Westpac Financial Education
Business Advice Guides
Westpac offers a variety of advice guides and articles available for free, which provide practical information and case studies to help you improve your business knowledge. To see a list of topics covered in each Advice Guide, simply click on a link above.
Starting a business from home
You're ready to be your own boss and are looking forward to a new kind of lifestyle. This guide gives you information to help you get your home business up and running.
Through expert advice and checklists, we'll help you learn:
- If a home based business is right for you
- The right steps to getting started
- The best structure for your business
- The essentials of good record keeping
- The importance of cash flow.
Download your free Starting a business from home guide.
Starting a business
Once you've made the decision to start your own business, there are a number of important factors to consider. This guide outlines the main areas you should look into to give your business the greatest chance of success, including:
- Should you start a business or buy one?
- How to write a business plan
- What is your target market?
- Raising business finance
- How much capital do you need?
Download your free Starting a business guide.
Buying a business
If you buy a business, you may also be purchasing a trading history, product, premises and perhaps even staff. As such, there are a lot of potential pitfalls to be aware of. This guide will help you avoid these pitfalls by discussing:
- The pros and cons of buying an existing business
- Looking at the business from all angles before you decide to buy
- How does your business benchmark against the competition?
- What is the business worth?
- How to make an offer.
Download your free Buying a business guide.
Buying a franchise
This guide takes you through the steps on how to buy a franchise, from the initial research process to spotting danger signs, making sense of the small print and managing the expectations of the franchisee and franchisor. We'll help you find out how to:
- Decide if franchising is right for you
- Carry out the appropriate research
- Spot any danger signs
- Understand contracts and small print
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Put together a cash flow projection.
Download your free Buying a franchise guide.
Cash flow
Cash flow is one of the most important areas to get right in any business. This guide provides essential reading by looking at smart ways to manage your cash flow in both the short and long term. You'll read about:
- Ways to achieve positive cash flow
- The importance of the cash flow cycle
- How success depends on sound record keeping
- The early warning signs for cash flow problems.
Download your free Cash flow guide.
Hiring the right staff
Great staff reflect favourably on your business. As a result, it's vital that you make the best possible decision every time you hire. This guide takes you through the whole process from recruitment and training through to pay issues. We'll help you find out how to:
- Find staff with the right fit for your culture
- Craft your recruitment advertisement
- Process applications efficiently
- Keep staff motivated
- Manage staff pay and taxation.
Download your free Hiring the right staff guide.
Succession planning
Succession planning isn't just for over-55s planning retirement. This guide will help you to identify when and how to draft a succession plan and provides real life case studies of business owners who have already benefited from putting a plan in place. We'll help you learn:
- How to create a succession plan that works
- How to make a smooth transition when you sell, hand over or close your business
- The best time to start writing your plan and the benefits.
Download your free Succession planning guide.
