The Steps You Need to Follow Before Starting Your Business as a Freelancer
<p>Do you dream to start your own business as a freelancer? You cannot tolerate the 9 to 5 routine anymore? Do you wish to be your own boss but at the same time, you are scared to sail into the unknown? The administrative steps to create your own business might seem complicated for most people. It is the reason why Momenteo decided to gather at the same place all the steps you need to follow in order to start your business. There are also many government services or organisms that can help you.</p>
<h3><strong>Are you ready?</strong></h3>
<p>The first question you should ask yourself is are you ready? As you might have read on our Portrait of a freelancer articles on <a href="https://www.momenteo.com/blog/" target="_blank">Momenteo’s blog</a>, it is often suggested to not quit your job on an impulse. If you can, try to start your business while working at your daily job. Start with a few contacts that you can do on evenings or weekends and when you think you are strong enough, make the leap. This will help you see if you like being a self-employed person and if you are ready to look for projects and embrace instability. There is rarely, however, a perfect moment to start your business. Therefore, do not wait forever if it is what your heart desires. Your will must be strong enough to inspire you, even when things will be difficult or will not go as planned.</p>
<p>It is also better to write your business plan before making the leap because it will allow you to see if your project is good enough. Please note that your business plan is not a one-page document. We strongly suggest you take a look at this Info Entrepreneurs article on <a href="https://www.infoentrepreneurs.org/en/info-guide---write-your-business-plan/" target="_blank">how to write your business plan</a>. This step allows you to see if you need any funding, any specific material, or to rent an office for instance. Thus, you need to be prepared if you want to start your own business as a freelancer.</p>
<h3><strong>Determining your business structure</strong></h3>
<p>Another question you need to ask yourself before becoming a self-employed person with a business is which business structure suits me? You need to choose wisely since the business structure will affect your business. There are many; all have advantages and disadvantages. It is likely that as a freelancer or a self-employed person you will choose the sole proprietorship option. As its name suggests, you will be the only owner of your business, which also includes all debts and obligations. If your adventure goes awry, your personal assets would be used to pay off the debts.</p>
<p>In selecting the sole proprietorship option, you will only need to register your business name provincially. Another advantage of this business structure is that the cost is low. If you are not sure that it is the best option for you, we invite you to take a look at this <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HjI5h7S8GOLJyGsVV60k15bk_4Gb49gZRoU_XcBsYOc/edit" target="_blank">complete business structure list.</a> You might have not to register your business in the province of Quebec <a href="https://www.educaloi.qc.ca/en/capsules/sole-proprietorship-self-employment">if you operate a sole proprietorship under yout family names and first names</a>.</p>
<h3><strong>Choose and register your business name</strong></h3>
<p>After making your business plan and choosing your business structure, you need to find your name but more importantly to register it. Have you already found your business name? It is not always easy to find a name that represents you perfectly. And when found, it is not always available! As mentioned in the article How to find the perfect name for your project, when you do some research, try to aim for a name that is short, simple, timeless, memorable, and promising. Make sure to choose something that can be written easily and that is completely yours. Look in dictionaries, look for synonyms or even in mythology! Keep in mind who you are and your values, as well as asking your friends and family for help.</p>
<p>When you are satisfied with your final choice, take a look at domain name vendors to verify if your name has already been bought by someone else. This is the mistake done by Datsun when they changed their name for Nissan: the domain name was already bought by a computer technician in the United States! You can also buy many domain names that are similar to yours or with different extensions (.ca, .com., net…). You need to register your name at many places, such as the Registraire des entreprises (if you live in Quebec), the Canadian Internet Registration Authority and the Business Registration online.</p>
<h3><strong>Who can help you?</strong></h3>
<p>There are many organizations that can help you start your business. First, there are associations or entrepreneur schools in many cities, as well as CLD (Centre local de développement) that are available in most areas of the province. The Registraire des entreprises, mentioned above, also can give you a lot of information on the administrative steps to need to fulfill when you start your own business.</p>
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In conclusion, it is true that starting your own business can be terrifying, especially when knowing all you need to do before your dream comes true. However, many entrepreneurs and self-employed people will tell you that it is worth it. There are now many associations or organizations that can help you, as well as many technological tools (such as Momenteo, of course!). What are you now waiting for? </p>
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