in developing a well-formatted businesses plan.

We’ve created the following general outlines to get you thinking about what should be included in your business plan.

Business Plan for Small Construction Firms

Business Plan for Small Manufacturers

Business Plan for Retailers

Business Plan for Small Service Firms

Are you looking for a business plan sample for a specific business? Contact us at 1-888-576-4444 to find out if one of our 200 business plan samples relates to your business.

Market Research

Market research is a crucial part of the business planning process. We subscribe to a host of databases which contain research information such as demographics, consumer expenditures, and lists of competitors and suppliers. Contact us at 1-888-576-4444 to find out how we can help you.

Financing

Financing your new business is a critical step in the start-up process. All financing alternatives require serious evaluation to ensure that the option selected is the one that best meets the financing needs of your business.

For an overview of financing programs, refer to our Financing Info-Guide. To view additional financing alternatives, Industry Canada has created a searchable database called Sources of Financing.

The Business Start-up Assistant

The Business Start-Up Assistant provides useful and authoritative information for launching a business in Canada. It combines start-up information from the federal, provincial and territorial governments, the community and many other sources.

Regulations

Depending on the industry you have decided to enter, it is important to understand the regulations that may apply.

BizPaL is an online permit and license directory that will help you determine which regulations apply to your business on a federal, provincial, and municipal level. Currently, BizPaL provides regulatory information for the municipalities of Halifax and New Glasgow. BizPaL helps you create a personalized list of business requirements by asking you a series of questions.

As each municipal government has the authority to issue its own business licenses within its jurisdiction, it is important to contact your municipal government to determine what local regulations will apply to your business. Visit the list of Nova Scotia Municipalities to find contact information for your appropriate municipal government.

Business Structure

Choosing the right business structure for your enterprise is an important decision to make. The Forms of Business Organization document provides a brief description of the four types of business structures and some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Taxation

A number of taxation considerations will need to be addressed before starting your business. The Taxation Info-Guide will provide you with federal and provincial information such as sales tax, tax considerations for employers and income tax.