Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
In the run-up to International Women’s Day 2019, the government-backed Rose Review found that only one in three UK entrepreneurs were female. It also highlighted that access to loans and other capital was a major barrier to business success for women.
One year on, the Progress Report rounds up initiatives that have been introduced. Key advances include an Investing in Women Code and an increase in investment vehicles to promote more funding going to women entrepreneurs.
But when it comes to securing a loan, it’s much the same for any small business owner: shop around, be honest with your provider and look beyond the headline figures. It does help your chances if your business is in a certain industry like the tech sector or if you’re aiming to make a positive impact.
The business loans listed below aren’t exclusively for women – though some providers include them in pages titled ‘business loans for women’, which is misleading.
They may not have specific offerings, but these companies have shown at least some interest in encouraging women entrepreneurs. We’ve gone for providers that have pro-women initiatives like female entrepreneur campaigns, dedicated funds and focused social media coverage.
High street banks
Some
Tag Archive for Business loans
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What documents do you need when applying for a business loan?
by Adam Parker • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Adam Parker on Small Business
Applying for a loan may seem daunting once you’ve decided to borrow finance. That’s why it’s always important to have the right business documents prepared before you do so.
Documentation varies depending on what type of lender you’re looking to borrow from. With a business loan from a bank, you are likely to be required to provide more documents to limit risks, such as a business plan or insurance. Other lenders might require less.
Brokers who act as an intermediary between the applicant and the lender offer an online application that further reduces the amount of documentation needed.
>See also: Best UK small business accounting software 2020 – review guide
Business bank statements
Business bank statements are an essential document used to verify the income and the outgoings of your company. The statements usually consist of a summary of your transactions which helps determine your spending and income. These are typically produced every month.
Financial accounts
Financial accounts are necessary for the lender to gain a clear insight into the company for the full financial year. They allow lenders to see a greater picture of the company, rather than working solely from bank statements alone.
For example, six months’ worth of
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NatWest adds another £2.2bn to its Brexit Growth Fund
by Timothy Adler • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
NatWest has added another £2.2bn in capacity to its £6bn Brexit Growth Fund to help small businesses.
The NatWest Growth Funding initiative, designed to help scale-ups, fund green initiatives and navigate current Brexit uncertainty was doubled this year to £6bn.
So far, NatWest has committed £5.6bn of the £8.2bn available, removing any cap on amounts which can be borrowed.
The bank says it has identified several thousand customers likely to suffer most from Brexit uncertainties and plans to contact them directly.
>See also: Cashplus plans to lend £400m to small business from next year
In addition, NatWest is holding a roadshow across the UK answering questions from small and growth business about Brexit means for them. The next two events will be held on October 21 in Birmingham and October 222 in Milton Keynes, where the focus will be on four areas: importing and exporting, supplying services to the EU, employees, and using and transferring data. To find out more, go to the NatWest Brexit Hub.
Paul Thwaite, MD commercial banking, said: “During a time of such uncertainty, it is imperative that we do all we can to support our customers. Our business customers are extremely busy, and there
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HSBC adds billions to its £14bn small business loan fund ahead of Brexit
by Timothy Adler • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
HSBC has added another £2bn to the £14bn pot of its small business loan fund, which it launched this time last year.
The bank says the increased fund is part of its British small and medium-sized businesses navigate Brexit and help them grow.
According to HSBC’s own research, 28pc of businesses have done nothing to prepare for Brexit.
Since launching its initial SME Fund in 2014, HSBC has committed more than £60bn to UK SMEs.
This year’s fund, which is HSBC’s largest to date, includes increased ring-fenced pots for international businesses and for the agriculture sector because they were both fully utilised last year.
See also: Best small business loans in the UK
The amount of money ring-fenced for companies that want to grow overseas has been doubled to £2bn, while the agriculture pot has increased to £1 billion from £300 million last year.
Almost one fifth (19pc) of businesses surveyed by HSBC have looked at opportunities to trade outside of the EU after Brexit.
Regional allocations across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland ensure that companies throughout the country can benefit the fund.
HSBC was unavailable to say how much of last year’s £12bn small business loan fund allocation has been
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What is asset finance and how does asset finance work?
by Conrad Ford • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Conrad Ford on Small Business
Following the 2007-8 financial crisis, financial services were shaken up and a much wider variety of funding types became available to businesses.
The only downside is that there’s now so much choice available that it can be difficult to know where to begin, but with a bit of research, you can soon get a grip on the finance that’s right for your business.
One of the areas which has seen big changes in recent years is asset finance.Here we give you a brief guide to the finance available for when you need to buy new equipment or assets for your business.
What is asset finance?
Asset finance relates to the way you pay for the physical assets in your business, whether that’s to help you get new assets (asset finance), or money loaned against your existing assets (asset refinance).
See also: How to find the right finance for your business
Assets can be anything that’s vital to the operation of your business, such as large-scale plant or machinery, any type of vehicle or fleet of vehicles, catering equipment and even commercial premises.
