Starting Up a Small Business

Should you lease space for your business, or should you buy a building? How do you determine the best location? These Business Leasing Checklists can help you find the answers to those questions:

1. Lease vs. Purchase Checklist, to help you determine whether it is in the best interest of your business to lease or purchase both your space and your equipment.
2. Site Pros and Cons Worksheet, to list all the advantages and disadvantages of a number of potential site locations.
3. Leased Premises Checklist, which contains a list of items that you need to research when evaluating a prospective lease location for your business.

These Business Leasing Checklists are provided in MS Word format and are easy to download and use.

Are you looking for commercial space to lease for your business? Use this free Leasing Location Worksheet to help you list the pros and cons of each potential location.

Trying to decide on the best name for your new business? Use this free worksheet to record the pros and cons of each of your choices.

A suitable business name should be meaningful, and appropriate for your target market. It should be a name reflects the character of your business and the products or services you provide. The worksheet allows you to:

1. list several names that appeal to you,
2. answer some questions about each name, and
3. help you narrow your choice to a memorable and catchy name that will brand your company in a positive way with the public.

This free Business Name Worksheet is available as a downloadable Word file which is fully editable.

Manage cash flow and track deposits for a small business with this Daily Cash Float and Deposit Worksheet.

• The worksheet will calculate the amount of each day's opening floats and closing cash.
• Instructions included to show you how to use the form.
• Ideal for box office or concession stand operations, or any other operation using a cash float.
• Editable spreadsheet format.

Daily Cash Float and Deposit Worksheet, available as a MS Excel file.

Learn how to develop strategic marketing, business and operations plans with this 9-page Guide to Business Planning.

• Some of the topics covered by the how-to guide include:
  • straightforward approaches to strategic and business planning,
  • characteristics of strategic planning vs. operational planning,
  • analysis models (SWOT - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats),
  • what questions to ask when developing your plan,
  • how to prepare operational and investor-oriented business plans.
• Available as a PDF download.

Do you plan to incorporate a business corporation in Canada? Use this free Incorporation Checklist to help you prepare the necessary documents to organize the corporation.

• The Incorporation Checklist will help you gather all the required information, such as:
  • names and addresses of initial directors and shareholders
  • classes of authorized shares
  • jurisdiction (province) in which the company will be incorporated
  • registered and records office addresses
  • fiscal year end
  • other relevant information necessary to help you complete the forms.
• This free checklist form is provided in MS Word format, and is easy to download, fill in and print.
• Intended for use in Canada.

If you entered into a contract on behalf of a company that was not incorporated yet, you can assign it to the corporation later under this Agreement to Adopt Pre-Incorporation Contract.

• The Agreement is made between a newly incorporated Ontario company and its principal shareholder. The new company agrees to adopt a contract between the shareholder and another party, which was entered into prior to its incorporation.
• The shareholder assigns its interest in the prior contract to the new company, and the new company becomes a party to the prior contract in place and stead of the shareholder, as if it had been an original party.
• As a principal of the corporation, it is advisable that you do this as soon as possible after incorporating to avoid any tax or other liability arising under the contract.
• This is a fully editable legal document that can be easily customized to meet your needs. Download it right after you purchase it.

Draft up a Pre-Incorporation Agreement between the incorporators of a new company with this easy-to-use template, which sets out:

• how shares of stock will be issued to each of the incorporators,
• what the consideration for the stock will be,
• each incorporator agrees not to sell or transfer any shares without first offering the shares to the corporation and to the other shareholders, who have right of first refusal,
• the incorporators agree to employ one of the parties as manager of the business of the corporation.

This Pre-Incorporation Agreement template is provided as a fully customizable Microsoft Word document.