Starting a company in Burnaby: the launch sequence, step by step

Step 1: Prove demand before you spend

Start with evidence that strangers will pay your price. It is the only step that can save you from all the others, and it costs the least.

Write one sentence describing your buyer, then find ten people who match it and aren't your friends. Ask what they use now, what they pay and what annoys them. Better still, ask for a deposit or a pre-order. Five paid commitments tell you more than fifty compliments.

At the same time, work out your survival price: monthly fixed costs divided by realistic monthly sales, plus variable cost per sale and a margin. If buyers won't pay it, change the offer, the customer or the location before you go further. Our launch plan service does this with you if you would rather not do it alone.

Step 2: Decide structure with professionals

Choose your business structure with a lawyer and an accountant before you register anything. The Province's businesses and incorporated companies page lists the options, from sole proprietorships and partnerships to incorporated companies.

Questions worth bringing to that meeting:

• How much personal liability could the work create?
• How much profit do you expect in the first two years?
• Will you bring in partners or investors?
• Will you hire staff in the first year?
• Do you need to sign contracts or leases in the company's name?

We don't answer these; the professionals who are accountable for the answer should. Arriving with the questions written down makes the meeting shorter and cheaper.

Step 3: Shortlist a name, then request approval

Pick two or three names you can say, spell and find online, then request approval through the Province. A BC name usually has a distinctive part, a descriptive part and, for incorporated companies, a legal ending such as Ltd. or Inc.

Timing matters. The Province says an approved name is reserved for 56 days, and if you don't register or incorporate within that window, you have to start again. As of October 2026, the same page lists a standard request at $30 by mail or at Service BC, and a priority option at $100. The page also notes that sole proprietorships and partnerships don't get exclusive rights to their name; only incorporated companies, cooperatives and societies do.

Name approval is not trademark protection. If you plan to build a brand on the name, search the CIPO trademarks database and talk to a trademark lawyer or agent. CIPO's page forecast an examination wait of about 8.2 months for applications filed in October 2026, which is another reason to start early.

Don't buy signs, print cards or commission a logo until the name is approved.

Step 4: Register through BC Registries

Register or incorporate through BC Registries and Online Services, either yourself or through your lawyer. The Province notes that registry staff can explain filing requirements but don't give business or legal advice, which is another reason to settle structure first.

Once registered, record the key details in one place: legal name, registration number, filing dates and the date of any annual report your structure requires. You will need them for the bank, the City, suppliers and platforms.

Step 5: Confirm the location before signing a lease

Check that your exact use is allowed at your exact address before you sign anything. The City of Burnaby business licence page advises checking the Zoning Bylaw first and says the City can't process licence applications for a location with open building permits, so ask about both.

If you plan to work from home, read the City's home-business rules carefully. As of October 2026 they include no outward sign that the home is used as a business, no outside storage, employees limited to residents of the address, and on-site client services limited to one customer and one customer vehicle at a time. If those rules don't fit, plan for premises from the start.

Some business types, including automotive, landscaping and excavation, face extra environmental checks before applying, according to the same page. Our guide to choosing a Burnaby location goes further.

Step 6: Apply for your City of Burnaby business licence

Apply once your registration and location are settled. The City says most businesses operating in Burnaby need a licence, including home-based businesses, and as of October 2026 you can apply online through a My Property account or submit the application form. There is a non-refundable application fee, and the first year's licence fee is due once approved; licences renew each year.

If you are a mobile or trade business with a permanent Burnaby base, ask about the inter-municipal business licence add-on, which the City lists at $300 for 12 months and which covers several neighbouring cities.

Step 7: Banking, tax accounts, insurance and hiring

Open a business bank account, and with your accountant, decide on your business number and GST timing. The CRA's small supplier threshold is $30,000 in taxable sales over four consecutive calendar quarters for most businesses, and the CRA explains when you must register once you pass it. Some businesses register earlier by choice; that is a conversation for your accountant.

Talk to an insurance broker about the coverage your landlord, clients or contracts require. If you will hire, check your obligations with WorkSafeBC before your first employee starts.

Step 8: Build your public presence

Now, and only now, buy the domain, build a small website and set up your Google Business Profile, all under the approved name. Keep the name, phone number and description identical everywhere.

Five to eight pages are enough. Make the phone number, text option and email address obvious on every page. Start the Google verification process early, because you don't control how long it takes. Our launch website service covers this stage.

Step 9: Plan the first 100 days

Write down your marketing budget, the two or three channels you will start with, and the most you can afford to pay for a customer. Then record where every enquiry comes from. The first-90-days budget guide shows the arithmetic.

The sequence on one page

1. Prove demand and set a survival price.
2. Decide structure with a lawyer and accountant.
3. Shortlist names; request approval; consider trademark advice.
4. Register through BC Registries within the reservation window.
5. Confirm zoning and permits before signing a lease.
6. Apply for the City of Burnaby business licence.
7. Set up banking, tax accounts, insurance and hiring obligations.
8. Build the website and Google profile under the approved name.
9. Launch with a written, budgeted 100-day plan.

If you want this turned into a dated plan for your specific company, that is what our setup roadmap does.