Resources & Links

Federal Links and Resources

• Canadabusiness.ca
• Starting a Business  
• Growth, Innovation and E-Business  
• Grants and Finances  
• Taxes and HST  
• Regulations, Licences and Permits  
• Export and Import  
• Hiring and Managing Staff  
• Business Planning  
• Management and Operations  
• Market Research and Statistics  
• Marketing and Sales  
• Selling to Governments  
• Copyright and Intellectual Property  
• Environment and Business  
• Exiting your Business  

Provincial Links and Resources

• Ontario Business Program Guide
• Your Guide to Small Business
• ONeSource
• E-Business Guides
  If you are a small or medium business owner, use these E-Business Resources to learn about e-business, assess whether it is right for your operation and get information on implementing an e-business solution.  These publications have been developed by the E-Business Unit of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade.
  Files are in PDF format. The link will open a new browser window
  • E-Commerce: Purchasing and Selling Online
    Includes tips and strategies for attracting, serving and keeping your online customers.
  • Social Media Marketing
    Focuses on using social media (Web 2.0) techniques to promote your business online.
  • Successful Online Display Advertising
    Discusses techniques to advertise your business over the Internet.
  • E-Exporting
    Examines how to use the Internet to sell your products and services to customers in other countries.
  • Open-Source Software
    Reviews the benefits and limitations of the open source approach, and includes a reference list of some of the most commonly used free software.
  • Integrating Back Office Systems with E-Commerce
    Explains how to integrate existing back office systems with e-commerce solutions such as on-line ordering and on-line selling.
  • Increasing Traffic to Your Website Through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques
    Examines techniques to increase the volume of traffic to your website from potential customers using search engines.
  • How Small Businesses Can Use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) - Internet Technology for Voice Communications
    Discusses how VoIP communication works, describes various VoIP options available, and their benefits for SMEs.
  • Customer Relationship Management
    Helps entrepreneurs understand the basics of customer relationship management (CRM) and how the Internet can assist with the implementation of CRM in their businesses.
  • Internet Auctions and Virtual Malls
    Explains how businesses can sell or buy online through means such as virtual malls, Internet auctions or e‑mall services where many sites are listed together.
  • The Legal and Privacy Issues of Doing E-Business
    Discusses the legal and privacy implications of doing business over the Internet.
  • Calculating Your E-business Costs
    Provides a worksheet to estimate the capital and maintenance costs of engaging in e-business.
  • Online Sources of E-Business Information
    Provides an overview of online information and resources on the topics covered in this set of booklets.

9 Steps to Starting Your Own Business

these are all pdf files and will open a new browser window.

• Step 1: Evaluating Yourself and Your Idea
• Step 2: Points of Consideration 103 kb
• Step 3: Municipal Regulations (50 kb)
• Step 4: Provincial Regulations (61 kb)
• Step 5: Federal Regulations (63 kb)
• Step 6: Employee Regulations (71 kb)
• Step 7: Hiring Subsidies (73 kb)
• Step 8: Financing Options (73 kb)
• Step 9: Preparing a Business Plan (101 kb)
• Step 10: Financial Statements xls (Excel) file (66 kb)