Montreal is in the southwest of the province of Quebec. The city covers most of the Island of Montreal at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. Montreal is the second-most populous city in Canada and the most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec.
In 2016, the city had a population of 1,704,694, with a population of 1,942,247 in the urban agglomeration, including all the other municipalities on the Island of Montreal. The broader metropolitan area had a population of 4,098,247.
French is the city’s official language and in 2016 was the main home language of 49.8 percent of the population, while English was spoken by 22.8 percent, and 18.3 percent spoke other languages. There are loads of business opportunities in Montreal and statistics show that Montreal has the second-largest economy of Canadian cities based on GDP and the largest in Quebec.
In 2014, Metropolitan Montreal was responsible for CA$118.7 billion of Quebec’s CA$340.7 billion GDP. The city is today an important center of commerce, finance, industry, technology, culture, and world affairs and is the headquarters of the Montreal Exchange.
The city was widely seen as weaker than Toronto and other major Canadian cities, but it has recently experienced a revival. If you are looking towards starting a business in Montreal and you have not made up your mind on the choice of business to start, here are the 50 best business opportunities that you can choose from.
50 Best Business Opportunities That Exist in Montreal
Truck Owner Operator Business
The truck owner operator business is one of the most thriving business opportunities in Montreal and the reason is not far fetch. The Port of Montreal is one of the largest inland ports in the world handling 26 million tons of cargo annually.
As one of the most important ports in Canada, it remains a transshipment point for grain, sugar, petroleum products, machinery, and consumer goods. For this reason, Montreal is the railway hub of Canada and has always been an extremely important rail city.
It is important to state that the trucking industry is responsible for the majority of freight movement over land, and they are a major stakeholder in the manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing industries in Canada and other parts of the world.
Artificial Intelligence Startup Business
The artificial intelligence business is generally a business for entrepreneurs who enjoy working with technology and currently are at the cutting-edge of it. Artificial intelligence or AI is a rapidly rising market since more businesses and companies are integrating it into their processes of manufacturing and customer service.
You can leverage economies of scale because Montreal is a global hub for artificial intelligence research with many companies involved in this sector, such as Facebook AI Research (FAIR), Microsoft Research, Google Brain, DeepMind, Samsung Research, and Thales Group (cortAIx).
The city is also home to Mila (research institute), an artificial intelligence research institute with over 500 researchers specializing in the field of deep learning, the largest of its kind in the world.
Start Hotdog and Sausage Cart Business
The hot dog and sausage cart business are one of the businesses that an entrepreneur can successfully start on the corner of a busy street or a mobile shop without breaking the bank for cash. At the same time, big-time investors can also leverage the high demand for hot dogs and sausage to set up their hot dog and sausage carts in strategic locations all around key cities in Montreal and other parts of the world via franchising.
Open a Bar & Grill Business
A bar and grill restaurant might not be entirely easy to start, but one thing is certain, it is a straight – forward business that can generate huge and steady profits if well positioned and properly managed.
People often think that starting a bar and grill restaurant does not require any professional skills, since it is a small-scale business but this is not true. You would need to learn how to prepare tasty barbeques/grills, have good business skills, and of course, customer services skills.
Open a Beauty Supply Store
It is important to point out that the beauty supply store is one of the businesses that can’t go out of fashion because of the role it plays in society. Depending on the scale you want to start, the startup capital for this type of business can be considered to be moderate. You can start your own beauty supply store and then grow it big within a short period by reinvesting your profits back into the business.
Open a Body Piercing Studio
The right time to start this business is now because the body piercing and tattoo studios industry is presently at its growing stage. Please be informed that starting a body piercing studio may not require pretty huge start-up capital, but it needs solid planning, and attention to detail to keep your business profitable.
If you are diligent enough and if you have good business/marketing strategies, you can build the business from just one outlet to numerous outlets across different cities in Montreal from the sale of franchises.
Start a Car Leather Repair Business
Most cars usually come with leather seats and leather interiors and when these leather seats and interiors are exposed to sun or heat, there is the tendency for the leather to rip off, have holes, stains, drastic color loss, peeling color, rough and cracked leather and even cat scratches hence the need for the services of car leather repair shop.
Christmas Tree Installation Business
Christmas tree installation companies are engaged in the farming, installation, and maintenance of Christmas trees and other related decoration services. Although the Christmas tree installation business is seasonal, it can fetch you good income. This kind of business is suitable for those who are looking towards building multiple streams of income.
