Equity crowdfunding has broken a record with the news that Crowdcube has raised the largest sum on the platform to fund its own business growth plans. In this Bulletin we look at the deal and how Crowdcube is supporting other businesses looking to raise finance. Sole traders and small businesses that deal predominately in cash […]
Annual Financial Statements and the information they contain can be a mystery for many business owners. However, if you know how to read your Accounts and how to calculate certain ratios they can be a goldmine for any business owner looking to improve their financial performance. Not only that, because your bank will also be […]
The long awaited final report from the Competition and Markets Authority on the UK banking sector has been released. The recommendations for changes in the way banks interact with small businesses has not been the bombshell many were hoping for. We look at the recommendations and how SMEs could benefit. Hot on the heels of […]
When applying for business finance many business owners think that the bank is only interested in the performance of their business, but this is not the case. In this clip from a live seminar BLS’s Rob Warlow reveals why, when assessing your finance request, the bank is just as interested in you as in your […]
With news that the Bank of England has reduced its Base Rate and an announce of a new scheme to get banks lending and businesses borrowing, in this edition of the Business Finance Bulletin we look at whether these will have the desired impact. We take a look at the findings from a survey carried […]
In our dealings with growing businesses on the search for finance it’s always surprising how many still believe that outside the traditional High Street banks there are few alternative options to consider. When we mention crowdfunding, short term loans, merchant cash advances and other alternative sources of finance, there is typically a vague acknowledgement that […]
Calculating your Gross Profit Margin percentage is a useful tool to help you identify why your profits may be falling and get you back on track. In this video Rob Warlow shows you how to calculate your Gross Profit percentage and then what actions you can take to improve it and so boost your profits. […]
In this edition of the Business Finance Bulletin we start off with a look at where businesses get their financial advice from… and the number one source is not the most reliable. Alternative sources of finance have been springing up from the least expected of companies and one of those is PayPay. We take a […]
Late payment is a serious problem for small businesses but Xero has taken a lighthearted look at the problem by re-working Adele’s song Chasing Pavements as Chasing Payments! Xero have also launched ChasingPayments which provides tips and hints on avoiding late payment and chasing overdue invoices.
In the latest episode of the Business Finance Bulletin we look at the continued fall-out from the Brexit vote; how the Bank of England have taken actions to boost bank lending and lender’s appetite to support UK small businesses. We review the latest quarterly Small Business Index survey released by the Federation for Small Businesses […]