You may have to face some tough decisions, but there is real help available for your business to build on its strengths and to weather the difficulties.

Health check for your business
Get a free review of your business with a professional business adviser who can provide hands-on advice and help you access other government help, including all the schemes mentioned here.

To find out about a free health check for your business by a professional, call the Business Link helpline on 0845 600 9 006.

Or, to use an online interactive tool to identify for yourself areas of your business that could improve, click on the "Get a health check for your business" link on the Business Link website: www.businesslink.gov.uk/realhelp

Dealing with redundancies
It can be tough making the difficult decisions that affect you, your employees and your business. An interactive guide is available on the Business Link website to help you find alternatives to making redundancies. Advice includes guidance on consulting with employees and on how you can plan effectively for better job security.

Visit the Business Link website www.businesslink.gov.uk/realhelp and select "Avoid making redundancies".

If you have to make people redundant, Jobcentre Plus helps people at risk of losing their job to start looking for a new one, even before they are made redundant, through online and telephone-based services.

Visit the Jobcentre Plus website www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/employers and select "Help with redundancies" to find your local Jobcentre Plus contact.

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) can also provide advice and guidance on legal issues connected with avoiding and making redundancies. Visit the ACAS website www.acas.org.uk or call 08457 474747.

Recruiting employees
From April 2009, you could get an incentive of up to £1,000 to recruit a person who has been unemployed for over six months, and access to in-work training for that person worth up to £1,500.

More details of how to access this help will be made available shortly on the Business Link website www.businesslink.gov.uk/realhelp.

Staff restructuring and major change
You can find guidance to help you with staff restructuring on the Business Link website www.businesslink.gov.uk/realhelp.

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) can provide advice and guidance on legal issues connected to business restructuring. Visit the ACAS website www.acas.org.uk or call 08457 474747.

Solutions for Business
Solutions for Business brings together and simplifies the range of support offered to businesses by government departments, their agencies and local authorities in England.

Find out more on the Business Link website www.businesslink.gov.uk/solutions.

Overseas customers and markets continue to offer your business real opportunities. UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) advisers can help you access the right contacts and raise your company’s profile. They can also help you navigate the local business culture, regulations and logistics.

Visit the UKTI website www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk or call 020 7215 8000.

Reduce waste and save energy
Business Link can give you advice on how your business can save money at the same time as protecting the environment. An interactive tool is also provided to help businesses assess the areas where they are most likely to be able to cut costs, on the basis of their business activities.

Visit the Business Link website www.businesslink.gov.uk/realhelp.