Open a Cigar Lounge
A cigar lounge or cigar bar is a place where smokers go to buy their preferred cigar brand and smoke freely without the fear of being embarrassed, arrested, or fined. You might agree that it is now illegal to smoke in public places. The World Health Organization (WHO), in conjunction with Governments of various Countries are clamping down on smoking in public places in a bid to protect non-smokers from the harmful effect of smoking.
Open a Coffee Café
The coffee café business is one of the small–scale businesses that an entrepreneur can successfully start on the corner of a busy street or a mobile shop without breaking the bank for cash. Coffee cafés or shops can be located in any part of town as long as people are living or working there.
Generally, coffee cafés or shops are located in airports, seaports, shopping malls, hotel lobbies, railway stations, bus stations, campuses, hospital lobbies, sports centers, and any public facilities as long as you are permitted to locate your café there. On the other hand, if you operate a mobile coffee shop, there won’t be any restrictions on the places you can sell your coffee.
Open a Video Game Lounge
The video game industry has been booming in Montreal since 1997, coinciding with the opening of Ubisoft Montreal. Recently, the city has attracted world-leading game developers and publishers studios such as EA, Eidos Interactive, BioWare, Artificial Mind and Movement, Strategy First, THQ, and Gameloft mainly because of the quality of local specialized labor, and tax credits offered to the corporations.
People visit gaming centers not just to play games, but also to rent the latest cartridges of games that they do not have or can’t afford. You could also walk up to a gaming center to exchange your old game box for another one at a very minimal fee.
Start Dog Training Business
Becoming a dog trainer isn’t so much of a huge task, as it does not require that you get a certification. All that is required of you is a love for animals, as well as having the skills to train dogs in various skill sets.
It is very enjoyable to start a dog training business because it establishes a relationship between you and the dog and in the long run you smile to the bank. So, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the dog training business is a clear case of getting paid for what you love doing.
Start Aerial Drone Photography Business
There is a lot to know and learn about drone technology before you can go into aerial drone photography. Therefore, if you have decided to start an aerial drone photography business, then you should gather all the available materials you can get on drones and ensure that you read them up.
Your research will provide you with information on where to attend aerial drone photography training, how to source for aerial drone photography contract, the required tools, and license for aerial drone photography business, aerial drone photography billing administration et al.
Start a Dryer Vent Cleaning Business
The truth is that you don’t necessarily need to own a fully functional dry-cleaning business before you can make money from your dryer vent cleaning business. You can start a dryer vent cleaning business and your services won’t just be restricted to dry cleaners but also to homes and offices where dryers are used. Most people find it difficult to clean the vents of their dryers; hence they require the services of professionals to help them do it.
Open a Feed Store
Have you ever wondered where livestock farmers purchase the food that their livestock eat? You need not wonder anymore; they purchase all their livestock feeds from a livestock feed store. A livestock feed store is a store that retails diverse animal feeds.
This a business that is open to aspiring entrepreneurs, especially those that live around farm communities or close to a food hub et al. All you need to get started is a well-positioned store, a steady supply of animal and bird feed, and the in and out of retailing.
Open a Frozen Food Store
A frozen food store is a retail outlet where different frozen foods are sold. It is a business that can be started in any location in Montreal and it is open to all and sundry as long as you have the drive to run the business. A frozen food store is a very easy business to start and it is not so capital intensive.
Getting the right products that people want to buy and good stock keeping records are the secrets of running a frozen food store. A frozen food store can be run offline in the conventional retail store or online on an online e-commerce retail site.
Open a Gourmet Shop
Gourmet popcorn shops can be located in any part of town as long as there are children and even adults who love popcorn in the location.
Generally, gourmet popcorn shops are located in schools, parks, shopping malls, hotel lobbies, railway stations, bus stations, campuses, sports centers, and any public facilities where such business is allowed. On the other hand, if you operate a mobile gourmet popcorn shop, then there won’t be any restrictions on the places you can ply your goods.
Start a Graffiti Removal Business
If you choose to start this business, you must analyze the existing graffiti removal companies in and outside of your area. Also, you would be required to check the existing competition, as well as know their strengths and weaknesses.
Knowing the weaknesses of the existing graffiti removal companies around you means that you would be able to learn from their mistakes and in turn come up with better and more preferred graffiti removal services devoid of the mistakes and weaknesses of others.
