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External resources

If you plan to start your own business, have a look at the followinh Web sites:

Guides and tools
Government sites
Assistance organization
Financing
Aboriginal Entrepreneurship
Immigrant Entrepreneurship
Venture Capital
Young entrepreneurs
Legal affairs
Marketing, communications and sales
Statistics

Guides and tools

Interactive Business Planner – Canada Business
The IBP is the first business planning software product designed specifically to operate on the Web. The IBP uses the capabilities of the Internet to assist entrepreneurs in preparing a 3 year business plan for their new or existing business.

Entrepreneurship Explorer - SAJE Montréal Centre (in French only)
Entrepreneurship Explorer is a business portal designed  to accompany you through the start-up or development phases of your company.

Online Small Business Workshop  – Canada Business
Online workshops to help you develop your ideas, start a business and find financing.

Guide for Canadian Small Businesses – Canada Revenue Agency 
If you are planning to start a business in Canada or if you already run one, this guide is for you. It features information on Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) programs that you should know about, as well as your rights and obligations as an entrepreneur.

Ministère du Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation
Implementation guides, evaluation grids, autodiagnostics, reference lists, analytical methods and models, and more. Practical and efficient tools to solve problems and improve your management practices at reasonable costs, with or without outside support.

Performance Plus – Industry Canada
Performance Plus is an interactive on-line financial performance tool to help new and established firms determine how they measure up to the competition. It allows you to enter your company's financial data confidentially and compare it to industry averages. This tool will assist you in making sound operational decisions.  

Directory of Quebec government programs and services (in French only)
A directory of Quebec government programs and services that includes information on assistance programs, speeches, pensions, permits and registration.  There are also useful links to Web sites and online forms from various government departments and organizations.

Le petit guide de la franchise – Quebec Law Network
This guide (in French only) focusses on franchises. New franchisees can read the guide for find out about the fine points of franchising and better prepare their offer.

Government sites

Business Access Canada – Gouvernment of Canada
Business Access Canada (BAC) was created to improve supplier and buyer awareness of federal business opportunities and of the Government of Canada procurement system. BAC simplifies access to Government procurement information.

Canada Economic Development (CED)
Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions promotes long-term economic development in these areas.

Canada Business
Canada Business is a cross-jurisdictional government organization that helps Canadian entrepreneurs get the information, advice and support they need to build their businesses.

Industry Canada
This site provides information on companies, statistics, financing, innovation, research, science and technology, intellectual property, radio, telecommunications, regional and rural development, regulations and standards, sustainability and environment, as well as trade and investment.

Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale du Québec
The ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale contributes to the social development and economic prosperity of Quebec by fostering the development of people by promoting employment, developing human resources, improving the job market, providing financial assistance to those in need, as well as fighting poverty and social exclusion.

Ministère du Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation du Québec (in French only)
The ministère's mission is to support economic development, innovation, export and research by fostering the la coordination et la co-development of various economic, scientific, social and cultural elements with a view to job creation, economic prosperity, scientific development and sustainable development.

Revenu Québec
Are you thinking about starting a business, and do you wish to know how to adequately meet your fiscal obligations? Revenu Québec can help. The information in this section guides you to the tools and resources you will need to achieve your goals.

Canadian Intellectual Property Office
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office is a Special Operating Agency (SOA) associated with Industry Canada, responsible for the administration and processing of the greater part of intellectual property in Canada.

Registraire des entreprises du Québec (REQ)
The enterprise registrar helps protect enterprises, associations and the public in their economic and social relations. To this end, the enterprise registrar maintains a public register to record, process, store and distribute the principal information concerning the identity of associations and enterprises incorporated or in operation in Québec.

Services gouvernementaux Québec (in French only)

Services gouvernementaux Québec's mission is to provide citizens and businesses throughout Québec with one-stop access to a host of public services.

Assistance organizations

Association des centres locaux de développement (CLD) (in French only)
The ACLDQ groups local development centres throughout Quebec to promote local development, strengthen the autonomy of CLD members and enhance their performance.

Réseau des sociétés d'aide au développement des collectivités (SADC)
The Réseau des SADC du Québec is a group of non-profit organizations that works to promote the best of the regions and ensure their development.

Financing

Investissement Québec
Investissement Québec offers economic development tools to help businesses adapt to market pull.

Business Development Bank of Canada
The Business Development Bank of Canada is a financial institution wholly owned by the Government of Canada. BDC plays a leadership role in delivering financial and management services to Canadian small business, with a particular focus on the emerging and export sectors of the economy.

Aboriginal Entrepreneurship  

Aboriginal Affairs
Aboriginal Affairs provides information about all related programs, news and events in Quebec and Canada.

Aboriginal Business Canada
Aboriginal Business Canada helps aboriginal entrepreneurs and organizations to meet their goals.

Immigrant Entrepreneurship  

Immigrant Investor Program
The Immigrant Investor Program offers business people and their families the opportunity to immigrate to Canada. Guaranteed by the Government, it allows immigrants to obtain an unconditional visa as well as permanent residence, leading to Canadian citizenship.

Ministère de l'Immigration et des Communautés culturelles du Québec
Do you wish to immigrate to Québec and do business there? A typical immigration procedure, based on the actual experience of numerous immigrants, is described here.

Venture Capital  

Desjardins Venture Capital
Desjardins Venture Capital is the venture capital fund management arm of Desjardins Group and provides financial solutions that complete the traditional business centre financing offer.

Young entrepreneurs

Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF)
The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) is a national charity providing start-up mentoring, financing and business resources to help young Canadians aged 18 to 34 start your own successful business.

Société d'Investissement Jeunesse
The Société d'Investissement Jeunesse was established to promote entrepreneurship, strengthen economic development and create employment by financially assisting young entrepreneurs in their business projects.

Legal affairs

The Quebec Law Network
The Quebec Law Network's goal is to provide the general public, companies and other organizations, access to the Quebec legal system.

Vos droits, vos affaires – Quebec Bar Foundation
The Quebec Bar Foundation, together with Éducaloi, has designed a series of 6 information modules (in French only) to provide Quebec entrepreneurs and particularly self-employed workers with information about starting a business.

Marketing, communications and sales

Checklist for devising a communications plan – Ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation
A communications plan is a strategic element of a marketing plan. This guide (in French only) describes the highlights of a good communications plan.

Dun & Bradstreet
D&B's Marketing Solutions can help you understand your customer base and find more prospects who are likely to buy your products and services.

Marketing improvement plan - Ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation (in French only)
A marketing improvement plan is a simple and practical tool, designed to help manufacturing SME leaders improve the marketing of their company.

Statistics

Institut de la statistique du Québec
The mission of the Institut is to provide reliable and objective statistical information on all aspects of Québec society.

Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada produces statistics that help Canadians better understand their country - its population, resources, economy, society and culture.

Industry Canada
The Industry Canada site presents information on companies, statistics, financing, innovation, research, science and technology, intellectual property, radio, spectrum and telecommunications, regional and rural development, regulations and standards, sustainability and environment, as well as trade and investment.

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