In December 2016, I left Rio de Janeiro at 35 to 40 degrees Celsius and landed in Canada at minus 20, with my family and a decision to start over. A year later, I opened MB Tax Solutions, working on it at night after a full day at another firm. This is how the company started and what I learned along the way.
- 2002: I started as an intern at a large company in Brazil, where I rose to manager.
- 2016: after running the Brazilian operation of a European startup, I made an exploratory trip to Canada and, in December, moved here with my family.
- 2017: I opened MB Tax Solutions as a sole proprietorship, alongside my job at an accounting firm in Toronto.
- 2018 and 2019: we reached about 110 clients and, the following year, about 210, now serving corporations too.
Before Canada
I am an economist and accountant with more than 20 years of experience. I started as an intern in 2002 at a large company and stayed until 2013 or 2014, when I was promoted to manager. I was then invited to run, in Brazil, a European startup that built a large factory in the country. With Brazil’s economic crisis in 2016, the company shut down its Brazilian operations and returned to Europe.
I had always wanted to live abroad, learn English properly and experience another culture. In 2016, I made a one-month exploratory trip to Canada: I met with professional bodies and companies and had a few interviews. I went back to Brazil and we started preparing the move.
Arriving
The first challenge was the weather. The second was everything else: a school for our children, a place to live, a job, a Canadian driver’s licence so we could buy a car. Each step takes time, and they all happen at once. It was a hard period, and little by little we adapted.
That experience explains a lot of what MB Tax does today. Newcomers face their first tax return without knowing what a T4 or a SIN is, which is exactly why we write guides like the one on your first tax return in Canada.
How MB Tax began
In 2017, I started working as an accountant at a mid-sized firm in Toronto. After hours, I worked on my own business. It was a double shift, but it was the only realistic way to build the company.
In December 2017, I opened MB Tax Solutions as a sole proprietorship. By 2018 we had about 110 clients. In 2019 we began serving corporations as well and reached about 210 clients. In 2020 we consolidated the operation and prepared the company to grow.
Today
MB Tax serves clients from Toronto (ON), Moncton (NB) and Montreal (QC) in Canada, and from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. We are developing a franchise system in which franchisees are partners, not just investors, so we can grow without losing the quality of our service.
What I learned
The Canadian market is large and diverse, and those who specialize stand out. Canada is a country of specialists. That is why MB Tax focused on accounting for self-employed people and businesses, and on people whose lives are split between Canada and Brazil.
If you are thinking about starting a business here, begin with the rules that matter from day one. Our guides on what compliance means for a business in Canada and payroll are a good place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Edgard Moura, an economist and accountant with more than 20 years of experience, who moved from Rio de Janeiro to Canada in December 2016.
In December 2017, as a sole proprietorship. In 2019 it began serving corporations as well.
From Toronto (ON), Moncton (NB) and Montreal (QC) in Canada, and from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
