Looking for a British Columbia business plan for an entrepreneur immigration application? You're in the right place.
The BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration guide publishes numbers a plan can be read against: a minimum personal investment, a minimum job count, a definition of a full-time job and a rule that the owner manages the business day to day. That raises questions a founder has to answer on paper. Where does the owner's money go, and when? Which jobs count, and where do those employees work? What shows the owner is in the building and not at a distance? A blank template doesn't answer any of them.
In this article we'll walk through a complete sample plan for a custom cabinet shop in Abbotsford, built so each of those questions has a table or a paragraph. We'll cover the executive summary, the SWOT analysis and, in particular, all of the financials.
Here's what you'll take away:
- The guide-to-plan table: see which section answers each requirement, so a reader can find the evidence without hunting
- The investment breakdown: learn how to show what the owner's money buys, and which spending may not count under the guide's own wording
- The jobs section: work out how to present full-time roles, hire dates and where each employee works
- The hours table: check shop and install hours against staff before a reader does
- The SWOT analysis: name the thin spots, such as no signed order yet, without putting a reader off
- The five-year profit, cash flow and balance sheet: see how a manufacturing start-up with no debt shows it can last
- The stress table and the downside case: have an answer ready for "what if jobs run 20% short?", with the steps you would take
We write business plans. We don't give immigration advice, and the BC PNP and IRCC make the decisions. The business is fictional, so take what fits and change the rest.
In this plan
- Alder Line Cabinetry in Brief
- What Alder Line Is and Does
- Who Else Builds Cabinets, and Why Would a Designer Switch?
- Designers, Renovators and Small Builders
- From Drawing to Install
- Money In and Where It Goes
- Jobs and the Guide's Job Test
- Reaching Builders and Designers
- The People Behind Alder Line
- Cash Lows, Stress Cases and the Ask
- Five-Year Figures
- Sources
Need abritish columbia entrepreneur visa business plan for your own business? Book a free consultation and we write it for you.
Alder Line Cabinetry in Brief
Alder Line Cabinetry Ltd. is a pre-revenue custom cabinet shop in Abbotsford, British Columbia. It builds kitchen and bath cabinets for renovators and homeowners who work through designers, unit packages for small townhouse and condo builders, and closets, vanities and built-ins. Marcus Delaney, who ran his own cabinet shop abroad, is the sole owner and general manager and applies from outside Canada. This sample is written for the BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration Base stream, because its published guide sets numbers that a plan can be read against.
The launch needs $1,000,000 of Marcus's own money, with no debt: $318,000 for machinery, vehicles and shop fit-out, $22,000 of opening stock, $67,000 of start-up costs and a $593,000 operating reserve. The shop reaches revenue of $1,459,500 in Year 3 and employs seven full-time people besides Marcus by December 2029. All amounts are Canadian dollars.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $408,000 | $961,500 | $1,459,500 |
| Net income after start-up costs | ($281,980) | ($153,099) | $7,192 |
| Closing cash | $405,449 | $272,605 | $302,788 |
| Full-time employees besides the owner, at year end | 3 | 5 | 7 |
Year 1 and Year 2 lose money because the crew is paid before the order book fills. Year 3 is break-even in practice: $7,192 on $1,459,500 is 0.5% of revenue. Years 4 and 5 earn $86,518 and $154,308. The downside case takes 20% off every revenue line in every year. Cash never runs out, the shop loses money until Year 3 ends, and the first profit comes in Year 4.
Before you rely on any of it. Alder Line is invented. The plan reads its numbers against the BC PNP guide, but the BC PNP and IRCC alone decide an application, and nothing written here moves either decision. The BC PNP also says it does not pre-approve or endorse business proposals. Every rule quoted carries its source and date at the end, and rules and fees change. The plan offers no immigration advice, and the founder's own application costs sit outside the company's figures.
Where does the route stand in November 2026?
BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration works by registration and invitation. Registrations are scored out of 200, with 80 points for the business concept, and a qualified pool is invited to apply in draws. The WelcomeBC invitations page lists 11 Base draws from 13 January to 20 October 2026. They issued 119 invitations in total, between 7 and 15 a draw, at minimum scores from 115 to 121. The last draw, on 20 October, invited 10 Base registrants at a minimum score of 118. The page lists no pause. The program reserves the right to change draw sizes without notice.
The federal picture is narrower. IRCC stopped accepting applications for the Start-up Visa work permit on 19 December 2025, stopped accepting new Start-up Visa applications from 31 December 2025, with exceptions for some applicants holding a 2025 commitment, and extended its pause on the Self-Employed Persons Program until further notice. It said a targeted pilot for immigrant entrepreneurs would be described in 2026, and no details were found on the pages read. A provincial route with published draws is therefore the clearest yardstick for a plan today.
The federal rule behind entrepreneur work permits is short. A work permit may be issued under section 205(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations to a foreign national who intends to perform work that would create or maintain significant social, cultural or economic benefits or opportunities for Canadian citizens or permanent residents. IRCC's help centre applies that to entrepreneurs: a business owner can apply without a Labour Market Impact Assessment where the business would create or maintain such benefits, or jobs, for citizens and permanent residents. The pages read give no minimum investment, no job count and no business-plan format for a stand-alone permit, and they do not say under which rule a BC PNP-supported work permit is issued. This plan does not guess. It states its own investment and job targets and reads them against the BC PNP guide.
