Your first business in Manitoba
Most Manitobans live in Winnipeg; everyone else is spread across prairie towns, lake country and the North. Here’s how new entrepreneurs start here, and get online.
Manitoba’s entrepreneurial landscape
Winnipeg is the province’s engine, with manufacturing, transportation, health care, government and a busy food and arts scene. Many first businesses start there: trades and renovations, cleaning, catering, beauty services, consulting and online shops, often launched by newcomers who choose Manitoba.
Outside the city, agriculture drives the economy — grain, livestock and the businesses that serve farms — while lake country and the North bring cottages, fishing lodges, outfitters and summer tourism. Long winters mean snow clearing and indoor services are steady work.
Manitoba has a historic francophone community centred in Saint-Boniface and in bilingual municipalities, and large Indigenous communities. Many local businesses serve customers in more than one language.
Real help for new entrepreneurs
Help for new entrepreneurs in Manitoba:
- Manitoba Companies Office — Where you register a business name or incorporate in Manitoba.
- Manitoba Business and Economic Development — The Province’s business development programs and contacts.
- Manitoba Retail Sales Tax — Who must register for and collect Manitoba’s RST.
- PrairiesCan — Prairies Economic Development Canada, the federal agency for Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
- Community Futures Manitoba — Local loans and business advice for rural and northern Manitoba.
- CDEM — Manitoba’s bilingual economic development council, with services for francophone and bilingual entrepreneurs. The place to start if you want to do business in French in Manitoba.
- Futurpreneur — Start-up financing paired with a volunteer business mentor, for entrepreneurs aged 18 to 39.
- BDC — The Business Development Bank of Canada: financing, plus free guides and templates for people starting out.
Your first steps in Manitoba
- Register your business name with the Companies Office if you trade under a name other than your own.
- Understand GST and RST. Manitoba has no HST: you deal with the 5 % federal GST (register with the CRA once taxable sales pass CA$30,000 over four quarters) and, separately, the province’s 7 % Retail Sales Tax, which has its own rules on who must register.
- Use the free supports. Community Futures Manitoba helps outside Winnipeg; PrairiesCan funds programs across the Prairies.
- Get found online. A free Google Business Profile, a website and an email at your own domain help customers across a big province find you.
Canada Revenue Agency: get a business number · CRA: GST/HST rates by province
How WebNewBee helps
With WebNewBee you choose one of 30 designs, answer a few questions, and your site is built in about a minute. Add French in one click if you serve Saint-Boniface or the bilingual municipalities.
One simple price
CA$6.99/month · plus applicable taxes
- Website with up to 6 pages, written by our AI from your facts
- Up to 3 email addresses on your own domain
- Your own domain from CA$24.99/year, or a free yourname.webnewbee.page address
- Secure (https), fast, mobile-friendly
- English, French or both
- Cancel anytime — no contract
Questions
Do I charge RST on everything?
Not necessarily. Manitoba’s RST applies to many goods and some services; the Province’s RST page explains what is taxable and who must register.
Is support available in Central time?
We’re based in Atlantic Canada, two hours ahead of Central time, and answer by email in English or French.