Can a Non-Citizen Start a Business in Canada?

It stands to reason that recent immigrants in Canada hope to take advantage of the country’s prosperous opportunities. However, many are unsure if they can legally open a business in Canada without first becoming a citizen. And applying for Canadian citizenship is often a costly and time-consuming process, despite the many benefits one may reap once their application is approved.

Office buildings in Canada

If you’re currently awaiting your approval or you’re not ready to move forward with your application quite yet, you will probably be pleased to learn that you are completely capable of starting your own business in Canada without being a citizen.…

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When Should You Outsource a Business Task?

As your business grows, you’ll encounter dozens of important tasks and responsibilities that must be handled in order to keep operations running smoothly. And, in many cases, one of the toughest parts is knowing when to outsource.

Business operations and management

The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing

Outsourcing is simply the act of assigning a business responsibility, challenge, or need to someone outside of the company. In some cases, it’s a smart idea. In other situations, it makes much more sense to handle the task in-house. So before diving much deeper into this discussion, let’s examine some of the pros and cons of outsourcing.…

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5 Ways to Avoid a Personal Injury Claim

When you launch a business, general liability insurance might seem an unnecessary expense. But you may soon discover it’s an essential component for every business.

Preventing workplace injury

It protects you against risks you didn’t know you would face when you started. For example, if someone gets injured on your property, he or she has a legal right to pursue compensation through a personal injury claim.

Your liability insurance will help to protect you against such claims, but you surely don’t need the hassle of a lawsuit or record of an injury to someone on your conscience. Take the following proactive steps toward prevention of personal injury incidents on your property.…

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Finance 101: Everything You Need to Know About Investing in Technology Stocks in 2019

The tech industry is by no means limited to big players; there are also tech startups, website and software developers, etc. From hardware to software, the tech industry is just ripe with opportunity. However, most stock investors would agree that investing in it is risky business – since things can literally change overnight in the world of technology, a company can vanish at the snap of a finger.

Technology stock investing

To determine whether this is something you want to be dabbling in or not, let’s take an in-depth look at the subject and examine everything you need to know about investing in technology stocks in 2019.…

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5 Ways to Instantly Modernize Your Marketing Campaigns for 2019

If you’re looking toward 2019 wondering what you can do differently from last year, you certainly aren’t alone.

Reassessing your tactics is always a smart move, after all.

Marketing strategy

Think about it. You don’t want be the out-of-touch business on the block that looks like they’re stuck in 2008 because they refuse to change.

The reality, though? There are some significant changes businesses of all shapes and sizes should consider to make their marketing seem more, well, modern.

Doing so does double duty of making your business look like a bigger player in your industry, all the while sticking to the best practices of what makes your customers tick.…

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4 Ways to Raise Capital for Your Small Business

Capital is essential for new and growing small businesses. Whether your small business is just starting out or expanding, raising capital can be challenging. Consider these smart financial strategies for funding your small business venture.

Raising capital for small business

Get a Loan Using the SBA Tool

The U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) exists so small businesses such as yours succeed, so make sure you don’t overlook this valuable government resource. Its Lender Match tool helps you find SBA-approved loans for launching and expanding small business operations. These loans are often easier for small businesses to obtain than loans from their own banks, but they have very competitive terms.…

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How to Avoid Needing Regular VAT Loans

You are a business owner who makes quarterly VAT payments. You know you’re going to come up short when your next filing is due, so you’re already thinking about getting a loan. Unfortunately, this is not your first time. You have used VAT loans multiple times in the past. You are thinking you would like to break the cycle, but you don’t know how.

Tips for avoiding VAT loans

VAT loans are not bad in and of themselves. They are exceptionally good tools to help business owners manage cash flow when times are a bit tough. However, they are not intended to be a long-term funding that continually gets recycled quarter after quarter.…

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A Trio of Smart Small-Business Moves to Make This Year

As a CEO of a growing business, it goes without saying that you want your company to be as successful as possible.

Now that 2019 has begun in earnest, this is a perfect time to assess your business strategy to determine where you were successful and where you fell short of expectations to help your business grow and thrive.

Small business CEO strategizing

Here are a trio of tips all small-business owners may want to embrace this year:

1. Engage with Your Team as Much as Possible

Do all of your employees share your same passion for small business? While they may burn the midnight oil like you, experts suggest coming up with new ways to make your team feel more committed to your overall vision and goals.…

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Beyond the Cubicle: Deskless Workforce Getting Left Behind

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 billion (80%) of the global workforce now works in a deskless environment.

Deskless warehouse manager

Strange, when one considers the digital shift that’s been occurring these last two decades, with many physical labor jobs having been replaced by automation technology and apps that can do the most complicated of tasks. Traditional deskless jobs still abound with people still working while on the move in construction, transportation services, retail, and healthcare – all sans-desk.

Changing landscapes in the workplace

Gen X worked so hard to become a generation of office drones sitting at a desk and changing the world from behind their computer and talking on their old-school phones.…

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Payroll Tips for Starting 2019 Right

Payroll tasks take up around 5 hours per week for a small business owner. This time, while well-spent, could be better spent elsewhere. All small business owners who run payroll know just how much of a challenge it can be unless they’re accountants with prior experience.

Payroll tips

1. Start the Year With Employee Categorization

Employee categorization is essential to start the year. When your employees are not categorized properly, this can cause your payroll to be chaotic. Why? You need to know who will be exempt from overtime or not.

Start the year taking a look at all of your employees’ categorizations.…

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