What the guide asks and where this plan answers it
The BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration Base guide is dated 27 May 2024. Its requirements are listed on the left, and the plan's evidence on the right.
| What the guide asks | What the plan offers as evidence | Where to read it |
|---|---|---|
| A comprehensive business plan for a new business or the purchase of an existing one, with strong potential for sustained commercial success | A new shop, a five-year model, a downside case and a stress table with ten rows | The financial plan; Cash Lows, Stress Cases and the Ask |
| Ownership of at least one-third (33.33%) | Marcus owns 100% | What Alder Line Is and Does |
| Active management: accountable for day-to-day operations, while physically present at the place of business in British Columbia | Marcus is general manager and also works the shop floor for about 800 hours a year, at one address in Abbotsford | The People Behind Alder Line |
| An eligible personal investment of at least $200,000, from personal net worth, in one business location within 610 days of arrival | $1,000,000 paid in, with the spending listed line by line | Money In and Where It Goes |
| At least one new permanent full-time-equivalent job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident within 420 days of arrival, filled by direct employees | A target of four full-time employees by January 2028, all on payroll, three working at the shop | Jobs and the Guide's Job Test |
What Alder Line Is and Does
Legal name: Alder Line Cabinetry Ltd., a private company to be incorporated in British Columbia. Owner: Marcus Delaney, 100%. Premises: a leased 4,000-square-foot industrial unit in Abbotsford, with a shop floor, a finishing booth and a small office. Not yet signed. Model start: 1 January 2027. This is a date chosen for the model, not a prediction of the founder's arrival, and each date below shifts with it. Stage: no machinery is bought, no lease is signed and no paid order exists. The job counts below are targets.
Purpose
Build cabinets in Abbotsford to a drawing and a date, for designers, renovators and small builders who need a reliable shop more than the lowest quote.
Three ways the shop earns
| Line | How it is priced | Year 1 share of revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen and bath cabinet sets | About $25,000 a job in 2027 | 49% |
| Builder unit packages | About $7,800 a unit (kitchen, vanities and laundry for one townhouse or condo) | 23% |
| Closets, built-ins and repeat orders | About $5,200 a job | 28% |
Targets to the end of Year 3
- Eight kitchen sets, 12 builder units and 22 smaller jobs completed in 2027, then 18, 30 and 48 in 2028 and 28, 44 and 64 in 2029.
- Revenue of $408,000, $961,500 and $1,459,500 over the three years.
- Four full-time employees besides Marcus by January 2028 and seven by December 2029.
- Break-even in 2029, after two loss-making years.
What the shop will not do
Alder Line does not frame houses, template stone countertops or act as a general contractor. It does not sell to the public off the street. Installation is done by its own employees, because a person it schedules, trains and pays is an employee and not a contractor.
Who Else Builds Cabinets, and Why Would a Designer Switch?
The plan quotes no market size. No figure for Fraser Valley cabinet demand was sourced, and a number nobody can check would be worse than none. The case rests on what a designer or builder does today and where that stops.
Where else could a buyer go?
| Option | What it does well | Where it stops, as the plan sees it |
|---|---|---|
| Modular lines sold through home centers | Quick quotes on standard sizes | Odd room sizes and special doors mean fillers and compromises |
| Imported flat-pack cabinets | Low price per box | Lead times, damaged parts and no one local to fix a short delivery |
| Established local custom shops | Reputation and a full order book | Quoted lead times can run long when the shop is busy |
| Alder Line | A fixed lead time quoted at order, one shop for kitchen, vanities and built-ins | No local record yet, which is the weakness below |
These are descriptions of the categories and not claims about any named company. Whether a given shop's lead time is long is a question for the first ten calls to designers.
SWOT
| Strengths | An owner who has run a cabinet shop and priced jobs for years. Equipment sized to the job counts, checked against hours. No debt, so no repayments in the loss years. A reserve of $593,000. |
| Weaknesses | No customers, no signed order and no local reputation. The owner has not yet installed to British Columbia building practice. Year 3 profit of $7,192 leaves no margin. |
| Opportunities | Builders who want one shop to supply a whole unit on a date. Designers who want a quoted lead time they can plan around. Repeat orders from the same renovators, which cost little to win. |
| Threats | Sheet goods and hardware prices: three points of extra direct cost turn Year 3 into a loss. Designers loyal to shops they already use. A start date that moves, which moves the whole ramp. Exchange rates, if the founder's funds start in another currency. |
Designers, Renovators and Small Builders
The designer who specifies the kitchen
A designer draws the room and names a shop to build it. The designer's questions are whether the shop will hold the delivery date, match the drawing and answer the phone when a door arrives wrong. A designer who has been let down once does not return, which is why Alder Line quotes a date at order and builds only what its hours allow.
The renovator who sells the whole job
A renovator buys one kitchen set at a time and takes the shop's date into a contract with a homeowner. The price matters, but a missed date costs the renovator more than a few hundred dollars saved. This buyer is the source of the kitchen line.
The small builder who needs units
A builder of townhouses or small condo buildings buys the same kitchen, vanities and laundry cabinets for every unit in a phase. A unit package is cheaper to build than a custom kitchen because the shop cuts and assembles the same parts repeatedly. The risk is concentration and slow payment, and both appear in the stress table.
What every buyer asks
A fixed date, a drawing signed before cutting, a warranty on workmanship, and one person to call.
Pricing and customers by year
Prices are planning figures for this example. No buyer has been asked to pay them. They rise 3% a year from Year 2.
| Jobs completed | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen and bath cabinet sets, about $25,000 in 2027 | 8 | 18 | 28 | 34 | 38 |
| Builder unit packages, about $7,800 in 2027 | 12 | 30 | 44 | 54 | 60 |
| Closets, built-ins and repeat orders, about $5,200 in 2027 | 22 | 48 | 64 | 76 | 84 |
From Drawing to Install
How does a job move through the shop?
