Starting a Business. Additional Guides
The Library’s series of guides, Starting a Business, follows the City of Toronto’s 9-step guide, How to Start a Business. There are also a number of other step-by-step guides to starting a business. This guide lists some of them.
Table of Contents
Government Guides
Other Guides
Demographic Guides
University and College Guides
Government Guides
- New Businesses & Startups (City of Toronto). Pages include, in addition to How to Start a Business:
Funding for Small Businesses & Competitions
Business Regulations, Licences & Permits
Consultations & Entrepreneur Supports
- Small Business Services (FedDev Ontario). Collections of guides include:
Business guide collection—“key business topics.” Includes Starting a business
How-to collection—industry-specific guides
Multilingual collection
- Start a business in Ontario (Gov. of Ontario), a 10-step guide. Steps include:
Conduct market research
Prepare business plan
Decide on the ownership structure for your business
Register your business online
Confirm licences and permits
Confirm if you need to charge HST
Understand your tax obligations
Consider business insurance
Understand the regulations
Get funding or more help
- Starting a business (Gov. of Canada), a 6-step guide. Steps include:
Planning a business
Choosing a business name
Getting business support and financing
Free tax help for your business
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Other Guides
- MaRS Startup Toolkit. In addition to topics such as Product, Market research, Marketing, Finance and Customer experience, Toolkit Bundles include:
Market sizing toolkit
Product positioning toolkit
- Start your business (BDC), especially Your ultimate guide to starting a business in Canada, a [9]-step guide, Steps include:
What business are you trying to build?
Choose a business structure
Choose a business name
Put together a business plan
Finance your new business
Choose a commercial space
Hire employees
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Demographic Guides
- 2SLGBTQI+ business guide (FedDev Ontario). Sections include, in addition to Regulations, Financing and Taxation:
Training and mentorship
Travelling abroad for business
- Business guide for newcomers to Canada (FedDev Ontario)
- Women in business guide (FedDev Ontario)
Indigenous
- Indigenous entrepreneur guide to starting a business (FedDev Ontario)
- Indigenous resources (Gov. of Ontario). Pages include:
Indigenous business development toolkit
First Nations community economic development guide
Youth
- Entrepreneurship Pathway (futurpreneur), a [4]-step guide:
Develop—a business idea
Explore—the market
Build—a plan. The pathway includes a Business Plan Writer
Launch—the business
See also the Library. Topics of guides include:
Sales & marketing skills
Know your market
Social purpose business
Operational & financial planning
- Youth entrepreneurship guide (FedDev Ontario)
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University and College Guides
Though university and college guides have a lot of information resources that are accessible by students and faculty only, the guides often clarify one step or another of the startup process.
- Entrepreneurship – Starting Your Own Business (Western Libraries). Sections include:
Understand the Market
Create a Business Plan
Legal Considerations
Estimate Costs and Secure Funding
Pitch Your Idea
Market Your Business
- Entrepreneurship & Innovation (University of Waterloo. Library). Sections include:
Finding Published Market Research
Conducting Your Own Market Research
- Entrepreneurship (Brock University. Library). Sections include:
Data—Socioeconomic & Demographic Data, Financial & Economic Data, Market Data
Business Planning—Business Models, Business Plans, Feasibility Reports
- Entrepreneurship (George Brown College. Library Learning Commons). Sections include:
First Steps
Business Plans
Market Potential & Research
Franchising
Not-for-profits & Charities
Finances and Funding
See also industry-specific guides, such as:
Resources for starting a fashion business
Starting Your Own HVAC Business
See also:
Demographics, Statistics & Consumer Behaviour
Research Tips for Entrepreneurs
- Entrepreneurship (Toronto Metropolitan University Libraries). Sections include:
Industry Analysis
Performance Benchmarking
Patent Searching
Importing & Exporting
- Entrepreneurship (University of Ottawa. Library)
- Entrepreneurship (University of Toronto Libraries. Gerstein Science Information Centre). Sections include, in addition to Market Research, Business Planning, and Patent Searching:
Creative Arts Entrepreneurship
Social Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Queen's University Library). Sections include:
Product Design
Intellectual Property
Standards and Codes
Market Research
Funding
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