In the latest episode of the Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow reviews the recent Entrepreneur’s Index survey released by Barclays Bank and the Regional Growth Fund. As well as looking at the UK business scene the report focuses on High Growth businesses.

Turning to growth finance raised via equity crowdfunding a new report issued by Altfi poses the question of how businesses have fared in raising equity by this method. The ‘Where Are They Now? Report reveals some interesting findings on the benefits of equity crowdfunding.

Staying with alternative finance Rob looks at study by GLI Finance and Cambridge University Centre of Alternative Finance which states that there a significant funding gap faced by SMEs which are unaware about sources of alternative finance.

If you’re suffering from cash flow problems Rob takes a looks at a product from Just Cashflow called BusinessPlus Mastercard which is designed to ease the cash crunch which SMEs typically face.

And in the Business Tip of the Week…. invest, don’t spend!

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In this episode of the Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow reviews peer to peer lender Folk 2 Folk and how they won the recent accolade of Best Lending Platform for Small Businesses.

High growth, or scale ups are they are sometimes referred as, are gaining attention in terms of the support and finance they need to meet their potential. We look at the announcement from Barclays Bank of its recent creation of a High Growth and Entrepreneur unit designed to support high growth businesses.

Turning back to the crowdfunding world, news of two more local councils joining Funding Circle as lenders to provide financial support to small businesses in their area. These two councils join the growing number of councils providing finance on the Funding Circle platform.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob continues his occasional mini-series looking at how you can calculate and use key ratios from your Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet to spot areas of improvement. In this episode Rob looks at calculating your Creditor Payment Days, or how long on average it takes you to pay your creditors – a potential red flag to your bank!

If you prefer to listen to the podcast version click below or download it via our Soundcloud or itunes channel.

In the latest episode of the Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at an alternative to the traditional bank overdraft. With banks providing less support in the form of overdraft facilities a new service has been launched by Growth Street to fill the gap.

There is news of a possible rival to PayPal which could be marketed by Apple in 2016, so one to watch.
Turning to challenger banks Rob looks at the results from Shawbrook Bank which shows strong growth in profits and increased support to SMEs.

Late payment continues to be a problem for growing businesses and in a new survey Rob shares findings that many businesses are reluctant to chase for payment or even charge interest as is their statutory right.

One way to alleviate the impact of late payment is to look at Invoice Discounting. To see how this works Rob chats with Kelvin Thomas from ABN Amro Commercial Finance on how it helps growing SMEs.

If you prefer to listen to the podcast version of this week’s Bulletin listen in below or download via our Soundcloud or itunes channel.

In this episode of the Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow shares details of a new service launched by Aldermore Bank aimed at helping temporary recruitment agencies overcome problems with administration and more importantly cashflow.

More evidence is coming out that business confidence appears to be taking a hit. Rob looks at the latest CBI SME Trends survey which highlights that total orders for domestic and export focused businesses is showing decline.
Turning to bank lending to SMEs Rob reviews statistics released by the Bank of England which reveal that businesses are getting increased support from the banks.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week, a clip from an interview in which Rob talks about the importance and usefulness of an Executive Summary when writing a Business Plan for your bank.

If you prefer to listen to the podcast version you can click below or download from our SoundCloud or itunes channel.

In the latest episode of the Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at a new product launched by Market Invoice, the online invoice discounting provider. The new product called Contract Finance will help businesses release previously locked-up cash from contracts delivering regular income.

According to a survey from Bibby Financial Services business confidence amongst SMEs has taken a dent and bucked the recent trend of a rise in more confident businesses. Why is this?

Rob reveals the sources of finance business owners are turning to as featured in a survey carried out by Santander Corporate and Commercial Banking. Which source is proving surprisingly popular?

In the crowdfunding world, the latest lending figures from the P2P Finance Association show that its members are reaching new highs in their support of growing businesses. Rob looks at how SMEs are benefiting.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week, Rob shares a calculation you can make from your Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Accounts which can help pinpoint a problem in your stock control.

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In this episode of the Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at the findings of the Competition and Market Authority review into the UK banking sector and its recommendations for easier SME banking.

