Opening a business in Amherst, at the border
At the doorway to Nova Scotia, Amherst serves customers on both sides of the border. Here’s what gets started here and the local help available.
Amherst’s entrepreneurial scene
Amherst’s spot on the New Brunswick border means a business here can serve Sackville, Moncton and all of Cumberland County. Trades, auto services, cleaning, home care, moving and delivery often work both sides of the line.
The historic downtown, with its red sandstone buildings, is home to independent shops, cafés, salons and studios, a natural fit for crafts, vintage, art and food businesses.
Around town, the Tantramar marshes, the farms and the Northumberland and Fundy shores bring agriculture, summer tourism and blueberry and maple spin-offs; Cumberland County is known for its wild blueberries. Many new entrepreneurs here are retirees and people moving from bigger cities, starting the business they always meant to.
Local help for new entrepreneurs
Help for new entrepreneurs in Amherst and Cumberland County:
- Cumberland Chamber of Commerce — Formerly the Amherst & Area Chamber of Commerce, it connects businesses across Cumberland County.
- CBDC Nova Scotia — Community Business Development Corporations: local loans, advice and training for Nova Scotia entrepreneurs. CBDC Cumberland serves the Amherst area.
- Nova Scotia Business Navigators — Free help from the Province to understand the permits, licences and registrations your new business needs.
- Invest Nova Scotia — Nova Scotia’s business development agency, which delivers provincial programs for businesses.
- Centre for Women in Business — Programs and advising for women entrepreneurs across Nova Scotia.
- 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 step online
People driving into Nova Scotia often search for what they need in the first town they reach, and locals cross the border both ways for services. A website that says clearly where you work, with a tap-to-call button and an email at your own domain, helps both kinds of customers choose you.
With WebNewBee you pick one of 30 designs, answer a few questions, and your site is built in about a minute. You can change anything afterward.
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
Tips for getting started in Amherst
- If you also serve New Brunswick customers, say so clearly on your home page.
- Downtown shops: post your hours and any late nights or special events.
- Food and farm products: wild blueberry season is short, so update your site the week it starts.
- Create a Google Business Profile so travellers coming off the highway see you on the map.
A design to start from
Every design is a starting point. Our AI writes the words from your answers, and you can change everything.
- Market — Shops & local retailgiftshop.webnewbee.page
- Spotless — Cleaning servicescleaning.webnewbee.page
- Crumb — Home bakeries & pastrybakery.webnewbee.page
Questions
Can I serve customers in both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick?
Yes. Your website reaches both, and you can list every community you cover, on either side of the border.
Will my site work on phones?
Yes. Every WebNewBee design is made for phones first, with your number one tap away.
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