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Resources for people starting out

Practical tools we built because we kept getting asked the same questions. No sign-up wall, no drip campaign — just the things we'd want if we were starting a service business in BC tomorrow.

Interactive calculator

What Launching a Business Actually Costs

Everyone quotes you for one piece — a logo here, a website there. Nobody adds it up. Compare hiring professionals, doing it yourself, and having it done, using real 2026 Canadian rates. Every source listed.

2026 CAD ratesSourcedNo signup
Run the numbers →
Interactive calculator

Cleaning Business Pricing Calculator

Most new cleaners undercharge by 30–40%. Put in your home size, service type, condition, and target hourly rate, and find out what you should actually be charging — based on real 2026 Metro Vancouver market data.

2026 BC ratesInstantNo signup
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Interactive calculator

Painting Business Pricing Calculator

Painters lose money on prep, not on paint. Set the scope, surface condition and access, and see what an interior or exterior job should be quoted at — built on 2026 Metro Vancouver rates.

2026 BC ratesInstantNo signup
Open the calculator →
Interactive calculator

Pressure Washing Pricing Calculator

Moss and height drive the price far more than square footage. Put in the surfaces, the buildup and the storeys, and get a number you can defend — built on 2026 Metro Vancouver rates.

2026 BC ratesInstantNo signup
Open the calculator →
Interactive calculator

Landscaping Pricing Calculator

The first visit on an overgrown yard is the most underpriced job in the trade. Price the catch-up properly, then set a recurring rate that still pays you.

2026 BC ratesInstantNo signup
Open the calculator →
Interactive calculator

Mobile Detailing Pricing Calculator

Detailing is sold per vehicle but paid per hour. Put in the vehicle, package and real condition — pet hair and odour are labour, and they are what gets underquoted.

2026 BC ratesInstantNo signup
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Interactive checklist

The BC Service Business Launch Checklist

Forty-two steps, in the order you actually do them — from reserving a name to landing your fifth review. Covers registration, licensing, WorkSafeBC, GST, insurance, branding, and first clients. Your progress saves as you tick.

42 stepsSaves progressPrintable
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Guide

WorkSafeBC, in Plain English

Most guides tell trades that WorkSafeBC registration is mandatory. For a lot of solo operators it isn't. Here's the actual rule, what changed in 2026, what it costs, and the four things that catch people out afterwards.

2026 rulesSourcedPlain English
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Guide

How to Start a Business in BC

The full walkthrough — what registration actually costs, when you need a municipal licence, the $30,000 GST threshold, WorkSafeBC, and what the government fees really add up to.

Full guideCosts included
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Examples

See What a Launched Business Looks Like

Three worked examples — a painter, a mobile detailer, and an epoxy installer. The website, the Google listing, the booking flow. What "properly launched" actually means, visually.

3 examplesIllustrative
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Why these are free

Because most of the reason people don't start isn't fear or money — it's not knowing what comes next. These tools answer that. If you use them, do the forty-two steps yourself, and never speak to us, that's genuinely a good outcome. And if partway through you decide you'd rather have it all handled in about ten business days, that's what we do.