GoBusiness to launch one-stop dashboard for business owners to apply for grants and licences

More than 60,000 unique businesses used the GoBusiness business grant portal to apply for government assistance in 2020. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

SINGAPORE - Aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners will soon find it easier to register their businesses and apply for licences and grants.

GoBusiness, a website launched in 2019, will be starting a personalised and integrated dashboard with features rolling out progressively from early 2022 that will allow users to complete the tasks needed for setting up businesses on one platform.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Smart Nation Digital Government Group announced the launch on Wednesday (Nov 17).

The new dashboard will provide users with recommendations after they complete an online questionnaire, including step-by-step guides on starting a business and the licences they require.

Once the registration is complete, users will receive suggestions on what to do next, such as applying for relevant licences and grants.

They can access and apply for more than 200 licences across sectors without having to visit separate portals for different licences.

Businesses can also keep track of their applications via the dashboard and will be prompted if any action is needed from them, further saving time.

From early 2022, users may access the dashboard by logging in through Singpass and selecting their business' Unique Entity Number.

The dashboard improves discoverability and reduces time spent on searching for and using these services, said a Government Technology Agency (GovTech) spokesman.

"For example, users had to leave the GoBusiness platform to transact with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority separately to register a new business previously. This step is no longer needed when users sign in and use the dashboard's business registration service," added the spokesman.

E-advisers on the GoBusiness website - questionnaires that provide tailored recommendations - will guide users through various aspects of the business process after they answer a few questions.

These include pointing businesses to the right government agencies to get approval for commercial spaces and providing businesses organising local events with a curated set of licences and safe management measures recommendations for their event.

Mr Joeyee Sim, 35, co-founder of men's tailor Stitched Custom, started using the GoBusiness website in October 2020. PHOTO: STITCHED CUSTOM

Mr Joeyee Sim, 35, co-founder of men's tailor Stitched Custom, said the GoBusiness website had already made applying for licences for his newly established food and beverage (F&B) business a lot more convenient as he saved time on research and reaching out to individual agencies.

He added that he would like to see more features in the dashboard, such as allowing him to access the different companies registered under his name with a single login.

"The new dashboard is a step closer to what I have envisioned. I look forward to using it and sharing my feedback," said Mr Sim, who started using GoBusiness in October 2020.

The GovTech spokesman said that more than 60,000 unique businesses used the GoBusiness business grant portal to apply for government assistance in 2020, while more than 2,800 F&B businesses have benefited from the simplified licensing process through the portal since it was set up in 2019.

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