A job moves in seven steps: measure, drawing, signed drawing with a deposit, cutting on the CNC router, edgebanding and assembly, finishing, then delivery and install. A kitchen set takes about 95 shop hours and 24 install hours. A builder unit takes about 32 and 8. A closet or built-in takes about 26 and 8. These are planning figures, to be tested on the first ten jobs.
On those hours a kitchen set priced at $25,000 carries $10,000 of materials and leaves $15,000 for 119 hours of labor and overhead, which is $126 an hour. A builder unit leaves $117 an hour and a small job $92. The mix matters: if smaller jobs grow faster than kitchens, the shop earns less for each hour it staffs.
What does the machinery cost, and what is it for?
The shop buys used machinery to keep the opening spend down, at the price of older equipment and a higher chance of breakdowns. The CNC router ($78,000) cuts sheet goods to the drawing. The edgebander and panel saw ($46,000) finish the parts. Dust collection and air lines ($26,000) are required by the router and the booth. The spray booth ($42,000) finishes doors and cases. Benches and tools ($22,000) and two used vehicles ($64,000, a delivery truck and an install van) complete the list. Prices are planning figures and no quote has been obtained. Machinery is depreciated over 8 years, vehicles over 5 and fit-out over 5.
Hours against staff
Each full-time worker is credited with 1,640 productive hours, about 79% of a 2,080-hour working year. Marcus is credited with 800 shop hours, since estimating, buying and selling take the rest of his week. The apprentice is credited at 70% of a worker.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shop hours needed | 1,716 | 3,918 | 5,732 | 6,934 | 7,714 |
| Shop hours staffed | 2,303 | 5,310 | 6,813 | 7,456 | 8,508 |
| Install hours needed | 464 | 1,056 | 1,536 | 1,856 | 2,064 |
| Install hours staffed | 0 | 1,640 | 1,640 | 3,143 | 3,280 |
In Year 1 the first installs are done by Marcus and the cabinetmakers, so the year needs 2,180 hours in total against 2,303 staffed, which is 95%. The tight points are Year 1, when production has only eight months, Year 3 installs at 94% of one installer and Year 4 shop hours at 93%. Year 2 is the loose year, at 74% of shop hours (72% with installs counted), because the second cabinetmaker and the finisher arrive before the volume does.
Suppliers
Sheet goods, edge banding, doors and hardware come from regional distributors. No supplier is named, and none has been approached. The model pays suppliers in 30 days on average. Sheet-good prices move with the market, so direct costs are set at 40% of revenue in every year and the stress table raises them by three points.
Premises, permits and insurance
The unit is leased at a planning rate of $21 a square foot, which is $84,000 in Year 1 and rises about 3% a year. A lease deposit of two months, $14,000, is in the start-up costs. The finishing booth and dust collection are likely to need municipal and fire-department sign-off before the first spray, to be confirmed with the City of Abbotsford and the fire department. The model allows $5,000 for the business license, registration and inspection. The timing of those approvals against a May 2027 first completion is untested. Insurance is $18,000 in Year 1 for liability, property, equipment and vehicles, a planning figure to be confirmed with a broker. Workers' compensation premiums are within the payroll on-costs.
Costs outside the company's figures
BC PNP registration and application fees, and any IRCC fees, are paid by the founder personally and do not appear in the company's figures. The BC PNP publishes the current amounts, which change.
Money In and Where It Goes
How much does the owner invest, and in what?
Marcus pays $1,000,000 of personal funds into the company in January 2027, from the sale of the shop he ran abroad and his savings. The funds are paid in as equity, so there is no loan and no interest. The guide requires the minimum eligible investment to come from personal net worth, and it asks for a net worth verification report if the applicant is invited to apply. The source of the funds and how they reached Canada are documents for that stage and sit outside the model.
| Group of spending | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Machinery and tools, used | $214,000 | CNC router, edgebander, saw, dust collection, booth, benches |
| Vehicles, used | $64,000 | Delivery truck and install van |
| Leasehold improvements | $40,000 | Electrical upgrade, ventilation, office |
| Launch marketing | $24,000 | Website, sample doors, showroom wall, designer open house |
| Opening stock | $22,000 | Sheet goods, hardware, edge banding |
| Other start-up costs | $43,000 | Lease deposit and design software $24,000, legal and accounting set-up $14,000, license and registration $5,000 |
| Operating reserve | $593,000 | Carries the first loss-making years |
Which spending could count toward the $200,000 minimum?
The guide asks for at least $200,000 of eligible personal investment in one business location within 610 days, about 20 months, of arriving on a BC PNP-supported work permit. It lists new equipment purchases, leasehold improvements, new marketing costs, operating expenses such as rent, wages and utilities, start-up inventory and the purchase of an existing business.
Most of this plan's machinery is used. The guide's wording is "new equipment purchases", and whether used machinery counts is a question for the BC PNP, so the plan does not lean on it. Leasehold improvements of $40,000 plus the operating cash outflow of $276,551 in Year 1 are spending of the kinds the guide lists, and together they come to $316,551 without any machinery. Which spending the BC PNP accepts is its decision.
Jobs and the Guide's Job Test
What does the guide count as a job?
The guide asks for at least one new permanent full-time-equivalent job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident within 420 days, about 14 months, of arriving on a BC PNP-supported work permit. A full-time-equivalent job is at least 30 hours a week on average and 1,560 hours a year, worked by one or more employees under continuous employment. Independent contractors do not count. Anyone holding 10% or more of the business does not count. The employees must work at the primary place of business and not remotely. At nomination the applicant has to show the required jobs were filled continuously for at least 180 days before the final report.
How does the plan meet that test on paper?
