Registering Your Business Name and License in Ontario Canada
In this article I want to cover a sub topic of the Ontario business registration process in detail, registering for your business name as well as registering for your business license.If you want to incorporate in Ontario to conduct business, you must first register a business name and obtain what’s called the Master Business License.You can do this in one of three ways, either by person by visiting a Service Center, by mail or online through a third party service provider.You can also hire an attorney to execute the Ontario business registration process for you, but this is a longer process on average and more expensive.The entity you want to register with is the Ministry of Government Services’ Companies and Personal Property Security Branch. This is the entity that issues the Master Business License that shows your registration number as a proof that you can legally do business in Ontario.As already covered on this website in other sections, the first step in the Ontario business registration process is to select a name for your business that is in accordance with the Business Names Act and the Business Regulations Reform Act of 1997. Basically, for a sole proprietorship, you can use your own name, but any slight variation or addition will require filing a separate legal entity name for your business. There is more information on what you can and cannot do on the Canada Ontario Business Services Center website or in a local office / branch.If you want to take the most streamlined approach to an Ontario business registration, I highly recommend you register online through the Service Ontario site so that you can register your business’ name and at the same time register with other authorities to obtain relevant account numbers such as the Ontario Ministry of Revenue, tax account numbers, permits, etc.Using online services can mean a relatively quick turnaround as well in terms of getting your Master Business License. You can get this in electronic PDF format. If not, you get a hard copy through mail. But before doing anything else, you need to do a name search to see if your contemplated business name is already registered.TIP: For a more comprehensive search select the “Enhanced Business Name Search” option. It costs a little more but it is worth it as it does a comprehensive check. You can do this under $12 typically online with a credit card.Again, you can register for your Ontario business license online as well, which is a legal requirement in order to do business in Ontario. Remember, if you are not comfortable transacting online or don’t want to do it in person, you can do so via mail by downloading the required forms online (Service Ontario website) and then mailing it to them at the address stated on the forms.All Ontario business registration forms are owned and managed by the Companies and Personal Property and Security Branch in Toronto. If all else fails, visit the nearest Service Ontario branch where you can use a self-help workstation and completing the forms there. You can contact Service Ontario at 1-800-565-1921.Registering the business name is the first step. Once you have that out of the way, you can proceed to incorporating your business and then obtaining the other relevant licenses and certifications needed that are specific to the nature of your business.Read more about why incorporate in Ontario Canada. Read more about the Ontario business registration process step by step here. I hope you found this brief run down on registering a business name in Ontario. Please let me know if I can be of further help to you.All the best to you,Benjamin Lashar
Creative Corporate Entertainment – Guide to Choosing the Right Event
Corporate entertainment is of crucial importance in today’s business world. It is used to woo potential clients, to celebrate a goal reached, to reward and motivate staff and even as a subtle method of team building. But there is such a bewildering array of corporate entertainment events, what do you choose? Here are a few ideas of what is on offer.Adventure DaysAdventure themed corporate entertainment events have been around for quite a while now. They provide you with an exciting and entertaining day out and offer the chance to sample activities that most people would not normally experience. The original adventure days involved abseiling and climbing, plus possibly weekends out in the wilds, although the latter became the stereotype for management training and team building events. These are still very popular but could alienate some of your staff who prefer a dry and less physical environment. Also, there can be quite a lot of standing around watching others. The adventure days style of corporate entertainment has evolved into more sophisticated events, for example Spy themed events, in which teams compete in a variety of short tasks, motivated by (fake) money!Hospitality DaysTaking your clients or staff on a day at the races or to a football match is another popular corporate event. One benefit of these is that your staff or clients will remain dry! They will also be pampered as sporting clubs and venues compete for their slice of the huge sums spent on corporate entertainment. A downside is, as with the adventure days, some staff could be thoroughly bored by the sporting event so do your homework carefully.Food and Evening EventsWe are talking casino nights, wine tasting, chocolate tasting, gourmet meals and so on here. Even the most sour of your employees could not fail to have a great time, unless of course they are teetotal or on a diet! The casino night is popular with just about everybody – the point is to try and make money, but even losing huge sums can make for great entertainment. With the tastings, always make sure that they are a little bit special, either at a special venue or with a company who emphasises the ‘fun’ in ‘corporate fun event’.Themed EventsThe corporate entertainment events that prove hugely successful with staff and clients are themed days – It’s a Knockout for example. An up and coming fun day idea is the Medieval themed event that have developed from the medieval banquet style of event. Participants dress up in medieval clothing for the whole event, which is just the start of the fun. As the day progresses, they learn and practice an assortment of medieval skills like archery, building and firing a trebuchet (siege catapult), getting a reluctant boar to the kitchen and jousting. As the day develops, everyone is involved in an archery battle, where the battle of Agincourt is (sort of) re-enacted. The day is given a real sense of direction by the jousting finale. In the jousting, each team’s best knight competes for the championship – on horses propelled by the other team members. Great fun indeed!So to sum up, there are many different events out there; all have their merits and drawbacks so think carefully before choosing. Ring the changes, don’t go for the same event each time, no matter how much fun it is, too much can be boring and demotivate staff. Some corporate entertainment also doubles as team building which is an added bonus to your organisation.