During 2014 BLS’s Rob Warlow has had the pleasure to chat to a number of business experts for our weekly Business Finance Bulletin.

In this first of two compilations of these interviews you will hear about the importance of managing your reputation with Alan Stevens; thoughts on key actions you can take to successfully grow a business from Robert Craven; Derek Arden on how to negotiate a better deal with your bank; and finally thoughts from Tim Luscombe on why you should keep accurate management information.

Keep an eye out for the second compilation which focuses on alternative sources of finance.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow reviews a recent survey carried out by the Federation of Small Businesses which looked into SME confidence levels and barriers to business growth.

Many businesses don’t realise how important a clean credit record is when it comes to raising business finance. To counter this, credit reference agency Experian has launched a new support tool which Rob takes a look at.

Crowdfunding has clearly taken off with a recent successful raise for a project to drill on the moon! Rob takes a look at how the Lunar Mission One has successfully raised its first tranche of funding on Kickstarter.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week, as part of an interview Rob shares his thoughts on the role a business owner’s experience has when it comes to the bank assessing your request for a business loan.

If you prefer to listen to this week’s edition as a podcast you can download it from our Souncloud page or click below to listen.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at a survey carried out by the British Business Bank into the SME finance landscape which draws a number of conclusions on how small businesses view the world of finance.

The use of asset based finance continues to grow and Rob shares news from the Asset Based Finance Association on the increased use of invoice discounting and leasing as an alternative source of finance.

In the crowdfunding world, news of a milestone reached by crowdlender Funding Knight and an announcement by Cambridge and Counties Bank of the opening of a new branch in the North of England.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob shares a conversation he had with a business owner about the use of management information and how to get the best out of it.

You can also listen to this week’s Bulletin as a podcast. To listen via your PC or download to your phone either click below to listen or click the download symbol.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement with the announcement of the extension of the Funding for Lending Scheme, and additional support for the Enterprise Capital Fund and Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme.

Late payment continues to feature on the agenda with news that the government is launching a consultation paper aimed at improving transparency amongst large businesses on their payment practices.

The recent SME Finance Monitor Report reveals interest insights in to the experience small business owners are having with their banks in terms of getting a finance approval. Rob looks at the numbers which shows why you shuld not assume your bank is going to say no if you approach them for business finance.

Agreeing the sharing of property security between different banks has always been a slow process but Rob discusses new arrangements put in place by the four High Street banks to speed up the process.

The Business Finance Tip this week comes from an interview Rob did with negotiation expert Derek Arden. In the interview Derek gives three tips on how to negotiate a better deal with your bank.

You can also listen to this week’s Bulletin as a podcast and you can download it to your PC or phone via our SoundCloud page. Click on the download button below or simply click to listen now.

In the 50th edition of the Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks back over the last 12 months and how the business finance landscape has changed.

Crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending is one of the growth areas and Rob reviews a report on the sector undertaken by NESTA which highlights this rapid growth.

Rob also looks at the news of a forthcoming review into the banking sector to be carried out by the Competition and Markets Authority.

What keeps small business owners awake at night is a question posed by the ICAEW and it may not be what you think.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week, a clip from a live seminar in which Rob Warlow shares his thoughts on when it’s best to share your Business Plan with the bank.

If you prefer you can also listen to this week’s episode as a podcast and download to your phone. To either listen or download simply click below via our SoundCloud page.

In the latest episode of the Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at how the Business Loan Services team recently turned a ‘no’ into a ‘yes’ for a client looking to raise money to purchase another business.

In the crowdfunding sector, news from Ratesetter on the record month they had in September in terms of loans granted; a look at how Funding Circle is powering ahead; and a new milestone set by Seedrs in raising £4m for Chapel Down, a company already publicly listed.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week, a clip from a seminar Rob presented for the ACCA in which he explains how crowdfunding works.

Alternatively you can listen to this week’s bulletin as a podcast by clicking below or downloading it to your PC or phone or listening later.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow reviews findings by the Insolvency trade body R3 on how zombie businesses may be facing challenges ahead as the economy grows.

New lenders keep appear on the finance scene and Rob shares the news of a new commercial lender, Secure Trust Bank, which is providing asset-based financial support to growing SMEs.

Funding Empire is one the growing band of crowdlenders and Rob has a chat with Parag Patel, owner and founder on what Funding Empire can do to help business owners access finance.

A clean credit report is important when raising finance and in this edition Rob looks at a recent survey by Experian, the credit reference agency, which reveals that many business owners have little knowledge about the make-up of a good or bad credit profile.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob shares a clip from a recent Business Wales ‘Access to Finance Workshop’ in which he talks about the type of proposals banks like to see.

You can also listen to this week’s episode as a podcast by clicking below or downloading it to your phone via Soundcloud so you can listen at your leisure.

The Business Loan Services team were out in force on Thursday 25th September where we were exhibiting at the Introbiz Business Show in Cardiff.

The day was a huge success and it’s clear from speaking to many business owners who visited our stand that confidence is high with many actively planning for growth. The discussions we held revolved around the different sources of finance options available to fund growth ranging from traditional borrowing to the new alternative sources.

Rob also hosted a seminar on ‘How to Fund Growth Without Paying the Bank a Visit’ in which he provided an overview of the alternative financing scene.

We’re looking forward to next year’s event which we’re sure will be even bigger!

BLS team: Rob Warlow, Colin Venables, and Steve Taylor

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at activity in the alternative sources of finance market. There’s news of crowdlender ReBuildingSociety joining the Alternative Business Funding platform and how a survey has revealed that business owners are finding it hard to differentiate between banks.

Rob also reports on the growth in the total amount lent by alternative finance providers and crowdfunding platforms with the figures showing strong performance.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week a live from a live seminar Rob delivered recently for the ACCA in South Wales on alternative sources of finance. In this clip Rob talks about one key reason why bank would say no to a loan request.

You can also listen to this week’s episode by clicking below or downloading it to your phone.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin, Rob Warlow looks at a survey from Bibbys Financial Services which reveals that a growing number of businesses are considering alternative sources of finance because their existing providers aren’t servicing them well. Yet there are barriers facing businesses which stop them from moving.

According to findings by KPMG family-owned businesses find it challenging to raise finance via selling equity because of an expectations mis-match. But there is one solution which would help family businesses access the finance they need. So how can the tap into this source of cash?

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week, a clip from a live seminar in which Rob shares his views on why you should focus on preparing a polished pitch when presenting your funding case to the bank.

You can also listen to this week’s episode by clicking below or you can download it to your phone to listen to later.