Four full-time employees are on payroll by January 2028, which is model month 13: the first cabinetmaker in March 2027, the designer and estimator in June 2027, the second cabinetmaker in December 2027 and the installer in January 2028. If arrival coincided with January 2027, that is inside the 420 days, and each of the four would have been employed for more than six months by August 2028, month 20.
| Role | Starts | Works at |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinetmaker and machine operator | March 2027 | The shop |
| Designer and estimator | June 2027 | The shop, with client visits |
| Second cabinetmaker and machine operator | December 2027 | The shop |
| Installer | January 2028 | Starts at the shop, works at client sites |
| Finisher | April 2028 | The shop |
| Office and purchasing manager | February 2029 | The shop |
Two limits follow from the guide's wording. The installer starts each day at the shop and works at job sites, and whether that is "the primary place of business" is for the BC PNP to say, so the plan does not rely on the installer to meet the minimum. The part-time clerk works about 20 hours a week, or 1,040 hours a year, which is below the 1,560-hour definition, so the clerk is not counted either. Every role is a direct employee. None is a contractor. Marcus holds 100% and does not count. Whether any hire is a citizen or permanent resident is not knowable until offers are made, so the company records each hire's status when the hire is made.
What economic benefit do the numbers describe?
These are the plan's targets and not verified outcomes. Over five years the plan spends $2,679,811 on payroll including on-costs and pay raises, $445,000 on rent to a British Columbia landlord and $2,695,000 on materials and other direct costs. It does not know where its suppliers are based, so it claims no share of that last figure as local. Full-time employees besides Marcus rise from three at the end of Year 1 to nine at the end of Year 5. Revenue per full-time-equivalent employee, counting Marcus, is $182,438 at the end of Year 3.
Reaching Builders and Designers
Year 1 spend
The yearly marketing budget starts at $24,000, and a further $24,000 of launch money comes out of the raise. The launch money buys a sample wall of doors and finishes, a website with a lead-time calculator and an open house for designers. The yearly budget covers visits and samples for builders and photographs of finished jobs, and it climbs to $42,000 by Year 5. The $48,000 spent in Year 1 stands behind 42 jobs, about $1,140 a job. The plan counts on designer referrals and repeat orders to pull that figure down.
Milestones
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| January 2027 | Lease signed, machinery ordered, Marcus on payroll |
| March 2027 | Machinery commissioned, first cabinetmaker starts |
| May 2027 | First kitchen set and first small job complete |
| June 2027 | Designer and estimator starts |
| August 2027 | First builder unit packages complete |
| December 2027 | Second cabinetmaker starts, Year 1 closes at $408,000 |
| January 2028 | Installer starts, fourth full-time employee |
| April 2028 | Finisher starts |
| February 2029 | Office and purchasing manager replaces the part-time clerk |
| May 2029 | Third cabinetmaker starts |
| December 2029 | Year 3 closes at $1,459,500 and a profit of $7,192 |
How does the shop grow past one owner?
By Year 3 Marcus still works about 800 shop hours a year, and the rest of his time goes to buying, quoting and customers. A second cabinetmaker, a finisher and a third cabinetmaker carry the shop floor. A designer and an office manager carry the front of the shop. Installation grows from the owner and cabinetmakers in Year 1, to one installer in Year 2 and two in Year 4.
The People Behind Alder Line
Marcus Delaney, owner and general manager
Marcus Delaney has 14 years in cabinetmaking. He ran his own cabinet shop for eight years, employing up to nine people, and sold it before applying. He is on payroll at $78,000, which is a planning figure, from the first month, and he works the shop floor as well as managing it.
Where the team is thin
Marcus has no British Columbia customers and has not installed to local building practice. The designer and estimator, hired in June 2027, is the first local voice in the quoting process, and the plan budgets $6,000 in Year 1 for recruiting, because the first designer and the first cabinetmaker have to be found before there is a track record to show them. No advisor is named. A local accountant and a payroll adviser are on the Year 1 professional fees budget of $14,000.
If Marcus is out
If Marcus is away for a month, the first cabinetmaker, who joins in March 2027, carries the shop floor, the designer carries quoting and installs wait. There is no foreman role, which is a gap the plan states and does not hide. The plan does not carry key-person insurance in its figures.
The hiring order
Hires follow hours, not revenue. The first cabinetmaker comes in March 2027, before the first job. The designer arrives in June, ahead of the first builder packages. The second cabinetmaker comes in December 2027 and the installer in January 2028. The finisher follows in April 2028, the office manager in February 2029, the third cabinetmaker in May 2029, the second installer in February 2030 and the apprentice in December 2030. A part-time clerk covers office work from April 2027.
Ownership
Marcus owns 100% of Alder Line Cabinetry Ltd. No investor, partner or lender holds an interest. The guide asks for ownership of at least one-third.
Cash Lows, Stress Cases and the Ask
How low does the cash go?
Only 2027 has a month-by-month cash path. Its low point is October, at about $344,000: month-end cash of $408,115 minus a month of billing still owed by customers, $64,000, and before the $25,600 owed to suppliers, which makes it cautious. The December balance sheet uses a different receivable, $33,534, and shows $405,449. After 2027 the model reports year ends only, so the figures quoted for later years are year-end balances. The base case bottoms out at $272,605 at the end of Year 2, and the downside case at $122,541 at the end of Year 3. Cash drops $132,845 over Year 2 and gains just $30,183 over Year 3, which suggests the real trough sits late in Year 2 or early in Year 3, under the year-end number.
