Resources for Alberta Businesses

Explore our free resources for small business owners and entrepreneurs in rural Alberta.

Small Business Guides

Simplify your start-up “to do’s” with these helpful guides. Join us and our partners at Business Link as we walk you through all the steps involved to turn your business idea into reality.

Community Futures Lesser Slave Lake

Our Business Services & Loans

• Want one-on-one business counseling? Connect with us for Business Coaching and Advice.

• Ready for skills development? Check out our Business Training and Development.

• Want to start a new business? Our NewBiz Business Loan can help.

• Found a business to buy? Our BizBuyOut Business Loan can help.

• Ready to expand into new markets? Our GlobalReach Business Loan can help.

• Need cash to seize an opportunity? Our Opportunity Business Loan can help.

• Young and business minded? Our NextGen Business Loan can help.

• Have a disability and a business idea? Our BizAble Business Loan can help.

• Indigenous community-owned businesses? The Aboriginal Business Investment Fund can help.

• Are you a woman entrepreneur in Alberta? Get support with the Capital Growth Initiative.

• Need a space for a team meeting or workshop? Learn about our Board Room Bookings.

• Have an idea for a creative partnership? Learn about Community Economic Development opportunities.

• Let's Love Local, Shop Local! Have your business listed for FREE in our local Business Directory.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Find out if your business needs a GST number?

• Looking for step-by-step guide for starting a business? Find it in How To Start a Business - A Checklist

• Want to incorporate your business? Learn more about incorporating your business in Alberta.

• Learn the advantages of incorporating your business.

• Learn the advantages of a business partnership vs. a corporation.

• Learn the advantages of a sole proprietorship.

• Credit Scores: What? Why How?

• What do you need to know before getting a loan?

Local Resources (Lesser Slave Lake Region)

A list of local resources that Community Futures Lesser Slave Lake uses to point business owners in the right direction.

More Useful Resource Links

• Canadian Business and Industry - Canadian business supports and information

• SME Direct - Gain access to a wealth of small business information available through Industry Canada.

• Bplans.com -  Small Business Planning Centre offers an in-depth 'How To' start a business.

• GoForth Institute - If you're looking to bolster your understanding of how to start, run or grow a successful and profitable business, learn GoForth Institute's 100 Essential Small Business Skills™ in only 10 hours conveniently delivered to your computer through streaming video and an option 400+ page resource curriculum book.

• Entrepreneurs Kauffmann Foundations - Information on small business, finance, community development, international trade, entrepreneurship, enterprise development, and the economy.

• Financial Performance Data - Market research data.

• Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work - Employment site for Canadians with disabilities

• Workink - a dedicated space for job postings by equity employers* offering inclusive employment.

• Invention information - Innovation, Science and Economic Development in Alberta

• Canadian Intellectual Property

• FEDO - Francophone Economic Development Organizations

• CDEA - Conseil de développement économique de l'Alberta

Alberta Employment Resources

• Alberta Works - offers employment and career resources, training supports, Alberta job & career fairs, income support, and health benefits.

• Alberta Export Expansion Program - Provides funding support to promote Alberta exports through outbound international business travel or bringing international buyers to Alberta.

• Alberta/Canada Job Grant - Train the workers you need. The Alberta-Canada job grant can help fund training for your new or current employees.

• Alberta Purchasing Connection (APC) - A convenient online tool for the tendering of public sector opportunities for goods, services and construction.

• Alberta Self-employment Program  - supports unemployed and marginally employed individuals who have a viable business idea and require additional training to become self-employed.

• Citizenship and Immigration Canada - Express Entry Information for Employers - You can fill labour market shortages permanently with skilled foreign nationals.

• Film and Television Tax Credit - Offers a refundable Alberta tax credit certificate on eligible Alberta production and labour costs to corporations that produce films, television series and other eligible screen-based productions in the province.

• Regional Economic Development Services (REDS) - Specialists with local knowledge of the economic opportunities and challenges facing Alberta’s regions.

• BDC Entrepreneurs First - Business Development Bank of Canada's entrepreneurship opportunities.

• Futurpreneur - Assisting young entrepreneurs to get their ideas off the ground, Youth Business offers programs and services that allow them to achieve economic independence, develop self-confidence, and fulfill their goals of self-employment.

• The Youth Entrepreneur's Network - An online community that supports the needs of young entrepreneurs from around the world as they attempt to build and thrive in their own businesses

• Youth Café - Government of Canada website for youth seeking employment opportunities.

Indigenous Business Resources

• Aboriginal Business Investment Fund - Helps Indigenous community-owned businesses capitalize on business development opportunities to improve socio-economic outcomes.

• Aboriginal Financial Officers Association (AFOAAB)

• Aboriginal Women's Business Entrepreneurship Network (AWBEN)

• Aboriginal Youth Business Council

• Alberta Indian Investment Corporation

• Alberta Women Entrepreneurs Next Step Program for Aboriginal Women

• Business Link Indigenous Services

• BDC Indigenous Entrepreneur

• Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO)

• First Nations Technical Services Advisory Group Inc.

• Indian Business Corporation (IBC)

• Indian Oil and Gas Canada

• Indian Resource Council

• Indigenous Services Canada

• Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada

• Indigenous Tourism Alberta

• Metis Entrepreneurs Assistance Programs (MEAP)

• Metis Settlements Strategic Training Initiatives Society

• Apeetogosan (Métis) Developmental Inc. & Pinnacle Business Service Ltd.

• Northeastern Alberta Aboriginal Business Association (NAABA)

• Settlement Investment Corporation (Métis)

• Status Entrepreneurs Assistance Programs (SEAP)

• Treaty Seven Economic Development Corporation

Government of Alberta Business Resources

• Government of Alberta

• Alberta Grants & Funding

• Alberta Investor Tax Credit (AITC)

• Alberta Small Business Resources

• Business and Economy

• Canada-Alberta Job Grant

• Community (Local) Economic Development

• Agriculture & Forestry

• Economic Development & Trade

• Alberta Canada

• BizPal Alberta

• Business in Alberta

• Corporate Registries

• Advanced Education

• Occupational Health & Safety

• Service Alberta

• Working in Alberta

• Temporary Foreign Worker Resources

• Community and Regional Economic Development Funding Opportunities

Government of Canada Business Resources

• The Government of Canada

• Agriculture & Agrifood Canada

• Business Benefits Finder

• Canada Border Services Agency

• Canada Business Network - General Links

• Canada Business Service Centre

• Canadian Industry Statistics

• The Western Canada Business Service Network (WCBSN)

• Canada Revenue Agency

• Global Affairs Canada

• Employment & Social Development Canada

• Innovation, Science & Economic Development Canada

• Service Canada

• Statistics Canada

• Trade Commissioner Service Canada

• Western Canada Economic Diversification

Business Education & Other Resources

• Agriculture Financial Services

• Alberta Innovates

• ATB Financial Entrepreneurial Centres

• Alberta Women Entrepreneurs

• Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)

• Business Link

• Canadian Commercial Corporation

• Dun and Bradstreet Business Information Services

• Entrepreneur's Organization

• Export Development Canada

• Farm Credit Canada

• The Go Forth Institute For Entrepreneurial Skills Development

• The World Bank

• Women's Enterprise Centre