Making the decision to expand your business can be a very exciting time. It is essential to have a solid understanding of where your business stands so that you can make the most of the opportunities available. If you want to be successful then you will need to take time out to assess how well your business is operating:

• What business are you in?
• What products/services do you sell?
• Do you have a reliable supply chain?
• How will expanding impact current operations?

These are only some of the questions you need to ask to truly understand your business. The following resources can help you answer those questions.

• The Business Resource Centre provides a wide variety of information tailored to your particular business/industry and location, and has reviewed a range of Australian business books that may be useful for new and existing businesses.
  
• The online Financial benchmarking tool is a useful service to assess the performance of a particular business by comparing financial performance data with results achieved by other businesses in the same industry.
  
• Think. Plan. Grow is a useful tool that will help you prepare a comprehensive business plan and monitor your business performance as it grows.
  
• Surviving economic challenges quiz to understand some of the key strategies for strengthening your business. Learn how your business can prosper, even in a downturn.
  
• Disputes in any organisation are inevitable, whether they involve staff, suppliers or clients. Why not complete the Department's Dispute resolution quiz to learn more about these processes and the issues involved in resolving them.
  
• Get onto Smart Skills to develop your business skills for free. Modules cover a range of topics including getting ready for business, marketing and promotions, business planning and running your business.
  
• Complete our quick quiz to find out how incorporating innovation as a regular part of your business will reap long term benefits.
  
• Find out about seminars and workshops that are being run in your region. By increasing your business knowledge, you will be better positioned to assess whether this is the business for you.
  
• The Government Business Information Service (GOBiS) connects business with government services and programs designed to help you get the best from your enterprise. Examples include:
  
  
  • training, seminars and workshops
  • export opportunities and networking
  • government subsidies and grants
  • industry product matching/sourcing facilities
  • trade assistance and development.