The stress table
Each row below re-runs the whole model with a single change, and all rows are read to the end of Year 5. The revenue row trims all three lines by the same share, and materials follow revenue at 40%. All lines carry one rate, so no row shifts the rate between lines. The direct-cost row moves the rate to 43% on every line in every year. The wage row lifts every salary by 10%, and the pay-raise line rises with it. The rent row lifts rent by 10% in each year. The payment row stretches customer payment from 30 to 60 days and changes nothing else. The late-opening row pushes the three Year 1 revenue lines back two months while payroll, rent and marketing stay on their dates. It leaves Years 2 to 5 at base, which flatters it, because a ramp running into 2028 is not modeled. Year 1 net income is shown after start-up costs.
| Case | Year 1 net income | Year 3 net income | First profitable year | Lowest year-end cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | ($281,980) | $7,192 | Year 3 | $272,605 (Year 2) |
| Revenue 10% lower in every year | ($306,460) | ($80,378) | Year 5 | $140,245 (Year 3) |
| Direct costs 3 points higher on every line | ($294,220) | ($36,593) | Year 4 | $221,516 (Year 3) |
| Wages 10% higher, pay raises included | ($304,003) | ($49,404) | Year 4 | $178,474 (Year 3) |
| Rent 10% higher | ($290,380) | ($1,708) | Year 4 | $255,555 (Year 2) |
| Customers pay in 60 days, not 30 | ($281,980) | $7,192 | Year 3 | $182,829 (Year 3) |
| Opening two months late | ($368,140) | $7,192 | Year 3 | $186,445 (Year 2) |
| The 20% downside, with the management response | ($330,940) | ($95,018) | Year 4 | $122,541 (Year 3) |
| The 20% downside with 60-day payment | ($330,940) | ($95,018) | Year 4 | $26,574 (Year 3) |
| The 20% downside with the two-month late opening | ($399,868) | ($95,018) | Year 4 | $53,613 (Year 3) |
Four single changes erase the Year 3 profit: 10% fewer jobs, three more points of direct cost, 10% higher wages and 10% higher rent. The base-case profit is fragile and should be read that way. Cash stays positive in every row, with $26,574 the lowest. The last two rows add one more change on top of the downside case.
The owner's commitments
The shop has no outside investor, so the commitments are the owner's own and are stated as policy for the plan.
- $1,000,000 paid in during January 2027, with no loan.
- A minimum cash balance of $90,000 at each month end, about three-quarters of a month of Year 3 costs. The base case and the downside case clear it at every year end. The two combined downside rows do not: they reach $26,574 and $53,613.
- A standby of $150,000 that Marcus keeps outside the company and draws only when month-end cash drops under that minimum. Only those two rows would use it, and neither goes below zero even without it.
- Management accounts each month, and no payouts to the owner in Years 1 to 5.
What a BC PNP reviewer or a lender would still ask
- Evidence for the first eight kitchen sets and 12 builder units. No order is signed, and the Year 1 counts are targets.
- Where the $1,000,000 came from and how it reached Canada, with the net worth verification the guide asks for.
- Whether used machinery counts toward the $200,000, and whether the leasehold improvements and operating outflow of $316,551 are enough without it.
- Whether the installer, who works at client sites, counts as employed at the primary place of business.
- Whether cabinetmakers who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents can be hired in Abbotsford at $58,000 a year, a planning figure to test against job postings.
- The thin Year 3 profit, and what a three-point rise in sheet-good and hardware cost does to it.
- Builder payment terms. The 60-day payment row lowers Year 3 year-end cash by $119,959.
- The inspection timeline for the finishing booth and dust collection before May 2027.
- What happens to every date if the arrival date moves.
- Marcus's local reputation and his knowledge of British Columbia installation practice.
- The exchange rate on the funds, if they start in another currency.
Five-Year Figures
The figures that follow cover five years in Canadian dollars, before sales taxes. 2027 is shown month by month and the later years one year at a time. Funding and revenue drivers come first, so every line traces back to a stated planning figure, and a downside case ends the section. January 2027 is a date chosen for the model and does not predict when the founder can arrive; if arrival moves, every date moves with it. The model's field names say US dollars but the amounts are Canadian dollars, and the payroll and tax rates are planning percentages, not a Canadian payroll or tax calculation.
Money in and where it goes
| Use of funds | Amount |
|---|---|
| CNC nesting router, used (about six years old) | $78,000 |
| Edgebander and panel saw, used | $46,000 |
| Dust collection, compressor and air lines | $26,000 |
| Spray finishing booth and equipment | $42,000 |
| Benches, clamps, hand and power tools | $22,000 |
| Two used vehicles: a delivery truck and an install van | $64,000 |
| Shop electrical upgrade, ventilation and office fit-out | $40,000 |
| Opening stock of sheet goods, hardware and edge banding | $22,000 |
| Business license, company registration and fire-department inspection | $5,000 |
| Legal set-up, lease review and accounting system set-up | $14,000 |
| Launch: website, sample doors and showroom wall, designer open house | $24,000 |
| Lease deposit and design software set-up | $24,000 |
| Operating reserve for the first loss-making years and the downside case | $593,000 |
| Total uses | $1,000,000 |
| Source of funds | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marcus Delaney: personal funds paid into the company | $1,000,000 |
| Total sources | $1,000,000 |
Marcus Delaney pays $1,000,000 of personal funds into the company in January 2027, from the sale of the shop he ran abroad and his savings, and owns 100%. No loan is used: the guide wants the investment to come from personal net worth, and repayments would fall due while the shop is still losing money. Of the $1,000,000, $318,000 buys machinery, vehicles and fit-out, $22,000 stocks sheet goods and hardware, $67,000 is start-up cost and $593,000, 59.3% of the raise, is a reserve. Year 1's operating cash outflow of $276,551 includes the $67,000 of start-up costs and the $22,000 of stock, both funded from the lines above, so it draws $187,551 from the reserve. Year 2 draws a further $132,845. That leaves $272,605 at the end of Year 2 in the base case, and the downside case ends Year 3 at $122,541. The lease deposit of $14,000 is refundable at the end of the lease and is treated here as a start-up cost, which is cautious. The source of the funds and how they reached Canada are shown to the BC PNP with the net worth verification report. Nothing is signed.
