Be My Money Coach

You've decided to start a business in Ontario and now need to register it. Here's a quick how-to that walks you through the registration.

If you want your business name to be the same as your website name (url) then follow the steps in this order. If you don't, you can skip step 2:

Step #1 Search your biz name to ensure it's available. Use Ontario's Business Services Application at
www.ontario.ca/en/services_for_business/index.htm

Step #2 If your business name is available, search for and register the url at any other of your favorite url provider sites (e.g. www.namecheap.com)

If the url is available buy it now. People have found that when they searched for a url and came back to buy it later, it was no longer available. There are various programs out there that track people's searches for urls and buy them if available in the hopes of reselling it at a higher price.

Step #3 Go back and register the biz name. Use Ontario's Business Services Application at www.ontario.ca/en/services_for_business/index.htm

In a single online session, you can register or renew your business, and apply to the Ontario Ministry of Revenue for the Retail Sales Tax (RST) and Employer Health Tax (EHT), and to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).

The Result

You now have your Master Business Licence, an official proof of your business name registration and your Url.

Your next steps

Start selling your products and/or services and create a website