Raising finance to grow your business is not about today, it is about tomorrow. The right finance package can be a positive force within your business, one which can be used to propel your business forward.
Building a bigger, better future… that’s what we do
When you’re looking for finance to grow, a lender will want to see a well constructed Business Plan. A great Plan sets out a clear vision for the future, a future in which you soar above your competition.
Helping business owners soar… that’s what we do.
The whole process of raising finance can be a distraction and divert your attention away from what’s important. With mounting priorities it’s a case of which one has to wait. Typically raising finance is one task that can grind you down.
Making it happen… that’s what we do
No one wants to stay in the same place; it’s boring and monotonous. Growth is much more exciting but getting to the next level takes money and with it a range of financial options to consider.
Taking your business to the next level… that’s what we do
The finance market is ever-changing particularly among younger, more modern businesses who are shunning the traditional High Street banks in favour of alternative finance providers.
This the finding of survey of 512 small businesses carried out by ThinCats, a fintech lender to mid-sized SMEs.
The survey found that of businesses less than ten years old, only 32% would consider their bank to be their first port of call. This contrasts with businesses over 35 years old where 71% would default to their main bank. When it comes to working with an alternative finance provider, 23% of younger businesses are more likely to feel comfortable with this approach compared to 4% of the oldest SMEs.
Not surprisingly, where decision makers were aged under 35, 65% said a traditional High Street bank was not the first place they would go for funding. This contrasts with decision makers aged 55 and over, where it was just under 30%.
Sectors such as IT, telecoms and marketing, which are traditionally knowledge or service-based are those leading the way in moving towards alternative finance providers.
Worryingly, 30% of SMEs who were rejected by their first-choice lender, stopped searching for external funding altogether. This suggests that many businesses, of whom 55% said high street banks were the first lender approached, are potentially giving up when there are suitable alternatives available.
This demonstrates that more still needs to be done to highlight the range of alternative finance providers in the marketplace.
Summer time can hit cashflow hard. Here’s a solution to even out your summer cashflow blues. A Short Term loan can solve a temporary cashflow blip.
Businesses are accumulating cash due to political and economic uncertainty. Are you ready for when that money is released and hits the market?
The start of a New Year can have a negative impact on a company’s cashflow but at least there’s a solution….
The alternative finance market continues to power ahead in terms of support provided to businesses and individuals. The latest figures released by the Peer-to-Peer Finance Association (P2PFA) reveals that the peer-to-peer lending industry lent £750 million which brings the total lent by its members to just under £10 billion.
The P2PFA was established in 2011 as a representative and self-regulatory body for peer-to-peer lending in the UK. There are 8 members of the Association being Crowdstacker; Folk 2 Folk; Funding Circle; Landbay; Lending Works; Marketinvoice; Thin Cats, and Zopa.
The Association has reported that new member’s lending to businesses and individuals has grown by almost £100 million quarter-on-quarter over the last year.
To demonstrate how peer-to-peer is now going mainstream, the Association has highlighted that net lending (defined as total lending minus repayments) of £191 million over the same period was greater by £60 billion than the combined net lending of the major high street banks which stood at £130 million.
On average, three quarters of the lending support UK small businesses. The disparity between the P2P lenders and the traditional High St banks is further highlighted by the latest figures from UK Finance which show that in the 12 months to August 2018, bank lending to businesses fell by 2.1%.
The P2P sector continues to fill a gap being left by the banks and no doubt has been a lifeline for many small businesses.
When it comes to capital expenditure, should you fund it via cash or finance?
When searching for finance many business owners don’t know where to start looking. To help bridge the information gap the British Business Bank has launched a finance knowledge website. We open our Bulletin by looking at how the portal can help guide business owners to the right source of finance.
Iwoca has been known as a short-term loan provider but they have now announced a new 5 year loan product designed to provide medium term finance to growing businesses. Could you make use of a cash injection?
In recent Bulletins we have mentioned that the first few months of this year saw a decline in the use of Asset Finance. To close this episode, we review the latest statistics from the Finance and Leasing Association which reveal an increase in Asset Finance deals to purchase business machinery, equipment and vehicles.
If you would prefer to listen to the podcast version you can click below or download to listen to later via our Soundcloud, Stitcher or itunes channel.
The Programme is only opened to selected Finance Brokers and our inclusion to this exclusive group is a recognition of the high-quality clients we have introduced to Funding Circle during our association.
Our focus on supporting our clients, by investing time in understanding their business and assisting Funding Circle in their assessment by carrying out a thorough due diligence in advance of submitting a loan application, has been key to maintaining our high performing loan portfolio.
How does our inclusion on the Business Champion Programme benefit our clients?
The programme will bring:
Thanks to the Funding Circle team who have supported BLS over the years, including James Lovett, Dan Stanton and our current Manager Alex Austin.
I wanted to thank you for such an insightful, energetic, and entertaining talk at the Kevin Green Wealth event on securing funding and creating a successful plan. It was brilliantly executed and a pleasure to listen to and the ideas I’ve learned are definitely going to help me in going forward.
Rob delivered a series of 3 workshops aimed at understanding how finance houses look at finance propositions with the aim for us as a team to deliver more of a bespoke offering to our customer base. The training was delivered to a mixture of staff who work with new businesses start-ups and existing established businesses across Mid & South West Wales. Rob delivered the training with an abundance of passion and has really helped my team look at financial propositions in a different light, many thanks again Rob and I look forward to work with you in the near future.
Further to your recent presentation at LEAD Wales just wanted to say it was very refreshing to see somebody talk passionately and positively about finance, very insightful!
Hi Rob, it was so interesting and entertaining listening to you at the Kevin Green Wealth Coach Workshop in Reading this weekend! I didnt realise you can find Finance proposals such fun!. Brilliant tips! Thanks.
Rob kindly agreed to attend the recent Pontypridd RFC sponsors networking evening and delivered what can only be described as an excellent talk on 5 Tactics to Boost Your Business and Your Profits. He kept the audience engaged throughout and the feedback from everyone was excellent. Rob is very knowledgeable on business and finance and on top of that is a genuine nice guy. We hope to have him back at a future event and I have no hesitation in recommending Rob’s services.