Very few businesses are lucky enough to be able to bootstrap their way to success, most rely on securing business growth funding. Getting funding at the right time is critical to surviving yet alone thriving and growing. Without funding it is much harder and slower to grow and expand into new territories or markets. Here are my top four tips for successfully securing business growth funding. Know where to look and what type of funding is the best match There are numerous sources of funding from Bank Loans to Crowdfunding and Equity investment to Trade Finance, Grants and R&D Incentives for innovative companies. Often a growing business will need to draw on a mix of sources. Depending on the stage of growth and type of business some will be more suitable than others. Each type comes with its own positive and negative aspects for example if you’re seeking a bank loan, you will probably have to give a personal guarantee and of course pay back the loan with interest. If it’s equity … [Read more...]
Fundraising success stories for early stage companies
We looked at London based companies that have recently successfully raised seed funding! The good news is that there is a constant flow of funding into very young companies - albeit with a technology bias. Companies with innovative ideas, strong management teams and good business plans position themselves for better funding success. We wanted to get a flavour of what's happening in the world of funding for seed level companies that are based in London. We found five recent funding success stories - we have summarised what they got, what they do and how long they have been going. Labrador (internet of things) We’d all like to sure we are getting the cheapest energy bill on the market, but even with the help of price comparison sites it can be a chore working out which supplier to go with and then sorting all the paperwork to change supplier. Labrador aims to solve this problem by paring with your smart meter and analysing your energy consumption … [Read more...]
Top Preparation Tips When Raising Finance For Your Company
Now that the economy is on the mend and confidence is rising, management teams are beginning to look at new capital expenditure and therefore ways of raising the required funding. The first thing to understand is not to rush into anything and to make careful preparations before applying for any type of funding at all. Complete a credit check on your own company; find out what the funding providers will see about your company. Make certain that any County Court Judgements, if any, are satisfied before you apply. Check that any debentures that other funders may hold are still applicable and if not have these removed. It is shocking how many funding providers and managing directors, fail to remove expired all asset debentures from the records. Also make certain that you are up to date with filing your latest set of accounts. It really does not matter what type of funding you require, most providers will want the same information from you, have it prepared in … [Read more...]
A New Lender who even likes start-ups
At the end of last year I had a meeting with an interesting lender. They do short term loans from just 3 months, but unlike most short term lenders they will also do loans of up to 10 years. They like new starts, adverse credit and sole traders. They will lend from £25,000 to £1m. It is quite quick taking around 2-3 weeks to get a loan. The interest rates start at 1.16% per month, which is lower than the usual adverse credit lender. The only stipulation is that the client must be a home owner with enough free equity in their property. The lender is happy to take 2nd, 3rd and even 4th charges against the property. Getting funding for start-ups is very difficult these days and most have to resort to equity Crowdfunding and therefore sell a % of their companies and usually too cheaply. Now there is an alternative, a lender who will happily lend to start-ups that have free equity in their homes. … [Read more...]
Professionals Funding
Many professionals Struggle to pay Tax in July All professions have cash flow issues, just like the majority of companies. They have difficulty paying their VAT, Their Corporation Tax and Income Tax, as well as their professional indemnity insurance and Practice Certificates. They also might need finance to pay for working capital and IT systems and software. There is now a funder that will give loans to the professions of between £10,000 and £1,000,000, depending on loan requirement. VAT loans are over 3 months and professional indemnity insurance loans are over 12 months or less. The professions covered include, Solicitors, Accountants, Architects, Barristers, Doctors, Vets, Surveyors, Dentists, Opticians, Pharmacists, Osteopaths and Chiropractors. If they belong to their main professional body such as the Law Society, RIBA, Medical Council etc, then they can apply. For further details contact: Peter.kelly@lgbusinessadvisors.co.uk … [Read more...]
Funding Growth
Now that the economy is firmly on the mend, management teams have a new challenge to think about and that is how do they obtain the funding that they need for the growth that they are now experiencing. It is vital to remember that more companies go to the wall in a recovery than fail in a recession. Over trading is a very real danger. The best place always to go for funding is your own bank. You have a history with them and they should understand your business better than any other funder. Unfortunately over the last 6 months bank lending to businesses has fallen by a staggering £4 Billion. So if your business is growing and your bank is not lending, then who do you turn to? There are many independent sources of finance for growing companies. The independents are much more flexible in their terms and their attitudes and being smaller you are much more important to them. Invoice Discounting and Factoring is one of the easiest to obtain and most flexible ways of raising finance … [Read more...]
Government Funding – SMEs get £70m
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are set to receive a £70 million lending boost as part of government action to increase the availability of finance. Three new lenders – Market Invoice, URICA and Beechbrook Capital – will share more than £30 million of government funding to offer SMEs alternatives to traditional bank lending. They have committed to attracting additional funding from private sector investors, with the total expected to boost the pool of credit available to SMEs from the three lenders by more than £70 million. Business Secretary Vince Cable said on 22 March: “A lack of access to finance is still choking off too many small businesses, preventing them from growing, taking on new staff or investing in new equipment. “We are taking a range of actions to support SMEs and shake up business finance markets, including through the new business bank. “Today’s £30 million announcement is an important boost for non-traditional lenders with creative and … [Read more...]
Finance for Growth Seminar in Winchester
Are you a business looking for finance to grow but are uncertain of what sources would be right for you? If so, these FREE seminars are for you! Enterprise M3, the Local Enterprise Partnership for the wider M3 corridor, is hosting a seminar aimed at helping businesses both understand and access new and established sources of business finance. During this seminar, you will: Gain a valuable understanding of what you need to do to prepare for investment. Explore what types of finance are right for your business at this particular stage of its life cycle. Find out about the range of new and established sources of finance currently available to the market. Sources of funding covered in the seminar include: crowd funding (debt & equity), invoice financing, equity funding such as venture capital and business angels and export finance. Date: Tuesday, 19 March 2013 Time: 9 am to 12 noon (Registration from 8.45 am) Venue: Winchester City Council, Walton Suite, … [Read more...]
