In the latest Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at recent surveys from Close Brothers and the government’s Business Innovation and Skills Department on growing confidence levels amongst business owners in the UK.

Rob also looks at the latest figures from the Bank of England on the Funding for Lending Scheme which shows a continued downward slide in support from banks.

Late payment continues to be a problem for growing businesses and Rob looks at how the government is tackling the problem with revisions to the Prompt Payment Code and new rules designed to ensure the public sector pays on time.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob chats with Market Invoice, the online crowdfunding platform, which helps UK businesses unlock cash tied up in outstanding invoices.

If you would prefer to listen to the podcast version of this week’s Bulletin simply click below or download to your computer or phone.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at findings from the ACCA and BACS on how businesses are being held back from growth by late payment.

Challenger bank Aldermore has released its 2014 trading figures and Rob looks at how they are helping UK businesses access finance.

The importance of business planning and putting together a growth strategy has been underlined by a recent survey from Barclays on how many businesses plan ahead. What do you need to think about when planning for growth?

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob asks the question, ‘What do banks want?’

If you would prefer listening to this episode on your phone or PC you can download the podcast version by clicking below.

In the latest edition of the Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at news from Lovetts, the commercial debt recovery firm, on how the amount of late payment debt is on the increase.
As part of its annual Small Business Income Index, news from Barclays of further evidence that the economy is showing signs of growth with a number of sectors and UK regions standing out.

Raising equity through crowdfunding continues to grow in popularity and Rob looks at an overview from Crowdcube on how it performed in 2014.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob shares his thoughts on the importance of having sound systems and processes in place; getting this right may reduce the amount of finance you may need to raise.

You can also listen to the podcast version of this week’s Bulletin. You can download a copy for listening later by clicking below.

In 2014 Business Loan Services’ Rob Warlow chatted with many business experts as part of the weekly Business Finance Bulletin. In this second compilation edition of the Business Finance Bulletin 2014 interviews you will hear from the CEOs of two crowdlending providers, Graeme Marshall of Funding Knight and Parag Patel of Funding Empire, talking about how crowdlending works. Sourcing finance from the crowd exploded in 2014 and it’s fast becoming a recognised alternative to traditional bank funding.

During the past 12 months the Business Loan Services have seen increasing interest from business owners looking to sell equity to raise funds. But what are investors looking for? To answer this question Rob chatted with Alister Betts of Lucid Ventures which specialises in seeking out equity partners.

Late payment is a continual problem for small businesses and Steve White from Thornbury Collections shares three quick tips on what you can do to avoid getting caught in the late payment trap.

And lastly a chat with Kevin Peake from Pension-Led Funding on how you can unlock the value in your pension to fund your growth plans.

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 latest Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at how business start up failure rates are the up but thankfully more positive news from Close Bros Asset Finance revealing that business confidence is on the rise.

There is also more good news with the formal launch of the British Business Bank which is designed to help challenger banks and crowdfunders get money out to cash-starved business owners. And in the crowdfunding world a look at new equity crowdfunding site, FireFlock which recently launched.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob shares one thing you must not do when pitching your request for finance to your bank.

You can also listen to this week’s Bulletin as a podcast and download it to your PC or phone to listen to in the car. You can listen or download via Soundcloud by clicking below.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at a recent survey from Hilton Baird Financial Solutions examining the different sources of finance businesses are using today.

The Prompt Payment Code was designed to encourage businesses to treat suppliers fairly and minimise late payment but it could work better and Rob looks at a new Advisory Body set up to improve standards.

Sticking with late payment, a survey from Lovetts, a commercial debt litigator reveals that the amounts outstanding to businesses is on the rise. Watch your cashflow!

Awareness of crowdfunding is on the rise and Rob has news from the Chamber of Commerce of a series of roadshows being run in conjunction with crowdlender ArchOver designed to inform business owners about the options available to them.

Rob also has news that PWC have tied up with MarketInvoice to offer invoice discounting solutions to its clients and in the Business Finance Tip of the Week a look at why business owners hate writing Business Plans!

If you prefer to listen to this week’s Bulletin on your phone or in your car then you can download it as a podcast by clicking the ‘download’ image on the SoundCloud player below.

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at how Handelsbanken, one of the UK challenger banks, are supporting SMEs by increasing the amount of money they have lent out.

Rob also looks at the news that RBS may be launching its own peer-to-peer or crowdfunding platform at the end of the year. How times are changing!

Banks are still getting their wrists slapped for the flouting the rules with this week’s revelations that HSBC and First Trust Bank have been pulled up by the Competition and Markets Authority.

Rob looks at a recent survey by Experian which reveal that many business owners are not assessing how creditworthy their clients are before giving out credit terms.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week, a clip from a live seminar in which Rob shares a strategy on controlling overdue payments.

You can also listen to this week’s Bulletin in audio as a podcast. To listen either click the image below or you can download the episode to your PC or phone via Soundcloud.

Poor cashflow is a constant headache for most business owners. In my conversations with business owners a common theme emerging is the day-to-day struggle of chasing outstanding payments and juggling creditors who themselves are pressing for payment.

Whilst you may be doing everything you can to encourage debtors to pay what do you do if your creditors are putting equal if not more pressure on you to pay up and your bank won’t help?

Here are four steps you can take.

Step 1: Assess Where You Are Now

If the pressure is on there is a high probability you have lost sight of the extent of your problem. When you are constantly bombarded with phone calls and letters it’s too easy to ignore the situation in the hope it will go away. But this is not the time to bury your head in the sand.

Part of the key to successful cashflow management is knowing exactly where you stand. Forewarned is forearmed.

So your first task is to write down precisely how much you owe and to whom. If your bookkeeping system is set up around stacking invoices in the corner of your office, or leaving them languishing in your email in-box, access them out and list them one by one with names, amounts and dates due.

Acknowledging and accepting the extent of the problem is an essential first step.

Step Two: Prioritise Your Payments

Having written a list of payments due the next step is to prioritise them. In prioritising the list you are aiming to classify them into three categories:

1. Business critical payments which have to be made under any circumstances. These are payments which would put your business at risk if not processed

2. Creditors who would be content with a part payment

3. Non-critical creditors who could wait and not cause you major disruption if not paid

Step Three: Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

In times of a cash-crunch it’s too easy to ignore the situation you’re in but in not communicating you will only compound the problem. Now you have your list the next step is to get in touch and inform each of them as to what is happening and to communicate your message or request.

Put yourself in your creditor’s shoes; what would you think if you were expecting payments by a certain date and had planned your cashflow position accordingly but no payment was received? Not impressed I guess. So why should it be any different if you are the one delaying payment?

By communicating your intentions you will be preserving and in some instances potentially strengthening relationships with your suppliers.

Step Four: Check Your Cash Position Daily

Now you know where you stand you can move ahead more confidently. From now on it’s all about monitoring the cash position in your bank account on a daily basis. You are checking to see who has paid you, what cheques have cleared and, referring to your payment schedule, which creditors you can pay as per the agreements you have made.

Once you have made a payment, follow step three and communicate … call to tell them their payment is on its way.

Continued communication is the key.

Follow these steps and you will be in a better position to handle any cashflow crisis you may be experiencing.

In this week’s Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at the impact late payment can have on growth plans with a recent survey from Close Bros Finance demonstrating how it can hold your business back.

Rob also looks at how crowdlending platforms Funding Knight, ReBuilidngSociety and LendInvest have reached new highs and milestones as they continue to challenge the traditional High Street banks.

And in the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob shares some thoughts in an interview he did on what a good Business Plan looks like.