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Starting your own company requires a certain amount of ingenuity. You need skills in all facets of business.

In the beginning, you’re the human resources, marketing, sales, accounting, and legal department all rolled into one.

It’s not impossible, but failure is more common than you’d like to know. Only 50 percent of startups in Canada survive more than 5 years.

So what sets apart the businesses that succeed from the ones that don’t? Successful businesses avoid making business mistakes.

It’s an easy thing to say, but not nearly as easy to accomplish. Every step of the way it just takes one bad decision to halt your company.

Though the 1.14 million small businesses in Canada prove it’s certainly not impossible to avoid making mistakes.

To ensure your startup grows without a hitch, we’re bringing you our list of critical business mistakes and how to avoid them.

So you’ve decided to make the jump and venture into the business world. It might not have been an easy decision. You've probably asked yourself a lot of questions to evaluate your business idea. Whichever process you’ve gone through, congratulations on taking the...

It’s one thing to sell your product or service to the masses, and it’s quite another to sell to a target market.

Even though selling to the masses might seem the best path to profitability, this is not always the case.

Finding your ideal customers is the best way to boost your sales in the long-term, especially if your business offers a niche product.

Knowing your target market enables you to design a suitable marketing and sales strategy.

So if you have been marketing your product to just about anyone who cares to listen, it’s time to make a change.

In this post, we’re sharing the various methods you can use to find your ideal customers. Read on!

New industries can be a challenging exploration (to say the least). Ideas are born and die before they ever meet market fruition let alone maturity.

Let’s say you have a good idea for a product or service.

You do your research, create a prototype, or a baseline service to meet the market expectations. Things are going well yet you don’t quite have the critical mass to take the execution to the next level.

There’s no certainty that the market accepts your idea. This may be from your positioning, earliness to the market, or that consumers haven’t quite found the value of the offer at this time.

It happens all the time.

Trying to create a new industry can lead to incredible success but the capital and resources needed to build a foundation may bleed your business dry.

But entering a new and emerging market presents an opportunity to get in on the ground floor while having the ability to tap into business resources. There’s a great deal of money to be made with less risk. Keep reading and we’ll tell you the top new industries worth considering for your startup!

If your business has grown to the point of generating more income than you or your partners need, incorporating your business might provide the tax breaks you’ve been longing for.

If this is the case, congratulations! In this post, we’ll explore why and how you should incorporate in Ontario.

Are you interested in starting your own? Before you can really get your business up and running, there’s a process you first need to go through.

If you haven’t owned a business before, chances are that you are not familiar with the registration process. That’s why we’re here to help you out!

We want you to have all of the right information about setting up shop so that you’ll be ready to go when it comes to registering your company.

As you are looking to register your new Ontario business, you’ll find that there are a few different company structures that you can register. Since this is your first business, you want to make sure that you’re picking the company structure that is right for you.

Want to learn more about the different types of companies you can register as?

As you’ve started the thrilling journey of owning a small business, you’ve done a lot of planning.

You’ve registered a company name. You made a website. You may have even bought a store.

As you’ll find though, every day is an adventure. With those adventures will come challenges.

We’ve picked out 10 important things for you to know as a new business owner. Keep these in mind in the coming days and months!

If you’re starting a business or just rebranding your existing one, the biggest decision you’re going to make is the name.

Catchy business names make businesses – and boring ones can sink them. But finding a name can feel a little bit like Goldilocks looking for the porridge that’s just right, but you just can’t seem to find it!

What’s more, with digital considerations like SEO, domain registration, and competition, choosing a name can seem like an uphill battle.
But we’re here to help. Here’s how you can choose catchy business names that suit you, that will perform well online, and will help you find (and keep!) customers.

Here we go!

Ready to learn about the hottest startup trends this year?

With technological advances happening every second around the globe, we live in a fast-paced economy that doesn’t wait around for good ideas.

If you’re looking to make it big as a startup, it’s vital to know where to invest your time and what the competition is doing.

This list captures the top 10 startup trends lurking around the corner, so you can be the king of the jungle rather than being taken as prey.

When you are developing a new business, you need to have a plan to guide your business decisions. Only 10% of startups succeed, and a good startup business model is one of the major factors that will set your business apart from the other 90%.

Because the Canadian market is a great place for startups, small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy with over 41% of Canadians working for a company with less than 20 employees. So clearly startups work; you just need the right inspiration and the right business model.

This article will show you some of the best startup business models, tailored for the realities of starting a new small business.

You have it. It’s the next great idea, and it’s going to change lives.

Problem is, you have no experience starting or running a small business, and people won’t stop throwing the statistics at you. The truth is, starting a small business is no small undertaking, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to succeed.

What do you think is more important for the success of your business: your business model, or your operating model?

Many will say business model.

But we’re here to let you know that your business model won’t mean much if you don’t operate effectively. Indeed, your business may never even get off the ground. There’s really only so much your business model can do all on its own.

Starting your new business venture should be a thrilling adventure in your life.

You’re grabbing the reins and on your way to becoming your own boss.

Pat yourself on the back for starting your entrepreneurial journey – not everyone can hack it.

Here’s the kicker: this exciting new journey also comes with risks.

When you’re fresh to the business scene, you want to jump right in feet first.

That’s a great attitude, but don’t let the fun and excitement of starting your new business lead to economic woes.

One of the main reasons new businesses and start-ups fail is due to the big ‘M’ – money.

New business owners are often limited on their knowledge of how to run their business, and often times make mistakes that could potentially tank their new venture.

Avoid becoming a statistic by following the best advice to fail-proof your new business!

Here’s a tough statistic: recent studies show that just 13% of employees actually enjoy going to work.

There are lots of reasons why you might feel unmotivated. In this post, we’ll explore the possible causes for a lack of motivation. We’ll also talk about the importance of motivation, and offer you a few tips on how to find the enthusiasm you once had.

Don’t underestimate the importance of motivation. Without it, you can’t grow your business.

With 64% of employees visiting non-work-related websites every day, there are more distractions than ever. Help them – and yourself – stay motivated with these tips.

Research shows that 66% of people under 30 have a desire to start a business, but only 3.6% follow through.

Of that 3.6%, only 1% will succeed.

With these eight essential marketing tools for startups you’ll be well on your way to securing your spot among the 1 percent.

As we all know, setting up a small business isn't the easiest thing in the world to do, and it's certainly not for the faint-hearted. But, whether you've already launched your business, just setting up, or thinking about your business name, there are some helpful...

When you were starting your business you were faced with some very pressing issues. You needed to perfect your business plan.  Had to secure proper business financing.  You got up to speed with Canadian tax planning and even made sure to know what to expect in the...

Did you know 83,240 Canadian businesses closed down in 2013 and a further 3,116 filed for bankruptcy in 2014? No matter what you make of these figures, one thing is clear: a lot of businesses are going down! If you’re looking to start a small business, you definitely...