I was scrolling through a Facebook group recently and saw a post that got me thinking. It was a straight-forward post, just someone asking for honest advice on starting a Nova Scotia small business from people who had been through it.
It took me back. I started thinking about the “nuggets” of wisdom I’ve gathered over the years. Some from my own wins, some from my own face-plants, and others from watching fellow entrepreneurs navigate the trenches. This isn’t someone looking for theories from a textbook; they needed to hear real-world lessons from Nova Scotia’s small business frontlines.
To that end, I took my answer and used it to write this post. I dug in and got a little help from some friends, each and expert in their field. The advice I gave in that Facebook group was inspired by these people as well as my own journey.
Some of you may consider some of these common sense, others will not. Some are “invisible” traps that are incredibly hard to avoid. If you’re just starting out, here is some “real talk” on making it past year one.
1. You Need Systems, Not Just Skills
A skilled person with a lawnmower is just a person mowing lawns. They have almost nothing in common with a professional lawn care company.
The difference is systems. A business with no reliable, repeatable processes isn’t a business. Full stop. It’s just a job you can’t quit.
If the work can’t happen without you hovering over every detail, you’re hitting a ceiling. So if you’re starting a Nova Scotia small business, you can avoid one of the biggest mistakes of them all and build the systems first so the business can eventually run itself.
Every business is a system. Systems make the business run like a well-oiled machine. A good system ensures that the business is effective to its clients, consistent and efficient in how it delivers its service and products. Businesses grow only as fast as their weakest constraint. If there are bottlenecks throughout, a business will sputter and more marketing will just expose the system of broken delivery, poor leadership, or lack of clarity.
– Boris Mirtchev, Serial Entrepreneur and Founder of The Breakthrough Club
2. Perfection is the Enemy of Progress
You will mess up. You will disappoint a customer, and it will sting. When it happens: get up, brush yourself off, and don’t make that mistake again.
I’ve seen so many people hold back because they don’t have everything “just right.” Don’t wait. Do your best, work hard, and learn on the fly. There is no way to avoid mistakes entirely, so you might as well get them out of the way early.
Perfection will keep you stuck longer than any mistake ever will. You’re going to mess up. You’re going to disappoint someone. That part is inevitable. What matters is that you own it, learn from it, and keep it moving. Don’t wait until everything looks perfect. Start where you are, do the work with integrity, and adjust as you go. Progress only happens when you’re willing to move before you feel ready- or even scared!
– Tia Upshaw, Founder and Business Leader, CEO at Blk Women In Excellence
3. The “Friends and Family” Hiring Trap
This is a hard one to hear, but be extremely careful with your inner circle. Do not hire your friends or your family. Beyond that, don’t hire anyone until you have a clear job description and the systems to support them. Their success is your success. If you bring someone on without a clear set of duties, you aren’t growing—you’re just complicating your life.
Hiring family and friends can blur the lines between professional and personal relationships, potentially leading to misunderstandings, favouritism, and strained relationships or lasting feuds. For peace of mind hire from a well qualified hiring pool. An ounce of prevention, they say.
– Lindsey Gillard, Marketing Executive and Stylist, Lead Singer for Glimmerjean and Goode
4. Don’t “Rob Peter to Pay Paul” (Especially if Peter is the CRA)
In Canada, this is the #1 reason I see small businesses fail. When you collect HST or withhold payroll taxes, that money is not yours. It belongs to the government.
It’s tempting to use that cash to cover a slow month or a new piece of equipment—”robbing Peter to pay Paul.” But “Peter” (the CRA) always comes knocking, and that debt piles up with interest faster than you can imagine. Be lean, be smart, and put that tax money in a separate account the second it hits your hand.
I don’t keep Ms. Vickie’s Honey Dijon potato chips in my house for a reason – if they are there I will eat the whole bag! The same rings true for my business taxes. Whether it’s sales, payroll or income taxes, it isn’t my money, so “out of sight, out of mind” is going to be my friend. I have a separate bank account from my main business activities for taxes. Every Friday I transfer money from my regular business account to my tax account. Out of sight out of mind! It gives me the visual I need to understand what is and what is not my money.
– April Stroink, Founder and Chief Financial Wellness Officer at the Money Fix Institute
5. Keep Your Money Close to Home
You don’t have to be the only person who can “do the things.” Hire experts when you need them: a local bookkeeper, a local marketing agency, a local print shop.
Why local? Because they are the most likely to become your customers. When your money stays in the community, everyone wins. Don’t try to save a nickel by sending your money to a giant corporation far away; it will cost you much more in the long run.
I’ve seen so many small businesses come and go. Especially since 2020, I’ve seen more and more calling on their neighbours to “support local” and “support small business.” I’ve also noticed that these small businesses are often themselves inadvertently choosing to support far off corporate options when there are so many superior options close to home. Whether it’s choosing locally-produced cleaning supplies or hiring a local marketing firm 😉, we all need to put out money where our mouth is and support local.
– Scott Gillard, CEO & Founder at Boom12 and Quinprint
Are you starting a Nova Scotia small business?
If you found this while searching for tips for starting a Nova Scotia small business, I hope this helped you out. If I can close with one takeaway, here it is: starting a business comes with a steep learning curve, but you can do it.
Stay positive, stay disciplined, and remember: every expert was once a beginner who just refused to give up.
Lean into mentorship opportunities, ignore negativity, and stick to your guns. But, maybe more important than anything else, don’t assume you won’t make mistakes and do your best to avoid the mistakes too many people make.