The 5 Steps to Starting a Business

Move closer to being a business owner with the five start-up steps. Each step includes guides, tools, templates and resources to help you implement.

Check if Your Business Is Feasible

If you build it will they come?

Before you quit your job and invest your hard earned savings in a new business, be sure the idea is feasible. Doing your homework now will help you move forward with confidence.

Identify your target market and confirm their need for your product or service
Conduct accurate market research to estimate demand and market size

Develop a clear competitive advantage
Have the capacity and capability to start
Understand the logistics of your industry

A checklist to determine whether your business idea will succeed.

Check Your Business Idea

Key Business Plan questions to consider before you start your business.

7 Key Questions

Additional Resources

Finding the Money

Find the funds you need to start and grow.

Whether you have your own savings, are relying on friends or family, intend to borrow, or possibly a mixture, identify how much capital you will need and the potential source.

Calculate how much set up capital you have to raise
Determine your working capital needs each month until break-even

Decide which is the best source of funding (your own, other peoples, the bank)
Identify ways to lower your risk with funding alternatives

Determine your start-up costs to help ensure your business is feasible.

Start-up Costs

Help decide whether your idea will make money before you invest your time and capital.

Startup Costs Calculator

The Canadian Government wants to help your small businesses succeed. There are programs, loan guarantees, tax breaks and more available to help you successfully launch and grow.

Government Grants

Additional Resources

Sources of Funding
Finding the Money Checklist
GrantMatch offers RBC business clients exclusive offers² to help navigate government funding options - Learn More

The Legal Stuff

Sleep easy at night knowing you’re covered.

It can be tricky navigating all the legal requirements if you’ve never been in business before, but if you understand the basics then it’s not as hard as it seems.

Find out how to Register or Incorporate Your Business and determine your business structure
Learn what you need to know about paying business tax and GST/HST
Be aware of any licenses or regulations that you may need to comply with

Decide how best to pay yourself and know the tax implications
Find out what you need to do when employing others for the first time
Access help from professional advisers earlier than later

Key considerations when choosing your optimal business structure.

Business Structure

Additional Resources

Your Best Business Plan

Documenting your brilliant idea.

A well written business plan helps explain to others what you are doing, and clarifies the business opportunity in your mind. The act of writing down what you want to do, and how you intend to do it, is a key starting point to achieving your business goals.

Describe what you do and why it can become a business
Outline your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT)

Forecast cash flow to check the business model works
Identify the best channel to market
Develop a targeted marketing plan

Determining whether you have enough money to manage your business means creating a variety of realistic cash flow projections.

Forecast Cash-flow

A business plan helps you fully to think through and vet your business idea before you actually start your business, which will improve your chances of success.

Business Plan Template

Additional Resources

Keep Control of Your Cash

Know where your money is.

Keeping tabs on your cash includes knowing how your business is performing, and making regular changes to enhance your profitability within the context of your business.

Set up systems to review your cash position regularly
Constantly check your margins and find ways to improve them
Understand the impact of offering credit

Increase your chance of getting paid on time
Be aware of possible fraud risks and how to reduce them

Learn how to increase profit without increasing prices.

Increase Profit Checklist

Make sure the price you set for your product or service enables you to make a profit.

Product & Servicing Pricing

Additional Resources

Tools & Calculators

Tools to help you find what you need to fund your business start-up, determine your cash-flow and analyze your loan payment options.

Startup Cost Calculator

Cash Flow Calculator

Loan Calculator

Ready to Get Started?

Your RBC Business Advisor will work with you to;

Understand your vision and business goals
Help you complete a sound business plan
Set up the right financial products and solutions to help you get where you want to be

Call our 24/7 Business Helpline

1-800-769-2520

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MONERIS and MONERIS & Design are registered trademarks of Moneris Solutions Corporation.

For sole proprietorship registration “$89 back” offer is inclusive of any applicable taxes, and for incorporation, “$300 back” offer is inclusive of any applicable taxes (“Offer”). Offer available when you register or incorporate with Ownr and open a new RBC business deposit account (“bank account”) within 60 days (“Qualifying Criteria”). Once you complete the Qualifying Criteria, you must log back into your Ownr account and click ‘Refund Me’. You will receive the refund to your bank account within 7-10 business days of clicking ‘Refund Me’ . To qualify for this Offer your bank account must remain open for a period of 1 year from the date your bank account is opened. If you received this Offer then changed or closed your bank account within 1 year, we reserve the right to debit your bank account for the value of this Offer, plus applicable taxes, even if this places you into overdraft. Offer may be revised or withdrawn at any time without notice. No minimum account balance required.

Terms and conditions apply. Promotion runs from July 17, 2020 to May 30, 2021 (“Offer Period”). To be eligible for a 6-month fee waiver on the Bookmark Business Plan (“Offer”), you must be or become a Moneris merchant, have an RBC personal or business bank account for the settlement of transaction proceeds and sign up for a Bookmark Business Plan during the Offer Period. Monthly fee of $39.95 shall apply after the expiry of the 6-month fee waiver period on the Bookmark Business Plan which may be cancelled at any time. Offer is subject to change, cancellation or withdrawal at any time. Please click here(opens to external site) for complete details of offer terms and conditions, including additional restrictions regarding offer eligibility.

This offer is only available to Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) business clients and is non-transferable. RBC business clients will receive free access to the GrantMatch Funding Assessment and Strategy Tool (FAST). RBC business clients who wish to access the FAST more than once must contact GrantMatch directly. Upon completing a FAST assessment, RBC business clients can get access to preferred pricing for GrantMatch grant writing services (where GrantMatch personnel will assist with the completion and submission of a grant application) and GrantMatch Premium (where GrantMatch funding specialist will assist in developing long term strategic grant strategy, offer guidance on the grant application process and if a grant is awarded will assist with reporting and compliance requirements) (“Offer”).

Preferred pricing for GrantMatch grant writing services consists of the following which is a 20% discount from GrantMatch’s standard pricing for GrantMatch grant writing services:
(1) Hourly rate $175.

Preferred pricing for GrantMatch Premium consists of the following options which are a 20% discount from GrantMatch’s standard pricing for GrantMatch Premium:
(1) an hourly rate $175; or
(2) a percentage fee model which is based on a percentage of approved funding:
- Up to $250,000 = 20% fee (of the first $250,000 of approved funding)
- Between $250,000 - $499,999 =16% (of approved funding)
- Between $500,000 - $999,999 =12% (of approved funding)
- More than $1mm = 8% (of approved funding)

Preferred pricing does not include HST. This Offer is valid from March 22, 2021 to Jan 31, 2022,. GrantMatch Corp., not Royal Bank of Canada, is responsible for all terms and conditions applicable to your GrantMatch services, which are available at: https://ca.grantmatch.com/gm-terms-of-use-ca. Offer may not be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer(s). GrantMatch and RBC each reserve the right to discontinue or modify this Offer at any time.

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Starting a Business

What You Need to Know When You Are Starting Your Business