From Susan Ward, Your Guide to Small Business: Canada.
So you’ve got a killer business idea and want to start a business. How are you going to get the business start up money you need to take your new business from idea to success? This rundown of where to look for the start up money you need and the most popular sources of business start up money will help. more...

From Susan Ward, Your Guide to Small Business: Canada.

Sooner or later most small businesses need to get a small business loan, whether to get the operating capital for business startup or to finance an expansion. But whether you're approaching a bank or a friend for a small business loan, the lender will have the same expectations.
You can greatly increase your chances of successfully securing a small business loan by being prepared to meet those expectations. more...

Only 1 in 5 new businesses succeed - that translates into 4 businessmen closing their operations or declaring bankruptcy. In business, the prospect of shutting down represents employees going on unemployment and owners closing down business accounts and unloading inventory. Fortunately, homes are not usually in jeopardy and neighbours can often be unaware of the change form one source of income to another. more...

When one of our clients asked us to investigate a recreational business venture on their tobacco farm we had some enlightening discussions with the local planning departments. more...

Oh boy, another report on what ails Canadian agriculture. That would be the cynical response to a new study of farm profitability commissioned by the Agricultural Institute of Canada. But the report raises questions – and suggests solutions– that all farmers need to consider, says one of the producers whose business is cited as a model for farms in the 21st century.

“Why is it that some farms are very successful and others are not?” asks Léopold Bourgeois of La Fleur du Pommier, an apple and vegetable farmer from Cocagne, NB. “The reasons are not easy to pinpoint, but that’s what they’re trying to do in this report – figure out why some farms are more successful than others.” more...

For every 20 great ideas for a new business, only one actually makes it through the  bank for financial review. Why? Because any financial institution wants a complete business plan in their hands before they will consider a business worth investigating and many people are intimidated by or unprepared for the work involved in writing a plan.
BDC has two, thorough, easy to fill in templates that make up a business plan. The first part is a Word document that has headings and explanations. The second is an Excel spreadsheet for recording your financial information. Combined, they produce a 29 page business plan. A plan that will likely take the better part of two days to complete.
It’s an onerous task, but it will test your commitment to the idea and force an objective review of the plan’s viability.
Once your plan is written, or if you need help working through it, Brant Business Resource Enterprise Centre (519-756-4269) has consultants who will be happy to give input. Many banks will review your plan and help you identify missing pieces of information, but you may risk losing the psychological benefit of arriving with an complete plan the first time.
A good plan will reassure both you and your investors that your idea can succeed. more...

For a realistic overview of the complexities of this subject, read this newsletter article from the Canadian Farm Business Management Council