Small business in Nanaimo
The City of Nanaimo counted 99,863 people in the 2021 census, up 10.3% from 2016. The City describes itself as the retail and service hub for central and northern Vancouver Island, and its 2026 State of the Economy report names relative affordability, a diversified service economy and that regional role as its competitive advantage. The same report finds strong local ownership (70% of businesses) and a high share of home-based businesses (36%).
In 2025 the City issued licences to 7,316 businesses, 335 more than the year before, much of the increase coming from new rules requiring short-term rentals to be licensed. Construction held the most licences, followed by health care and social assistance, accommodation and food services, professional, scientific and technical services, and retail trade. The report also flags U.S. tariff pressure on BC's resource sectors as a spillover risk for mid-Island contractors, logistics firms and suppliers.
A Nanaimo business licence is required for businesses, short-term rentals and non-profits operating more than 12 days a year, and it expires every December 31, with renewal invoices usually going out in early December. The general application can be completed online, and there is a separate licence type for home-based businesses. The Regional District of Nanaimo does not issue business licences, so owners inside city limits deal with the City directly.
Working with us from Nanaimo
Nanaimo is a drive east on Highway 4 through Cathedral Grove and then south down the Island's east coast, and we do not make that trip for client work. We meet people in person only in Port Alberni and the Alberni Valley, so Nanaimo businesses work with us entirely online.
That suits a city where so many businesses run from a home office. You connect us to your QuickBooks Online, Xero or Sage file, send receipts through AutoEntry and the rest through secure document sharing, and book a phone or video call when you want to go through the numbers. Monthly bookkeeping, catch-up work, payroll with T4s, ROEs and remittances, GST/HST filing and personal tax returns all work this 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 Nanaimo businesses
- City of Nanaimo: business licences: The licence types, including home-based and non-resident, plus renewal timing and how to update an existing licence.
- City of Nanaimo: get a business licence: The application forms, which ones can be filled in online, and how to pay.
- City of Nanaimo: key industries: The City's economic development overview of the sectors that drive Nanaimo's economy.
- Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce: Networking, monthly events, advocacy and member savings programs for Nanaimo businesses.
- Community Futures Central Island: A Nanaimo-based office offering small business loans and advisory services across central Vancouver Island.
Sources
- City of Nanaimo: Census data highlights record growth in Nanaimo
- City of Nanaimo: 2026 State of the Economy Report
- City of Nanaimo: Key Industries
- City of Nanaimo: Business Licences
- City of Nanaimo: Get a Business Licence
- Regional District of Nanaimo: FAQ & Hot Topics
- Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce
- BC Parks: MacMillan Provincial Park (Cathedral Grove)
- Community Futures Central Island: About Us