Montreal can be a very profitable location for your upcoming business venture. If you are looking forward to starting a business here in this city and looking for ideas and opportunities, this article will surely help you.
Montreal is the second most populated city in Canada and is the highest populated city in the province of Quebec and a great center of business and commerce. Hence you will be able to develop business ideas in Montreal with ease and many advantages.
Montreal offers a plethora of advantages both from the government as well as private enterprises. Hence you will get economic as well as infrastructural cooperation in growing your business idea in Montreal.
Furthermore, the city of Montreal offers a low cost of living, availability of skilled workers, and taxation benefits. Hence it will help you in different aspects to start a business idea in Montreal and achieve success.
25 Small Business Ideas in Montreal
1. Food Cart
Selling fast food like burgers, French fries, sandwiches or other kinds of street food is a profitable business idea in Montreal. You can start this business with low capital and earn high profits if your cart is placed at strategic locations like near schools or colleges or busy places. Taking a franchise is also a good business option.
Read: How To Start A Mobile Food Truck Business
2. Bar & Restaurant
Bar & Restaurants have a good demand in Montreal. Hence you can start a theme bar and Restaurant at a good location and expect a high income. Marketing, as well as publicity, is very important for this business idea in Montreal. Invest in the theme and good interiors along with serving excellent food and drinks to grow your business in a short period.
Read: How to Start A Successful Restaurant Business
3. Café
Opening a café is a profitable business idea for you in Montreal. Two business options are there in this case- taking a franchise and starting independently. Both options have pros and cons. Choose the option that suits you best. In the case of independent cafés, exhaustive marketing and promotions are necessary, both online and offline.
4. Cigar Lounge
With more restrictions on smoking in public places, the concept and demand for cigar lounges are gaining popularity. You can think of starting a cigar lounge as a business idea in Montreal. A strategic location along with good décor is important for this business. Publicize your cigar lounge through ads and online publicity for getting more clients.
5. Immigration Law Firm
Canada is one of the most preferred nations for immigrants. If you have a law degree and experience you can start a legal firm assisting the aspirants in their process of immigration with the necessary paperwork and documentation. This is a profitable business idea in Montreal as you can charge good fees for the service.
6. Real Estate Agency
Start your real estate agency and earn a comfortable income as a commission for each deal. It is a very profitable and potential business idea in Montreal. You can start the agency entirely online through a website or app. Opening an office is also a good option. You need to have good contact with builders, architects, and sellers to grow this business.
7. IT Consultancy Using AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an important element of modern-day business. If you are an IT specialist, you can start your IT consultancy company along with AI services. This is a very lucrative and prospective business idea in Montreal as the city is a great center of AI. You will need a great deal of digital marketing and publicity for the growth of this business. A website of your company is also important.
8. Financial Consultancy
Financial consultancy is a profitable business idea in Montreal. If you can add accounting services along with it, you can get more clients for this business. Financial services include tax and investment planning, financial reporting, business viability checking, suggesting allied or alternative business ideas, etc.
Accounting will include regular account keeping, bank reconciliation, preparation of balance sheets, etc. As there are several kinds of business enterprises in Montreal, you can get a high income with the right marketing and networking.
9. Gym and Fitness Center
Start your gym and fitness center and earn handsome profits. This is a very good business idea in Montreal as there is high demand for fitness centers. A good location and extensive publicity and marketing will get you more clients.
10. Gaming Center
Start a video game center at a prominent place for earning comfortable profit. Montreal has a high demand for games and hence this is a very good business idea for this city. Pay attention to the décor of your gaming center and spend on good games, publicity, and promotion so that more people know about the gaming center. Thus you will get a large number of customers.
11. Dog Training
Canada is a dog-loving nation where there are dogs in a large number of households. Hence dog training can be a profitable business idea for you in Montreal. If you are a pet lover, you can earn a lot of money from this business. Start on your capacity and then grow the business by appointing other trainers under you. Local marketing and publicity along with word of the mouth publicity will help to grow your business.
12. Old Age care
With the rising number of senior adults, old age care is a sustainable and profitable business idea almost everywhere and Montreal is no exception. If you can invest more, you can start living facilities for old citizens which is a very profitable business. Otherwise, you can also start providing different kinds of services to the senior adults in their homes including caregiving. Extensive marketing, caring staff, and referrals will help in growing your business.
