Form the company and secure the lease and licences first, spend or escrow the funds so they are committed, hire the first technician, then apply; do not begin working in the business until admitted in E-2 status.
Invest, then apply, then work, never the reverse
A start-up E-2 file is chronological by nature, and the Torbay contractor should let the sequence build the evidence. Step one is forming the U.S. company and opening its account, which proves nothing yet.
Step two is the commitments that put money at risk: the lease, the vans, the equipment, the licences and bonds, and the hire of a licensed technician who can begin serving customers only if the company and technician already have every required authorization. Step three is the visa application at a consular post in Canada, with the plan, the receipts and the source-of-funds records. Only after admission in E-2 status may the contractor work in or direct the business.
Visitor trips may be used only for activities permitted in visitor status; signing a lease or purchasing equipment must not cross into operating or managing the enterprise in the United States. Consular appointment waits vary, so lease commencement and the technician's start date should be chosen with a realistic interval in mind rather than the earliest possible one. If the contractor is refused, the escrowed balance returns and the spent portion remains subject to the business risk that E-2 requires.