What to Do After You Register Your Business Name in Canada
You did it! You registered your business name, and you’re still riding the dopamine high. For about 48 hours, everything feels possible!
This is the best part of starting a business. The moment before the hard work sets in, when your idea is still perfect and untested. You’re not solving problems yet. You’re building an identity.
But most entrepreneurs waste this momentum. They either freeze up not knowing what to do next, or they disappear down a rabbit hole of tasks that don’t matter yet.
This post covers exactly what to do, in the right order, after you register your business name in Canada.
Step 1: Buy Your Domain (Do This Today)
Before you do anything else, buy your domain. Business names are public record the moment they’re registered. Someone could buy your .com before you even get home.
Go to Namecheap, GoDaddy, or Google Domains right now and grab:
- YourBusinessName.com (always try .com first)
- YourBusinessName.ca (important for Canadian credibility)
If your exact name is taken, try adding “get”, “the”, or your city. Keep it short. Keep it memorable.
Cost: $10 to $25/year
Step 2: Set Up a Business Email
Your next email to a potential client should not come from a Gmail address.
yourname@gmail.com says “I just started.” yourname@yourbusiness.com says “I’ve been doing this for years.”
Google Workspace starts at $7.20 CAD per month. Microsoft 365 is similar. Either works. Just do it before you hand out a single business card.
Cost: $7 to $10 per month
Step 3: Get a Dedicated Business Phone Number
This is the one most entrepreneurs skip. And then regret six months later when they’re getting client calls at 10pm and missing real customers because they can’t tell them apart from telemarketers.
Here’s what happens when you give clients your personal cell number:
- You’re reachable 24/7 whether you want to be or not
- You have no idea if an unknown number is a real customer or spam
- Your voicemail greeting says your personal name, not your business name
- You look like a freelancer, not a company
A dedicated business number fixes all of this. For $29 per month you can have a local Canadian number, a professional auto-attendant (“Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Support”), voicemail to email, and business hours routing that sends calls to voicemail after 5pm so you can actually have a life.
That’s what Answer Anywhere does. We set the whole thing up for you on a Zoom call, and you’re live within 24 hours.
Cost: From $29 per month
Step 4: Open a Business Bank Account
Here’s something most guides don’t tell you: when you go to open a business bank account in Canada, they will ask for your business phone number.
Not your personal cell. A business number.
Get your Answer Anywhere number set up before you walk into the bank. It makes the whole process smoother and signals to the bank, and to yourself, that you’re serious.
The major Canadian banks all offer business accounts. TD, RBC, and Scotiabank are popular choices for small businesses. Online options like Relay are worth considering for lower fees.
Cost: $0 to $30 per month depending on the bank
Step 5: Register for an HST/GST Number (When You’re Ready)
You don’t need to register for HST/GST until you’re making $30,000 in revenue in a single calendar quarter or $30,000 over four consecutive quarters. Until then, it’s optional.
But register early if you plan to grow fast. It signals legitimacy to clients and lets you claim input tax credits on business expenses.
Registration is free through the CRA Business Registration Online portal.
Cost: Free
Step 6: Build Your Website
Note that this is Step 6, not Step 1. Too many entrepreneurs disappear for three months building a perfect website before they’ve talked to a single customer.
Get a simple one-page site live first. Squarespace, WordPress, or even a well-designed Linktree-style page. The goal is simple: when someone Googles your business name, something comes up that looks professional.
Perfect is the enemy of launched.
Cost: $15 to $30 per month
Step 7: Set Up Social Media Profiles
Grab your business name on the platforms relevant to your industry, even if you’re not going to use them right away. Someone else could take your handle.
For most Canadian small businesses: Instagram, Facebook, and Google Business Profile. LinkedIn if you’re B2B.
Google Business Profile is free and critical. It’s how you show up on Google Maps and in local search results.
Cost: Free
The Order Matters
Most entrepreneurs do this backwards. They build the website first, set up social media second, and then wonder why nobody takes them seriously.
The domain, email, and phone number are your foundation. They’re what tells clients, and yourself, that this is a real business.
Everything else is built on top of that foundation.
Ready to Cross #3 Off Your List?
Search for your business number and get set up in under 24 hours at answeranywhere.com.