Looking to start a business? You should know, it’s not enough just to “want” to start a business. You need to have an idea, research backing that idea, determination and, above all, knowhow. While a vision is necessary, you’ll need to have the strategies to put everything together and launch your business in what is likely a very competitive environment. 

Small business insurance is an essential requirement for business owners in Ontario, even if it’s not explicitly listed. Treating it as a mandatory expense, similar to other crucial business costs, is vital, and compromising on it should never be an option. Collaborating with a broker allows for personalized assistance in determining the ideal coverage that suits your specific business type, industry, and budgetary constraints. Bullfrog Insurance offers insurance solutions for small business liabilities in Ontario and understands their unique needs to provide an extensive selection of options and variations to cater to those requirements. 

Here are our tips for starting a business in Ontario successfully. 

Determine your market. 

Once you have your vision, it’s now time to determine what your target audience is. The most successful businesses will introduce their services and products to a youthful, fast-growing market. If your product or service is better targeted to a mature sector, you will need to find a way to effectively distinguish yourself from the remaining competition, i.e. innovative in your product or service, the proper price point, or excellent customer service. 

It’s not a bad idea to invest in a specialized research company to effectively help you gather as much information as possible to define your niche. You can also enlist a research team to help gauge the competition’s weaknesses and strengths, which will, in turn, help you to get your business off the ground. This is not a period where you’ll generate revenue, but it’ll help define your success! 

Always prioritize your long-term objectives. 

Starting a business is not an overnight endeavour. Rather, it’s important that you never lose sight of your long-term objectives and consider your business like an investment that builds with time. Take inventory of your goals and create a list of the things you will have to consider in the immediate and in the medium term, particularly if you are foreseeing rapid growth. In order to help you manage that growth, you’ll have to address all readily available options, such as leasing/purchasing a physical space, buying furniture, equipment, and so forth. During this step, don’t be afraid to outsource some operations rather than handling it yourself. You already have a lot on your plate, and it’s not sacrificing your independence as a self-starter to look for third-party options. 

Obviously as your business grows, there’ll be other goals and obstacles that pop up; consider growth, raw materials, salaries for employees, technological needs, and so on. It’s OK to think big!  

Get the right team on your side. 

Your business is no stronger than its weakest link. When hiring your team (if you’re hiring a team) be sure to put the right people on your side. The people that you end up hiring for your business should have skills that complement one another. Recruit top experts, even if they have more experience and expertise than you do. You may even want to look for external resources to incorporate in your team, i.e. such as marketing/public relations experts, technicians, sales people and managers, lawyers, etc. 

Remember that nowadays, marketing is critical to any business’ success – particularly a small business that no one quite knows about yet. In order to reach customers as efficiently and quickly as possible, consider hiring marketing specialists ASAP. Marketing specialists, market researchers, content specialists, SEO specialists, and more are key to your success. 

Incorporate all the raw details in your final business plan. 

When determining your final business plan, be sure that it describes the scope of your project accurately. It should be specific, concise, and be written as your vision, but also as a way to sell your concept. You’ll likely need to do numerous rewrites before you are able to achieve your finalized plan. Run this finalized plan through experts, such as lawyers, accountants, and other experienced entrepreneurs. Your business plan is more than simply an accounting document; it should be designed to sell your idea to an investor. 

Running a business in Ontario is hard work, but possible with the right intuition and grit! Good luck, self-starter!