One-stop dashboard for businesses to apply for licences, grants

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 next year. The dashboard 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 yesterday.

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.

Business owners 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 next year, users may access the dashboard by logging in with 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.

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 business owners to the right government agencies to get approval for commercial spaces and providing businesses that are organising local events with a curated set of licences and recommendations for safe management measures for their events.

Mr Joeyee Sim, 35, co-founder of men's tailor Stitched Custom, said that the GoBusiness website had made applying for licences for his newly established food and beverage (F&B) business a lot more convenient.

"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 last year.

The GovTech spokesman said that more than 60,000 unique businesses used the GoBusiness business grant portal to apply for government assistance last year, 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.