Planning figures behind the model
- Kitchen and bath sets. Eight jobs in Year 1, then 18, 28, 34 and 38, at about $25,000 each in 2027 and rising 3% a year from Year 2. Year 1 revenue is $200,000 and Year 3 is $742,500, which is $26,518 a job. The price is a planning figure that designers' quotes would test; nobody has been asked to pay it yet.
- Builder unit packages. 12 units in Year 1, then 30, 44, 54 and 60, at about $7,800 a unit in 2027. Builder revenue is $93,600 in Year 1 and $364,000 in Year 3. The first packages complete in August 2027.
- Closets, built-ins and repeat orders. 22 jobs in Year 1, then 48, 64, 76 and 84, at about $5,200 in 2027. Year 1 revenue is $114,400 and Year 3 is $353,000.
- Hours. A kitchen set takes about 95 shop hours and 24 install hours, a builder unit 32 and 8, and a small job 26 and 8. A full-time worker is counted at 1,640 productive hours a year and Marcus at 800 shop hours. Shop hours needed are 1,716, 3,918, 5,732, 6,934 and 7,714 in Years 1 to 5. The tight points are Year 1, Year 3 installs and Year 4 shop hours.
- Direct costs. Sheet goods, doors, hardware, finishing materials and freight cost 40% of revenue in every year and on every line. The true rate differs by line and moves with sheet-good prices, so the stress table adds three points. The engine applies one rate to all years, which is why every line carries 40%.
- Payroll. Salaries are planning figures and not a published wage benchmark: Marcus $78,000, cabinetmakers $58,000, the designer $58,000, the installer $54,000, the finisher $52,000, the office manager $50,000, the apprentice $40,000 and the part-time clerk $26,000. Employer payroll contributions, workers' compensation premiums and paid leave are loaded on at 20% for full-time staff and 14% for the clerk, for a payroll adviser to confirm. A 3% yearly raise starts in Year 2 and shows as a separate line.
- Premises. 4,000 square feet at $21 a square foot, which is $84,000 in Year 1, rising to $86,500, $89,000, $91,500 and $94,000. A rate to confirm with a commercial broker, not a quote. Utilities are three-phase power, heat and compressed air: $15,000 in Year 1 and $22,000 in Year 5.
- Marketing and software. Yearly marketing runs from $24,000 in Year 1 to $42,000 in Year 5, with $24,000 of launch spending paid from the raise on top. Design, cutting and accounting software costs $9,000 in Year 1 and $14,000 in Year 5.
- Insurance and fees. Insurance is $18,000 in Year 1 and $33,000 in Year 5. Professional fees are $14,000 in Year 1 and $12,000 to $14,000 after. Recruiting and apprentice training is $6,000 in Year 1 and $5,000 to $8,000 in later years.
- Shop running costs. Blades, bits, abrasives and vehicle running costs are $20,000 in Year 1 and $46,000 in Year 5. Equipment replacement and repairs start in Year 2 at $5,000 and reach $12,000 in Year 5.
- Machinery. Used machinery and tools of $214,000 are depreciated over 8 years, used vehicles of $64,000 over 5 years and fit-out of $40,000 over 5 years, all in a straight line from January 2027. Prices are planning figures and no quote has been obtained.
- Collections and payables. Customers pay in 30 days on average and suppliers are paid in 30 days. No customer deposits are modeled, which is cautious, since many shops ask for one at order. The bad debt allowance is about 0.5% of revenue in Year 1 and 0.6% in Year 5.
- Tax. A flat 27% is applied as a planning figure. The true rate depends on profit and may be lower, and an accountant would confirm it. Losses carry forward, no reliefs are modeled, and the tax base leaves out the $67,000 of start-up costs.
- Distributions and debt. There are none, and cash stays in the company throughout the five years.
Revenue by line
| Revenue stream | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen and bath cabinet sets | $200,000 | $463,500 | $742,500 | $929,000 | $1,069,000 |
| Builder unit packages | $93,600 | $241,000 | $364,000 | $460,500 | $526,500 |
| Closets, built-ins and repeat orders | $114,400 | $257,000 | $353,000 | $432,000 | $491,500 |
| Total revenue | $408,000 | $961,500 | $1,459,500 | $1,821,500 | $2,087,000 |
| Growth on prior year | – | 136% | 52% | 25% | 15% |
Revenue in Year 2 is 2.36 times Year 1, up 136%, mostly because 2027 holds only eight months of production, with the first kitchen set and first small job completing in May. Year 1 finishes 8 kitchen sets, 12 builder units and 22 smaller jobs; Year 2 finishes 18, 30 and 48. Kitchen sets supply 49% of revenue in Year 1 and 51% in Year 5, builder packages 23% then 25%, and smaller jobs 28% then 24%. Growth eases to 52%, 25% and 15% after Year 2, and revenue first passes $1,000,000 in Year 3.
Year 1, month by month
| Month | Kitchen and bath cabinet sets | Builder unit packages | Closets, built-ins and repeat orders | Total revenue | EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2027 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ($34,352) |
| Feb 2027 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ($34,352) |
| Mar 2027 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ($34,352) |
| Apr 2027 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ($34,352) |
| May 2027 | $25,000 | $0 | $5,200 | $30,200 | ($16,232) |
| Jun 2027 | $25,000 | $0 | $10,400 | $35,400 | ($13,112) |
| Jul 2027 | $25,000 | $0 | $10,400 | $35,400 | ($13,112) |
| Aug 2027 | $25,000 | $7,800 | $10,400 | $43,200 | ($8,432) |
| Sep 2027 | $25,000 | $15,600 | $15,600 | $56,200 | ($632) |
| Oct 2027 | $25,000 | $23,400 | $15,600 | $64,000 | $4,048 |
| Nov 2027 | $25,000 | $23,400 | $20,800 | $69,200 | $7,168 |
| Dec 2027 | $25,000 | $23,400 | $26,000 | $74,400 | $10,288 |
Revenue starts in May, with the first kitchen set and the first small job. The model spreads annual cost lines evenly across the year, payroll included, so the monthly view is approximate. EBITDA is negative from January to September and shows a profit from October ($4,048), but that uses the year's average cost, before the hires of December 2027 and January 2028, and Year 2 returns to an EBITDA loss of $105,549. The lowest point of the year is about $344,000 in October, after receivables from October billing are allowed for.