What’s the difference in attitude towards alternative finance between relatively young businesses compared to more mature ones? That’s a question posed by Business Banking Insight and their findings suggest that older businesses need to look at alternative sources of finance just as their younger upstarts are.

Rob reviews a survey from crowdfunder FundBird on businesses appetite to borrow and what they are financing if they are successful in obtaining funding.

Staying with crowdfunding Rob looks at the news from Funding Circle of its entry into the European market with the acquisition of the German crowdfunding platform ZenCap.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week, a clip from a live seminar in which Rob shares insights into what should be included in a Business Plan written for the bank.

If you prefer to listen to the podcast version you can click below or download via our SoundCloud or itunes channel.

In the latest episode of the Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow shares the latest government figures on the number of businesses operating in the UK. The numbers reveal strong growth in new starts and those businesses employing staff.

Latest figures from the Finance and Leasing Association on the level of new business being written by asset finance providers also show strong growth. Rob looks at one type of asset being financed which is proving popular.

Sufficient working capital can be a constraint for a growing business and Rob looks at a survey focused on what is holding businesses back in terms of finance.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob shares a tool you can use to assist in spotting red flags in respect of cashflow. This tool, referred to as a Debtor Collection Ratio is a calculation taken from your Balance Sheet which provides a useful guide as to how long it’s taking you to collect payment from your customers.

If you prefer listening to the podcast version you can click below or download it (and other episodes) from our Soundcloud or itunes page.

In this week’s episode of the Business Finance Bulletin finally some good news on late payment with the announcement from Tescos of a revision in its payment terms with their small suppliers. Could this be a start of a trend of big businesses listening to concerns around late payment?

Turning to the alternative finance scene news from single invoice discounter Platform Black on reaching a new milestone in terms of finance raised for growing businesses.

Have you ever had a Notice to Close your bank account? It can happen and Rob explains what you can do about it.
With the government keen to ensure finance companies are lending there’s news of a line of funding being granted by the British Business Bank to leasing and asset finance provider Hitachi Capital.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week a clip from a live seminar in which Rob shares his thoughts on the importance of knowing what your credit report reveals about you.

You can also listen to and download the podcast version of this Bulletin via our Soundcloud and itunes channel or listen in now by clicking below

In the latest episode of the Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at a report from Liberis, a finance provider, on the issues growing businesses face particularly in terms of late payment and how you can avoid it.

The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme is a little known scheme devised to help both start ups and investors make use of attractive tax breaks. Rob shares findings from a review as to how popular the scheme is and looks at the SEIS eligibility criteria.

Turning to crowdfunding, Rob has news from the Centre for Economics and Business Research which predicts that the amount of money accessed through crowdfunding will grow to a significant sum by 2020.

If you’re a VAT registered business you are probably familiar with the challenges of meeting the quarterly demand! Recent figures from finance provider LDF show a large amount of overdue VAT is outstanding to HMRC and in the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob chats with Liz Maher from Centurion VAT in which she shares tips on managing your VAT risk.

If you prefer to listen via a podcast version you can download via our Soundcloud or itunes channel or listen in below.

In this episode of the weekly Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow examines current trends in late payment with news from the Asset Based Finance Association that despite improving economic conditions late payment problems are on the rise.

Continuing on the theme of late payment online accounting provider Crunch has identified within the world of self employment which businesses are best and worst when it comes to chasing payment. Are you one of them?

Locally run business loan funds are a useful source of alternative finance for smaller businesses and Rob looks at one fund run by Staffordshire County Council and the success it has had in supporting local businesses.

In the crowdfunding world Rob shares news from Market Invoice, the online invoice discounting solution, of another round of funding granted to it by the British Business Bank.

Despite a few hiccups lately in terms of growth and business confidence Rob looks at the findings of a survey from American Express Small Business Services which reveals that businesses are reporting strong growth and confidence for the future.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week a clip from an interview in which Rob talks about the typical cash contribution you have make to a deal to get your bank on board.

You can also listen to this week’s episode or download to listen to late via clicking below, or by visiting our Soundcloud or itunes channels.