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 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 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 Friday Business Finance Bulletin Rob Warlow looks at the meeting of the old financial world and the new financial world with news that PWC have tied up with Funding Circle to meet their client’s borrowing needs.

To support the growing alternative finance market news from the UK government’s British Business Bank of a financial package arranged with Shire Leasing.

Business confidence is on the rise as reported in a survey carried out by Barclays and news from another High Street bank, RBS/Nat West which has revealed plans to launch a number of accelerator hubs for start up businesses. RBS has also announced a new pot of money to lend out to growing businesses.

In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob talks with author and corporate finance specialist Tim Luscombe who shares a salutatory lesson in why you need to keep accurate management accounts.

You can also listen to this Bulletin as a podcast and download it to your computer or phone by clicking below.

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 the challenges facing start ups when it comes to raising finance with a recent Angels Den survey identifying two key issues.

The UK alternative finance industry has held a celebratory awards evening and Rob looks at who the winning crowdfunding platforms are.

There is also a look at a new borrowing service launched by crowdlender Funding Knight and how it has revised upwards the maximum amount they will lend.

Rob also discussed the lessons from the news that Tescos had got its financial reporting wrong by overstating its profits and in the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob shares his thoughts on one page Business Plans.

You can also listen to this week’s Bulletin below or simply download it to your phone.

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.