Painter and decorator

To operate a business in BC you are required to obtain a business licence in the municipality you are working in .  Each municipality’s licence is set up in a different way.  Some have resident and non-resident licences; others have licences broken down by business type.  The thing that remains the same is that you will only be licensed to do business in that municipality.  If you intend to carry out business across multiple municipalities you will be required to obtain licences from each of those municipalities.

That is unless you own and operate your business in the one of the six regions in British Columbia which have a Mobile Business Licence. ... Read More

 

 

My best business idea ever – and, believe me, I've had a lot of them – was a great concept. A sure thing, I thought. It would be part store, part salon, part party place for girls only. It had great potential.

 

Then, unexpectedly, I found myself standing in the middle of exactly such a place. A franchise called "Sweet and Sassy," which is part junior salon (mini-mani's, anyone?), part party location and part retail store stocked with $4 bottles of nail polish, shower scrubs and hair extensions. All in all, it was exactly what I'd imagined: a big, fat, glitter-covered, fairy-winged, hot-pink cash cow.

"They stole my idea," I thought to myself as Justin Bieber blared through the stereo speakers while a gaggle of 7-year-olds got mini-makeovers. "How did I let this happen?" ... Read More

 

It’s the big mistake that we have the power to fix.  But it’s also the kind of thing that we could spend a lifetime getting wrong—without intervention.  When should you do it yourself (DIY) and when should you pay the experts (PTE) to do it for you?

question yourself

Small business owners are the kings and queens of creating something out of nothing, of learning every skill that they have to learn in order to move their businesses forward.  Cash-strapped individuals with great ideas have been known to be highly innovative—but that doesn’t have tp mean doing it all by yourself.

When is it time to grow the team?  Here’s a simple reality check. ... Read More

 

 

While tax season is still a couple of months away, there is really very little you can do to reduce the tax bill on your 2011 return, which will be due on April 30th. That being said, January is the ideal time to start thinking about tax savings for 2012.

Here are three tax resolutions to ponder over the weeks and months ahead:

1. Get Organized

If you’re one of those people who is always scrambling to hunt down receipts, T-slips and other important tax info, now is a great time to set up a tax filing system. It need not be complicated and it can be in physical or electronic format. ... Read More

 

You have a great business idea, and even got started on a business plan. But now you wonder: is my upstart business model really viable? Here is an eight-point test to tell you if you should forge ahead with your business idea.

Uniqueness

Before you worry about upstart financing, marketing or business location, you should begin with an idea - not just any idea, but one that's unique. What makes your business stand out from the rest? (Although they probably have better hair, the business world doesn't go easy on celebrities. Check out Celebrity Business Busts.) ... Read More