Start a Grocery Delivery Business
A grocery home delivery business is a business that helps clients shop groceries and get them delivered to their homes, offices, or any location they want. With this type of business, you can choose to own a grocery store if you have the financial capacity to or you can choose to operate without a grocery store. The bottom line is that you should know how to source groceries and how to get them delivered to your customers.
Open a Juice and Smoothie Bar
Juice and smoothie bars make and retail smoothies and fresh-made juices. Juice drink is one commodity that is consumed in all parts of the world and those that are in the business of producing juices, are known to generate sales always if the business is well–managed. Economic downturn hardly affects the consumption of juice drinks because it is a healthy substitute for soft drinks and other processed juices.
Start an Educational Consultancy Agency
Canada happens to be one of the top destinations when it comes to international students who are looking to study abroad. Many would-be international students are trapped because they don’t know who to talk to when they have challenges with education-related issues which is why it is important to set up an education consulting firm.
Being an educational consultant means that you will help your clients handle all their educational concerns, and help to gain admission to colleges or universities of their choice. You can also help your clients (international students) obtain work permits in Montreal.
Start a Party Planning Business
Party planning just like event planning is all about helping corporate organizations, governments, groups, and individuals plan and execute their parties whether formal or informal from start to finish. A party planner ensures that they work with the budget of the organization or individual they are to work for and ensure that they deliver a successful party.
Start a Party Rental Business
Starting a party rental business is not as capital intensive as other rental businesses. This is because all that is required of you is to purchase tables, chairs, flatware, linens, centerpieces, stages, tents, canopies, and other items for public and private parties and events.
You will also need a warehouse facility to keep the items and also a truck to take them to and fro event venues. You can decide to rent out the truck or include it as a premium service to those who rent party items from you.
Start a Pest Control Business
A pest control business is a business that is involved in eradicating potentially harmful insects, rodents, and reptiles from farms, commercial and residential properties. It is important to state that before you can start a pest control business in Montreal, you must apply for a pest control license and pass an exam to demonstrate your ability to properly handle harmful chemicals.
Start a Pet Cremation Business
Some people who own pets would rather prefer that their dead pets be cremated as against burying them. Cremation of pets is convenient and generally accepted by pet owners if they are given the option.
The good thing about pet cremation is that it can either be done in a conventional crematory or crematories dedicated only to pets – the bottom line is that people who want a dignified way of caring for their dead pets will be willing to pay for such services.
Start a Post-Construction Cleaning Business
Post-construction cleaning as the name implies is a form of cleaning that is carried out on a newly constructed building or structure.
It is expected that after construction and before the facility will be put to use, a thorough post construction cleaning will be carried out to clear the debris, and clean the floor, railings, toilets, windows, roof, and the entire compound. No construction work will be commissioned if post-construction cleaning is not carried out.
Start HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) Business
One of the thriving businesses you can easily start from your home in Montreal with less stress is HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) business. The HCG business is indeed a profitable business to start because loads of women and even men who want to lose weight will look for ways to do it and HCG happens to be one of the healthy ways of losing weight.
One good thing about HCG products is that they can help an individual lose weight without any negative effect (hunger or weakness inclusive) on the person. HCG products are also approved for the treatment of fertility issues and they can be purchased over the counter based on prescription.
Start House Flipping Business
House flipping is all about purchasing a property that is put up for sale, renovating the property, and then reselling the property with the sole aim of making profits.
Usually, house flippers sell the home at a price that will cover both all the expenses incurred and provide enough profit to compensate for the time invested in the deal. The profit could be big and it could be small; it all depends on how good you can makeover the property and also the location of the property.
Start Scrap Metal Recycling Business
Scrap metal business is a business that is highly profitable because there is hardly any country or city where you won’t find used and abandoned metal scarps.
What you would need to successfully launch a scrap metal recycling business are your machines, how to operate them, a good knowledge of where to collect used and condemned metal, where to sell the raw materials generated from the recycling process, the legislation guiding the industry as well as strong entrepreneurial skills and determination.
Open a Sex Toy Shop
If you are looking for a business to start as an entrepreneur in Montreal and you know you have an interest in the adult stores industry, then you should consider starting a sex toys store business.