Hiring against shop hours
| Role | Annual wage | Starts | Year 1 end | Year 2 end | Year 3 end | Year 4 end | Year 5 end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner and general manager | $78,000 | Month 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Designer and estimator | $58,000 | Month 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cabinetmaker and machine operator | $58,000 | Month 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Office and purchasing clerk (part-time) | $26,000 | Month 4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | – | – | – |
| Installer | $54,000 | Month 13 | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Second cabinetmaker and machine operator | $58,000 | Month 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Finisher | $52,000 | Month 16 | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Office and purchasing manager | $50,000 | Month 26 | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Third cabinetmaker and machine operator | $58,000 | Month 29 | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Second installer | $54,000 | Month 38 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Apprentice cabinetmaker | $40,000 | Month 48 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Total payroll incl. on-costs | $220,230 | $443,640 | $533,470 | $622,600 | $672,000 |
Marcus is on payroll from January and the first cabinetmaker from March, when the machinery is running. A part-time clerk, about 20 hours a week, joins in April 2027 and stays until the office manager arrives in February 2029. The designer and estimator starts in June, two months before the first builder packages. After that come the second cabinetmaker (December 2027), the installer (January 2028), the finisher (April 2028), the third cabinetmaker (May 2029), the second installer (February 2030) and the apprentice (December 2030). The table lists headcount at each year end, with the clerk as half a person. Payroll with on-costs is $220,230 in Year 1 and $672,000 in Year 5, before the yearly raises.
Profit and loss
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $408,000 | $961,500 | $1,459,500 | $1,821,500 | $2,087,000 |
| Direct costs (sheet goods, doors, hardware, finishing materials and freight) | ($163,200) | ($384,600) | ($583,800) | ($728,600) | ($834,800) |
| Gross profit | $244,800 | $576,900 | $875,700 | $1,092,900 | $1,252,200 |
| Payroll incl. on-costs | ($220,230) | ($443,640) | ($533,470) | ($622,600) | ($672,000) |
| Rent | ($84,000) | ($86,500) | ($89,000) | ($91,500) | ($94,000) |
| Utilities | ($15,000) | ($17,000) | ($19,000) | ($21,000) | ($22,000) |
| Marketing | ($24,000) | ($32,000) | ($38,000) | ($40,000) | ($42,000) |
| Insurance | ($18,000) | ($22,000) | ($27,000) | ($30,000) | ($33,000) |
| Professional fees | ($14,000) | ($12,000) | ($13,000) | ($14,000) | ($14,000) |
| Software subscriptions | ($9,000) | ($10,000) | ($12,000) | ($13,000) | ($14,000) |
| Shop supplies, blades, bits and vehicle running costs | ($20,000) | ($28,000) | ($36,000) | ($42,000) | ($46,000) |
| Recruiting and apprentice training | ($6,000) | ($8,000) | ($5,000) | ($7,000) | ($5,000) |
| Equipment replacement and repairs | $0 | ($5,000) | ($8,000) | ($10,000) | ($12,000) |
| Bad debt allowance | ($2,000) | ($5,000) | ($8,000) | ($10,000) | ($12,000) |
| Annual pay raises (3% a year) | $0 | ($13,309) | ($32,488) | ($57,732) | ($84,342) |
| EBITDA | ($167,430) | ($105,549) | $54,742 | $134,068 | $201,858 |
| Depreciation | ($47,550) | ($47,550) | ($47,550) | ($47,550) | ($47,550) |
| Interest | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Income tax | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Net income before start-up costs | ($214,980) | ($153,099) | $7,192 | $86,518 | $154,308 |
| Start-up costs expensed at opening (legal, license, launch marketing, lease deposit) | ($67,000) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Net income after start-up costs | ($281,980) | ($153,099) | $7,192 | $86,518 | $154,308 |
The first year loses $214,980 before start-up costs and $281,980 after them, and Year 2 loses another $153,099. Year 3 earns $7,192 on revenue of $1,459,500, a 0.5% net margin before start-up costs, so it is break-even in practice. Years 4 and 5 earn $86,518 and $154,308. No income tax is due in any year, because the losses of Years 1 and 2, $368,079 before start-up costs, carry forward and are still not used up by Year 5, when the profits of Years 3 to 5 total $248,018. The $67,000 of start-up costs contains the $14,000 lease deposit, which comes back at the end of the lease but is expensed here, a cautious choice. Payroll including raises takes 39% of revenue in Year 3 and 36% in Year 5, and materials take 40% in every year.
Cash in and out
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash from operations | ($276,551) | ($132,845) | $30,183 | $116,216 | $188,765 |
| Machinery, vehicles and shop fit-out | ($318,000) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Funding received | $1,000,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Loan principal repaid (no debt) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Owner distributions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Net change in cash | $405,449 | ($132,845) | $30,183 | $116,216 | $188,765 |
| Closing cash | $405,449 | $272,605 | $302,788 | $419,004 | $607,768 |
Cash never falls to zero at a year end. It closes Year 1 at $405,449, drops to its base-case low of $272,605 in Year 2, then climbs to $302,788, $419,004 and $607,768. Year 3 adds $30,183 on a $7,192 profit: depreciation of $47,550 involves no cash and payables rise by $16,373, which together outweigh the $40,932 rise in receivables. With no debt and no payouts to the owner, the cash built in Years 4 and 5 stays in the company.
