A business phone for a one-person business in Canada: a separate number, the options, and keeping it when you switch

Most one-person businesses start on the owner's personal mobile. It works until it doesn't: a customer calls at 10 p.m., a supplier saves your personal number forever, or you want to take a weekend off and cannot tell which calls are work. And if the business ever grows, the number customers know is tied to you, not to it.

Giving the business its own number is cheap and takes an afternoon. This note covers the three common ways to do it, the trade-offs that matter in Canada, a voicemail that does its job, and the rules for keeping a number when you change providers.

Why a separate number is worth it

A separate business number does four things:

• It lets you stop work. You can silence one line in the evening without missing family calls.
• It belongs to the business. You can print it on invoices, vans and your website, and move it to a new provider, phone or person later.
• It keeps records clean. Business calls and costs are on their own line, which helps at tax time.
• It sounds like a business when you answer it, because you know before you pick up that the call is about work.

Option 1: a second line on the phone you already have

Most recent phones can hold two numbers at once, using a physical SIM card and an eSIM, or two eSIMs. Apple's own example for its Dual SIM feature is to use one number for business and another for personal calls, and it lets you label the plans "Business" and "Personal" so you can see which line a call is on. Apple says iPhone 13 models and later support Dual SIM with two eSIMs. On Google's Pixel phones, Google says the Pixel 3a and later can use one physical SIM and one eSIM, and two eSIMs at once need a Pixel 7 or later and a carrier that allows it.

Two details to know before you set this up: a phone can use only one line for mobile data at a time, on both iPhone and Pixel, and your carrier must offer eSIM on the plan you choose.

Good for: most people working alone. One phone, two numbers, each with its own plan and bill.

Option 2: an internet (VoIP) phone number

A VoIP service gives you a phone number that runs over the internet, usually through an app on your phone and computer. It can be cheaper than a second mobile plan, and many include features a sole proprietor finds useful: business-hours rules, voicemail transcribed to email, and the same number ringing on several devices.

The trade-off is reliability and emergencies. The CRTC's notice for VoIP providers spells out what customers must be told: VoIP service depends on internet connectivity and power to function, so it may not work in an outage. When you call 9-1-1 on a VoIP line, you must immediately tell the emergency operator your location and contact details, because the operator may assume you are calling from the last address registered with your provider. The CRTC recommends keeping an alternative phone service, such as a cell phone, handy.

So if you choose VoIP: keep your registered address up to date with the provider whenever you work from a new place, and do not make it your only phone.

Good for: people who work from a desk much of the day, want call routing and transcribed voicemail, or want the business number to ring on a computer too.

Option 3: a second phone

The oldest option still has a place. A separate, inexpensive phone for the business is easy to switch off, easy to hand to someone else, and keeps work apps off your personal device. The cost is carrying and charging two phones.

Good for: people who want a hard line between work and home, or expect to pass the business phone to someone else.

When you buy a phone or a plan

The CRTC's Wireless Code protects you when you sign up for mobile service, and three of its rules matter for a business line:

• you can cancel your contract after two years with no cancellation fees;
• new devices are sold unlocked, and older devices must be unlocked free of charge on request, so you can move the phone to another carrier;
• you can return a new phone within 15 days without penalty if you have used no more than half of your monthly allowance (30 days, and full usage, for people with disabilities).

Voicemail that does its job

A good business voicemail greeting answers three questions in under twenty seconds: who they have reached, when you will call back, and what to leave. For example:

"You've reached [business name]. I'm on a job or with a customer, and I return every call the same business day. Please leave your name, your number and what you need, and I'll call you back."

Then keep the promise. Check messages at set times, such as midday and the end of the day, and update the greeting when you are away: "I'm away until Monday the 12th."

Record it somewhere quiet, keep it short, and avoid "your call is important to us". Say the number they can text instead, if you prefer messages.

Keeping your number when you switch providers

The number customers know is the most valuable part of your phone setup, and in Canada you can usually take it with you. The CRTC's guidance on choosing a local phone service sets out the rules:

• You can keep your phone number when you change phone companies, as long as you stay within your local exchange area. Number portability is available in most, but not all, of Canada.
• Do not cancel your current service first. Ask your new provider about keeping your number before you cancel. You can only keep a number that is currently in use.
• The CRTC prohibits providers of telephone services from requiring customers to give 30 days' notice of cancellation.

In practice, the order is: sign up with the new provider, ask them to transfer ("port") your existing number, give them the account details they ask for, and let them request the move. Keep a copy of a recent bill handy, since it shows your account number, and do not schedule a switch for your busiest week.

If you call customers

One last rule for anyone who phones people to sell. The National Do Not Call List rules apply to telemarketing calls, but the list's own FAQ notes exemptions: calls to people who have done business with the organization in the last 18 months, or who made an inquiry in the last 6 months, and business-to-business calls. Organizations that do telemarket must keep their own internal do-not-call lists. If you follow up with your own customers about their own work, you are generally within the exemptions; if you start cold-calling, read the rules first.

A simple setup to start with

For most one-person businesses: add an eSIM business line to the phone you already have, label it, set its own voicemail greeting, and put the business number on everything. Keep a note of the account number and PIN for that line with your business records, so you can move it to another provider, or to another phone, whenever you need to.

Drafted with AI assistance.

Sources

1. Apple Support — Using Dual SIM with an eSIM support.apple.com
2. Google Pixel Phone Help — How to use dual SIMs support.google.com
3. CRTC — Choosing a local home phone service (keeping your number) crtc.gc.ca
4. CRTC — Protected by the Wireless Code crtc.gc.ca
5. CRTC — 9-1-1 and VoIP service crtc.gc.ca
6. National Do Not Call List — Frequently asked questions lnnte-dncl.gc.ca

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