Because of the added security it provides, there’s plenty of flexibility available with asset finance products, such as seasonal
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Knight Capital to open London office offering small business loans
by Timothy Adler • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
EXCLUSIVE: Knight Capital, the Malaysian small business financier, is opening a London office to finance British small businesses.
Kuala Lumpar-based Knight Capital hopes to lend around £1.5m to around 15 to 25 small businesses in its first year through its UK offshoot Knight Credit.
Products on offer will include term loans, bridging loans and working capital with no minimum amount.
See also: Best small business loans in the UK
The implication is that it will be lending between £60,000-£100,000 a time to small businesses, although Knight Credit says it can go as high as £3m.
Knight Credit sees an opportunity to come into the UK market post Brexit, especially as it sees an opportunity for supply-chain finance given the inevitably more complicated red tape surrounding imports and exports.
Samreet Singh Randhay, who will be running the London office when it opens its doors on November 1 – the day after the UK is due to leave the European Union – said: “With Brexit coming, there will be a lot more financing required because of the UK’s vision of being self-sustaining.”
Singh stresses that, unlike other small business lenders which stress ease of applying for loans online and fast decisions, what
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How to prepare your application for a business loan
by Partner Content • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
Deciding to take out a loan is a big step for any business, especially for smaller enterprises and start-ups. Whether you need funding to cover any temporary cash-flow shortfalls, or to invest into your business to allow it grow and reach the next level, there are a number of considerations every prospective borrower will need to look at.
Of course, businesses will need to determine exactly how much they want to borrow, but this is only the start of the lending process.
Choosing your lender
Although a high-street bank may be the first loan provider that comes to mind, there are a number of other options that may be able to offer funding better suited to your needs.
You may want to use an online business loan marketplace such as Know Your Money, which is a one-stop-shop for business lending featuring high-street banks such as NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland or innovators such as Spotcap, Esme and Iwoca.
Alternative lenders
This umbrella term encompasses the variety of challenger banks and fintech lenders, including peer-to-peer platforms, which can now offer competitive loans to businesses. Over the last few years their popularity has risen among businesses looking for extra funding,
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Start Up Loans Q&A: how do I get a loan for my new business?
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Securing finance is often one of the biggest challenges a start-up business will encounter.
We caught up with Richard Bearman, the managing director of Start Up Loans, to find out where you should begin.
What can start-up business owners do to improve their chances of securing a business loan?
Securing a loan is often crucial to the success of any new business, and I’m often asked what people can do to increase their chances of getting one.
First and foremost, it’s important to have a clear and sensible business plan. This may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how often business plans are overlooked, as businesses rush ahead to get their idea off the ground.
While it may seem like an unnecessary piece of work for the person setting up the business, business plans provide all the information that a potential lender needs in order to gauge the prospects of the business. It doesn’t matter whether someone is applying to an alternative lender or to a lender such as a retail bank, it’s vital that they present a clear, realistic and sensible business plan to convince the funder that their business is worth investing in.
What common mistakes do
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Best small business loans in the UK
by Partner Content • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
As a small business owner you might be thinking about loans as a way of starting or growing your company.
Unfortunately, loans are notoriously complicated, riddled with complex terms and teeny tiny small print. Let us demystify the process and show you some of the best small business loans around.
Is a small business loan right for me?
It depends what type of business you have, how developed you are and what you need the loan for.
For example, some loans aren’t great for seasonal businesses as making repayments during off-peak times of year will be challenging.
In this case it’s worth considering other funding options like friends and family, crowdfunding, incubators, venture capital, small business grants or switching your business bank account. Check out our rundown of the best business bank accounts open to UK SMEs.
If you want to go ahead, you can do a few things to improve your chances of success. Make sure you’re as clear as possible on how much you need to borrow and what exactly the loan would be used for. Work the loan into your business plan and have a cash flow forecast ready, making sure you include loan repayments.
Having these
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Merchant cash advance – the funding option that’s made for retailers
by Partner Content • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
In the past, when a business needed finance to grow their business or solve a cash flow challenge, they applied for a business loan. Makes sense, right? Your business needs some cash and a loan gives you just that.
But sometimes a straightforward business loan isn’t the right option for every business. Take retailers as an example. Retailers need to buy stock and pay for staff, equipment and premises. But their income is generally made up of small payments from customers. And most retailers are susceptible to seasonal spikes and troughs in revenue, which often does not give them the best chance of repaying that standard business loan on time.
This is the challenge that can be solved by the merchant cash advance.
What is a merchant cash advance?
A merchant cash advance is a relatively new type of funding that’s designed for businesses that use card terminals to process customer payments.
You simply borrow a set amount and make your repayments as a percentage of each card terminal payment until you’ve paid off the full amount. You can generally borrow up to the equivalent of a month’s turnover with a merchant cash advance.
What makes a merchant cash