Starting out as a trades business in British Columbia

The local market for a new trades owner

Most of BC's population lives in the Lower Mainland and on southern Vancouver Island, in cities such as Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond, Coquitlam and Saanich. That is where the most searches happen, and also where the most competitors are.

If you are starting in the Lower Mainland, assume a homeowner will compare you with several businesses that already have dozens of reviews. Your edge is responsiveness and care: answering fast, quoting clearly and turning up on time. In Abbotsford, Kelowna and smaller communities, competition online is often thinner and personal reputation travels quickly, so the neighbour routine in our first 20 customers guide can work especially well.

Draw your service area by drive time, not by city name. A 30-minute radius in Metro Vancouver traffic is far smaller on a map than the same radius around Prince George.

Climate and seasonality

The coast and the rest of the province run on different calendars. Plan your marketing around the one you are in.

On the coast, rain is the main seasonal factor: roofing, drainage and exterior work peak in the drier months, while leak and moisture calls rise when the rain arrives. Inland and in the North, winters are much colder and longer, so heating-related trades are busy for more of the year and outdoor trades have a shorter window. Use your slow months to collect reviews, refresh your profile photos and contact past customers, as our first-year DIY plan describes.

Bodies to know when starting out in BC

These are the official organisations a new BC trades owner usually needs to know about. Contact them directly for anything to do with licences, tickets or compliance; we only point you to them.

• Business registration: BC Registries and Online Services handles business names and registrations.
• Trade certification: SkilledTradesBC runs Skilled Trades Certification, already in force for a group of electrical and mechanical trades such as gasfitters and construction electricians.
• Technical safety: Technical Safety BC oversees regulated technical work, including electrical and gas, and licenses contractors in those areas.
• Workers' compensation: WorkSafeBC covers workplace safety and insurance.
• Consumer protection: Consumer Protection BC deals with many consumer-facing business practices.

When you list credentials on your profile or website, use the exact wording these bodies use. Never claim a certification you do not hold.

Programs worth knowing if your trade touches heating or insulation

If you work in heating, heat pumps, insulation or windows, customers may ask about rebates. As of October 2026, the province's CleanBC Better Homes Energy Savings Program offers income-qualified rebates, and its requirements changed for invoices dated on or after 2026-07-06.

Do not promise customers a rebate amount. Send them to the program page and tell them to confirm eligibility with the administrator. Programs change often.

How we would approach marketing in BC

For a first-year BC owner, we would usually suggest this order:

1. Register your name, then set up your Google Business Profile with a realistic service area.
2. Ask every customer for a review from the first job, because Lower Mainland competitors already have many.
3. Build a small starter website with a page for each main service and a clear list of the communities you serve.
4. Plan around the coast's rain season or the Interior's long winter, whichever applies.

To talk through your situation, see how we can help or contact us. For other provinces, go back to all areas.