Although you don’t need a college degree to establish a sex toys store, you would need some form of informal training, you might have to work as an apprentice with someone who owns a sex toy shop or adult store. It helps you learn how to manage your sex toy and adult sex accessories shop when you get started.
Financial Coaching Firm
If you are already in the financial industry or you have a degree or background in finance, then you can build a career as a certified financial advisor or coach by establishing a financial coaching firm in Montreal. This is indeed a thriving line of business because Montreal plays an important role in the finance industry. The sector employs approximately 100,000 people in the Greater Montreal Area.
As of March 2018, Montreal is ranked in the 12th position in the Global Financial Centers Index, a ranking of the competitiveness of financial centers around the world. The city is home to the Montreal Exchange, the oldest stock exchange in Canada and the only financial derivatives exchange in the country.
Media Consulting Firm
If you have a robust knowledge of how media works and you intend to start a business, then you should consider starting a media consulting firm. There are many corporate organizations, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and even startups that will be more than willing to patronize your services.
You should know that you won’t get it wrong when you start your media consulting firm in Montreal because Montreal is Canada’s second-largest media market and the center of francophone Canada’s media industry.
Open a Wine Bar
A wine bar is a bar or small restaurant where wine is the main drink available; a characteristic feature of many standard wine bars is a wide selection of assorted wines available by the glass. Some wine bars are profiled on wines of a certain type of origin, such as Italian wine or Champagne.
Just ensure that you make available assorted red wines, white wines, nonalcoholic beverages, beer and liquor, distilled spirits, martinis, non-alcoholic drinks, beverages (Serving wine for immediate consumption, offering wine tasting for patrons, and preparing and serving food for immediate consumption).
3D Printing & Prototyping Services Business
3D Printing & Prototyping Services offer 3D printing and rapid prototyping services. A 3D printing and prototyping service is the automatic construction of physical objects using additive manufacturing technology. The process includes melting or softening material to produce layers, laying liquid material thermosets that are cured, and cutting thin layers to shape that are then joined together.
Just ensure that you cover all aspects of 3D printing and rapid prototyping services such as 3D printing support services, selective laser sintering (SLS), fused deposition modeling (FDM), stereolithography (SLA), and other related 3D printing and rapid prototyping services and you won’t have to struggle to grow the business.
Biodegradable Plastic Bag Manufacturing Business
The retailing industry has fully embraced the use of biodegradable plastic bags because the world is going the way of climate change. This goes to show that there is indeed a very large market for biodegradable plastic bags in our world; hence loads of investors are pitching their tent in the biodegradable plastic bag manufacturing industry.
Biodegradable plastic bags manufacturers are part of the bioplastics manufacturing industry and players in this industry manufacture bioplastics, which are organic plastics derived from renewable biomass sources.
Designed to biodegrade, bioplastics are made from sources such as vegetable oil, cornstarch, pea starch, or microbiota. So, if you are looking for the best business opportunities in Montreal, then you should consider a biodegradable plastic bag manufacturing business.
Open a Bicycle Dealership and Repair Shop
The basic things you need to succeed in this type of business is training on how to fix bicycles, a bicycle repair toolbox, a good location, easy access to wholesale supply of bicycles and bicycle spare parts, and good customer service skill.
If your shop is located in an area with good human and vehicular traffic, and you have different types and sizes of bicycles from different brands, then you may not have to struggle to get people to visit your shop and make purchases and repairs.
Biotech Company
Companies that operate in the Biotechnology industry make use of living organisms or molecular and cellular techniques to provide chemicals, food, and services that meet human needs. It is important to state that the Biotechnology industry does not include companies that are involved in developing small-molecule pharmaceuticals, performing contract research, or manufacturing biological equipment.
Just ensure that you offer services such as DNA coding, mapping and sequencing, processing biotechnologies, subcellular organisms engineering, cell, and tissue culture engineering, protein sequencing, synthesis and engineering et al and you would be successful in the business.
An Animation Studio
An animation studio is a company that is involved in the production of animated media. Such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical production equipment, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sale or rental of their animation works.
Please note that the animation studio business falls under the Video Postproduction Services industry and the industry includes companies that prepare motion pictures for public distribution by performing editing, subtitling, closed captioning, animation, and other special effects services.
Open a Car Accessories Store
If you are looking for a business to start in Montreal and you know you have an interest in the automobile industry, then you should consider starting a car accessories store business. Although you don’t need a college degree to establish this business, but you would need some form of informal training. You may have to work as an apprentice with someone who owns a car accessories and auto spare parts store so you can easily learn the ropes.