Year-end balance sheet
| At year end | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $405,449 | $272,605 | $302,788 | $419,004 | $607,768 |
| Accounts receivable | $33,534 | $79,027 | $119,959 | $149,712 | $171,534 |
| Inventory | $22,000 | $22,000 | $22,000 | $22,000 | $22,000 |
| Machinery, vehicles and shop fit-out (net) | $270,450 | $222,900 | $175,350 | $127,800 | $80,250 |
| Total assets | $731,434 | $596,532 | $620,097 | $718,516 | $881,553 |
| Accounts payable | $13,414 | $31,611 | $47,984 | $59,885 | $68,614 |
| Debt (none) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Paid-in capital | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Retained earnings | ($281,980) | ($435,079) | ($427,887) | ($341,369) | ($187,061) |
| Total liabilities and equity | $731,434 | $596,532 | $620,097 | $718,516 | $881,553 |
Break-even and margins
| Measure | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EBITDA margin | -41.0% | -11.0% | 3.8% | 7.4% | 9.7% |
| Net margin (before start-up costs) | -52.7% | -15.9% | 0.5% | 4.7% | 7.4% |
| Payroll incl. pay raises as share of revenue | 54% | 48% | 39% | 37% | 36% |
| Revenue per full-time equivalent at year end | $90,667 | $147,923 | $182,438 | $182,150 | $208,700 |
| Average monthly revenue | $34,000 | $80,125 | $121,625 | $151,792 | $173,917 |
| Monthly revenue needed to cover operating costs | $57,254 | $94,785 | $114,022 | $133,171 | $145,881 |
| Debt service cover (EBITDA / interest + principal) | – | – | – | – | – |
The row second from the bottom gives the monthly revenue that covers operating costs. Year 1 averages $34,000 against $57,254 needed, and Year 2 $80,125 against $94,785. Year 3 is the first year over the line, at $121,625 against $114,022, a margin of about 7%. With no debt there is no debt-cover ratio in any year.
If jobs run 20% short
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $326,400 | $769,200 | $1,167,600 | $1,457,200 | $1,669,600 |
| Net income before start-up costs | ($263,940) | ($196,571) | ($95,018) | $21,271 | $44,753 |
| Net income after start-up costs | ($330,940) | ($196,571) | ($95,018) | $21,271 | $44,753 |
| Closing cash | $360,514 | $189,656 | $122,541 | $177,080 | $258,909 |
Here every revenue line is 20% lower in every month of all five years. Management reacts in this order. Hires from month 13 onward start six months late, which moves the installer to July 2028, the finisher to October 2028 and the office manager to August 2029; the part-time clerk stays on until that manager arrives. The third cabinetmaker waits until February 2031. The second installer and the apprentice are never hired, and the single installer works about 11 hours of overtime in Year 5, budgeted at $1,000. Marketing drops 20% from Year 2. Everything else holds at base figures: Marcus's pay, rent, insurance, recruiting, equipment replacement and bad debts. Year-end cash bottoms out at $122,541 in Year 3, and Year 1 closes with equity of $669,060. The shop loses money through Year 3, then earns $21,271 in Year 4 and $44,753 in Year 5. Cash sits below the base case at every year end. Shop hours hit 97% of capacity in Year 4 because the third cabinetmaker is still waiting.
Sources
- BC Provincial Nominee Program, Entrepreneur Immigration Base Program Guide, effective 27 May 2024: ownership of at least one-third, active management, the $200,000 eligible personal investment and 610 days, the job requirement and the 420 days, the full-time-equivalent definition, the primary-place-of-business rule, the 180-day rule, the business plan requirement, the registration scoring and the statement that the BC PNP does not pre-approve business proposals.
- WelcomeBC, Entrepreneur Immigration, page last updated 10 September 2025: the Base stream's net worth, investment and job figures. Fees on that page are the founder's personal costs and are not quoted here.
- WelcomeBC, BC PNP invitations to apply, page last updated 3 November 2026: the 2026 Entrepreneur Immigration draws. The count of 11 Base draws, 119 invitations and the score range are totals worked out from that page's table.
- Justice Laws, Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, section 205, current to 19 October 2026: the significant benefit wording.
- IRCC, I am an entrepreneur. Do I need a Labour Market Impact Assessment to work in Canada?: the help centre's answer for entrepreneurs.
- IRCC, Update on Immigration Measures for Entrepreneurs, 19 December 2025: the Start-up Visa work permit closure, the Start-up Visa intake stop, the Self-Employed Persons Program pause and the announced pilot.
- IRCC, Self-Employed Persons Program: program status shown as paused.
- Wages, rent, insurance, machinery prices, hours per job, employer on-costs, the tax rate and direct-cost percentage are planning figures for this example, not sourced rates. No market size, competitor fact or approval statistic is quoted.
Get a plan as complete as this one
Start with a free 30-minute call. We recommend a package and send a fixed quote.
Starter
$997 written for you
A dedicated writer builds your plan on our software, with a financial model and a 1-hour analyst review.
Book my free consultation →Pro
$2,997 written for you
A researcher, an accountant and a senior consultant. 5-year model.
Book my free consultation →Enterprise
$4,997 written for you
For multi-site or high-raise plans that need deeper modelling.
Book my free consultation →Need abritish columbia entrepreneur visa business plan for your own business? Book a free consultation and we write it for you. Writing it yourself? Get the free template in Word and PDF.