Small business in Duncan
The City of Duncan calls itself an economic hub for the Cowichan Region, offering healthcare, retail, professional services and cultural tourism, and a major business centre for the fishing, farming, forestry and tourism industries that drive the regional economy. Its downtown is known for heritage buildings, a City Square, and what the City describes as the world's largest collection of outdoor totems.
Every business in the City of Duncan needs a City licence, including non-profit societies, home-based businesses and out-of-town businesses, with a separate licence for each location. You can apply in person at City Hall on Craig Street, by email or by mail, and licences are processed within two weeks of payment. A Duncan licence also lets a mobile business work in Lake Cowichan, North Cowichan and Ladysmith, and an inter-community licence extends that to other participating Island communities.
The Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce has served Cowichan Valley businesses since 1908, has over 600 members, and runs the Cowichan Regional Visitor Centre. Community Futures Cowichan, with its office in Duncan, offers small business loans, advising and training, including micro loans for people in the Cowichan area with a viable business idea.
Working with us from Duncan
Duncan is south of us, on the far side of Nanaimo. From Port Alberni the route is Highway 4 east past Cameron Lake to Highway 19, south to Nanaimo, then Highway 1 south through Ladysmith into the Cowichan Valley. We do not offer meetings or document pickups in Duncan; our in-person work stays in the Alberni Valley.
Cowichan Valley clients work with us online. You share statements and receipts through secure upload, we keep your QuickBooks Online, Xero or Sage file current, AutoEntry captures receipts from your phone, and we talk by phone or video when needed. Payroll, GST/HST filing, catch-up work and personal tax returns run the same way.
We are based in Port Alberni. See bookkeeping in Port Alberni for more about us, or how our pricing works.
Useful local resources for Duncan businesses
- City of Duncan: business licences: Who needs a Duncan licence, how to apply and pay, and what the licence covers for mobile businesses.
- Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce: Networking, advocacy, professional development and the Chambers Plan benefits program for Cowichan businesses.
- Community Futures Cowichan: Duncan-based lender and advisor offering small business loans, micro loans, advising and training.
- BC Government: Community Futures micro loans, Cowichan: The Province's summary of the Cowichan micro loan program and who is eligible.