Open a Car Wash
If you drive through the streets in metropolitan cities in Montreal, you will notice several car wash businesses located in strategic areas. This goes to show that the car wash business is quite profitable in Montreal. One good thing about the car wash business is that it can be started by anybody (graduate and non-graduate alike) as long as they have eyes for details and some business skills.
An Acupuncture Clinic
Acupuncture, which is a complementary medical practice is a treatment technique that involves stimulating certain points on the body, most often with a needle, to alleviate pain or to help treat various health conditions. It is a complete medical protocol that is focused on correcting imbalances of energy in the body.
Just ensure that you offer core acupuncture treatments such as acupuncture – cancer treatment, acupuncture – infertility treatment, acupuncture – fibromyalgia treatment, acupuncture – asthma treatment et al.
Open a Cocktail Bar
The market for cocktail bars has continued to soar from generation to generation because we still have people who appreciate cocktail drinks. It is important to point out that the cocktail bar business is one of the businesses that can’t go out of fashion because people would always appreciate good cocktail drinks. Depending on the scale you want to start, the startup capital for this type of business can range from small to moderate.
Start Custom Cake Making Business
If you are a baker or even a caterer, it is easier for you to venture into the custom cake business. This is because the same ingredients and processes that are used in making conventional large cakes are the same that are used in making custom cakes except for the size difference.
One thing about a custom cake-making business is that it is your creativity that can stand you out from your competitors. No doubt, people that are into custom cake making are very creative.
Start a Fruit and Vegetable Retail Store Business
If you are considering starting a fruit and vegetable retail store business, the good news is that you can’t get it wrong. This is because various types of vegetables and fruits are consumed by almost everybody in Montreal. It is important to state that starting a vegetable and fruit retail store business comes with its own fair share of challenges, but that does not rule out the fact that it is indeed a profitable business venture.
If you locate the business in a good location and you know how to source fresh fruits and vegetables that are generally consumed in the location where you have your retail outlet.
Open a Gift Shop
Gift shops retail a range of gifts, gift wrap, novelty merchandise, souvenirs, greeting cards, party supplies, and seasonal and holiday decorations. One good thing about this type of business is that you don’t need to enroll in a conventional school to learn how to start and run this type of business.
Concierge Medical Practice Business
If you are looking for a fast-growing business opportunity in Montreal that will attract clients, investors, and partners, then you need to look towards starting a concierge medical practice business.
Concierge medical practice is a practice of medicine that gives room to a unique relationship between a patient and a doctor (primary care physician) in which the patient pays an annual fee or what is known as a retainership. This retainer fee may or may not be in addition to other charges depending on the doctor.
Open a Language School
Language schools offer language instruction ranging from conversational skills for personal enrichment to intensive training courses for career or educational opportunities. Aside from that, some migrants and students intend to work or study in Montreal who would need to first pass through a language school before they can be fully integrated into the society hence the viability and profitability of language schools.
Start a Laser Engraving Business
Laser engraving permanently marks an item, providing a check and balance against counterfeit products or replicas. In ID cards, multilayer formats are used to alter the color of the lower layer’s pigments without affecting the top transparent layer.
It is worthy to mention that you must consider some factors when getting a location for your business. Since the laser engraving business is somewhat a hazardous one because of the chemicals involved, the facility being used must meet certain standards. It must be located in an industrial area and not in a residential part of town. This is done to protect people from inhaling very harmful chemicals.
Electric Charging Station Business
According to Wikipedia, an electric vehicle charging station, also called EV charging station, electric recharging point, charging point, charge point, and EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment), is an element in an infrastructure that supplies electric energy for the recharging of electric vehicles. This type of business will attract customers, investors, and partners.
An E-Waste Recycling Business
E-waste which is also known as electronic waste is electronic products that are faulty, condemned, or have become obsolete and can no longer be used. E-Waste includes used computers, televisions, radios, tablets, mobile phones, and several other used electronic products.
Such materials are better reused when they are recycled than allowing them to be buried under the earth. Please note that if there is any industry or line of business that is gaining support from key stakeholders in our world today, it is the recycling industry. This is because the recycling business is an eco-friendly business that can earn you a living and make you a business owner and an employer of labor.