The four decisions to make first

1. What structure? Sole proprietor, partnership, or corporation. Read Proprietor vs. Corporation. Most owner-operators start as proprietors and incorporate once income justifies it.
2. Will you have employees, contractors, or neither? The answer determines whether you need a payroll account and drives most of your early administrative load. See Employee vs. Independent Contractor before you make the call.
3. How will you keep books? Pick a system before your first transaction. Cloud accounting (QuickBooks Online, Xero) is the standard recommendation. Read Effective Record Keeping for what to do once the system is in place.
4. How will you bill and get paid? Invoicing discipline determines cash flow. Most accounting software handles invoicing. Set up clear payment terms (typically Net 15 or Net 30) and stick to them.

The registrations

See Starting a Business in Alberta for the full sequence. Short version:

• Business Number (CRA)
• Business name registration (Alberta registry agent)
• GST/HST number (mandatory above $30,000 in revenue, voluntary below)
• Payroll account (only if you will have employees)
• Provincial trade-name registration if applicable to your business

Where to get free help (Alberta)

• Business Link. Free one-on-one coaching, market research, and workshops.
• Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). Loans and advisory for entrepreneurs.
• Futurpreneur Canada. Loans and mentorship for entrepreneurs aged 18 to 39.
• Alberta Women Entrepreneurs. Loans, advisory, and a peer network for women-led businesses.
• Calgary Chamber of Commerce. Member network and events.

Tax things to know in your first year

• Set aside tax money. A common mistake is treating gross revenue like income. Set aside ~25 to 30% of net profit for income tax (depending on your bracket) plus the GST you collect.
• Keep business and personal separate. Open a dedicated business bank account on day one. Mixed accounts make bookkeeping painful and create CRA exposure.
• Track vehicle use if your business uses one. Without a kilometre log, vehicle deductions can be denied entirely.
• Save receipts. Keep them for at least seven years. See Effective Record Keeping.

When to bring an accountant in

Earlier than most people think. The decisions you make in months one and two (structure, bookkeeping, registrations, paying yourself) affect your tax position for years. We offer initial conversations to help you figure out which decisions you actually need to make right now and which can wait.