13. Auto Repair
Auto repair has a constant and steady demand. Hence it is a very profitable business idea in Montreal. If you are a trained auto expert, you can start this business which has two options-static and mobile. However, to make it more profitable you can provide both services as per demand and get better profits.
14. Open a Salon in Montreal
Opening your salon is a very profitable business idea in Montreal. You can opt for a franchise or open an independent salon. For the stand-alone salon, you need to invest in a strategic location, and good décor and hire expert beauticians. Offer special discounts during the festival season and if you can offer mobile service also, it will be more profitable. Online and offline marketing and publicity are important.
15. Event Planning
Event planners are sought after for different types of events both personal as well as corporate. If you are a good organizer with an eye for details, you can start an event planning company as your business idea in Montreal. Good employees, personal contacts, and referrals are the keys to success in your event planning business.
16. Transport
The transport business has a very good demand in Montreal. Hence you can start your transport company in Montreal as your business idea. The truck business has the greatest demand in Montreal. Start your business with a couple of trucks and gradually scale up the business. Carrying freight, raw materials for business, or renting a truck in the logistics business are profitable options for you.
17. Commercial and Home Cleaning
A cleaning business is a good business with a steady income. You can start a commercial as well as a home cleaning company and earn comfortable profits from this business idea in Montreal. The use of safe and organic cleaners, good equipment, and providing sanitizing services are essential for growing your business. A website along with online and offline marketing is also important.
18. Waste Removal
Waste removal is a profitable business and you can start it as your business idea in Montreal. You choose any of the areas in this business. These areas are waste removal, waste recycling, and selling valuable parts from waste. Any of these areas are profitable. However, if you can start a recycling unit and recycle wastes into resalable items, it will be more profitable.
19. Appliance Repair
Repairing appliances, especially household ones is a very useful business and profitable too. Start an appliance repair center and earn a good income from this business idea in Montreal. Providing at-home service is an essential point of this business and gives you more income opportunities. Local contacts and referrals, along with word of the mouth publicity will get you more clients, thereby increasing your income.
20. Dropshipping
Dropshipping businesses can give you good income opportunities without much investment. Hence you can start Dropshipping business in Montreal as a good business idea and sell items like jewelry, apparel, handicraft items, etc. A great deal of online marketing and social media publicity will help you in growing your Dropshipping business.
21. Fashion Design
Fashion design is a great business idea in Montreal. If you are a trained or naturally talented fashion designer, you can start your designer boutique physical or online, or sell your brands to different stores. You can choose a niche like wedding fashion or women/men’s fashion or design for all. Online and offline marketing, publicity, promotions, and social media ads are important for this business. Your website is also necessary.
22. Tutoring
Demand for teaching and tutors never goes out. Hence if you are good at academics, you can start a tutoring business in Montreal. You can teach school children or students of higher level with subject specialization. Tutoring can be in teaching centers or through virtual media. Both options are profitable. A good personal network and marketing are necessary for your tutoring business.
23. Website Development
Website development is a sought-after business idea and Montreal is no exception. If you are trained in web development, you can start this business and service businesses of different kinds and sizes as the website has become a necessity for the majority of businesses. Develop your company’s website with great care as this will be your point of publicity. Apart from that, strategic marketing and contacts are necessary for this business.
24. App Development
Just like websites, apps are also an integral part of many businesses as well as services. Hence the business of app development is a lucrative business idea in Montreal. If you are skilled in coding, you can start your app development company and earn a high income. Use your creativity and try to think out of the box for achieving success in this business. Furthermore, digital marketing and personal networking will help you immensely to promote this business.
25. Drone Photography
Drone photography has become immensely popular in recent years and is used in various sectors including films, ads, etc. If you are well-trained in this area of photography, you can start a drone photography business. This is a very profitable business idea in Montreal. You will need a good personal network and efficient marketing to get more clients for this business.
Montreal has huge potential and offers you a lot of opportunities as far as business is concerned. Hence you can surely achieve success in any of the business ideas in Montreal.

About the Author: 99businessideas.com led by Rupak Chakrabarty is committed to helping beginners, entrepreneurs, and small business owners in starting, managing, and growing their businesses.