The company,
on paper.
Because before the logo and the website, the business has to legally exist.
Name search, incorporation, business banking, and the structure decisions you didn't realise you had to make. We used Ownr to start our own company, so we know the workflow inside out. We pass that savings on with our own custom code stitched around it: structure call, name search, filing, banking, GST, payroll if you need it. You end up with a real company you can sign contracts under by the end of the week.
The full filing stack.
Everything you need to operate as a real, legal entity. We started North Star IT the same way, so we filed our own through Ownr first and built the operating wrap around it. Paperwork costs hundreds, not thousands. You own every document at the end.
Name & structure
Pick a name that's actually available. Pick the structure that fits, sole prop, corporation, or partnership. We talk through the trade-offs before anything gets filed.
- NUANS SEARCH
- STRUCTURE FIT
- NAME RESERVED
Incorporation
Articles of incorporation filed with the province or federally. Business number issued. Director and shareholder records on file. Done in one afternoon if your decisions are clear.
- ARTICLES
- BN ISSUED
- FEDERAL · BC · YT · AB
Minute book & bylaws
The legally required book that holds the bylaws, the share register, and the annual resolutions. Digital copy you can hand to an accountant or a lender without scrambling.
- BYLAWS
- SHARE REGISTER
- RESOLUTIONS
Business banking
Warm intro to a business banker who actually picks up the phone. Account opened, debit cards issued, e-transfer limits set so you can take payments on day one.
- ACCOUNT
- DEBIT
- E-TRANSFER
Tax & compliance setup
GST/HST registration if you need it, payroll account if you're hiring, WCB if you're in a regulated trade. The boxes the CRA expects you to tick before invoice one goes out.
- GST/HST
- PAYROLL
- WCB
Operating handoff
One page that says where every login lives, what bills auto-pay, and what's owed annually. Printed and emailed. So you, your accountant, and your future self all know where to look.
- LOGIN MAP
- RENEWAL DATES
- 1-PAGE HANDOFF
Four steps. One real company.
No lawyer waiting room, no boilerplate retainer. We ask plain questions, you make the calls, Ownr does the filing. Most companies are operational inside a week.
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// STEP 01
The plain conversation.
What's the business, who's involved, where will it operate, and what does the next two years look like. Thirty minutes on the phone. We take notes. You don't fill out a form.
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// STEP 02
Name & structure decision.
We run name searches, walk through sole prop versus corporation versus partnership in plain words, and lock the structure. You pick the name. We make sure it actually clears.
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// STEP 03
Filing through Ownr.
Articles of incorporation submitted, business number issued, minute book generated. We sit beside you for the form-filling so nothing gets ticked wrong. One business day for the certificate.
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// STEP 04
Bank, tax & handoff.
Warm intro to a business banker, GST/HST and payroll registered if needed, login map written. Then we stay on as managed, so the annual filings and renewals never sneak up on you.
Three structures. One has your name on it.
The hardest call before you file is which legal structure fits. Most owners pick wrong because nobody walks them through it. Here's the plain version. We help you land on the one that matches what you're actually building.
Sole Proprietorship
~$60 to register
You and the business are legally the same thing. Cheapest, fastest, no minute book. The catch: if the business gets sued, your house is on the table. Best for solo trades, freelancers, side gigs under about $50K a year.
Partnership
~$80 to register
Two or more owners, profits split per agreement. Cheap to file, but every partner is on the hook for what every other partner does. Always do this with a written partnership agreement. Skip it and you'll fight in court later.
Corporation
~$200 to $400 to file
The business is its own legal person. Your assets are protected, profits stay in the company until you draw them, and you can split income through dividends. More paperwork, more accounting, but it's the structure that scales. Default pick for anyone planning to grow, hire, or sign real contracts.
If you're solo, under $50K, low risk: sole prop is fine. If you have a partner: get the agreement in writing. If you're hiring, signing contracts, or planning to grow past yourself: incorporate. Most people we work with end up here.
Goes well with
The corporation is just paper without the rest of the stack. These get you operational.
Ready to file the thing?
Tell us the working name, what the business will do, and whether anyone else is in on it. We reply within one business day with the structure question answered.
Start the company