How to set up and run a small business
Christmas might be a time for giving, but the common perception is that it’s not a time for investing.
However, as John Auckland of TribeFirst reveals, funding statistics surprisingly show that December can be a great month to find investment for your business.
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When you need to find business funding fast, what are your options and what are the quickest ways for you to secure more finance?
We talk you through the most viable fast funding options for SMEs who need finance in a hurry, and include practical tips on how to ensure your funding application goes as swiftly and smoothly as possible. Continue…
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Most entrepreneurs really struggle to bring in investment without the proper tools to bolster their proposition. An engaging pitch deck is a key part of any successful fundraising strategy, so it’s vital to get it right.
With no clear consensus on what a great pitch deck for raising funds looks like, we asked funding expert, John Auckland to share the insight he has gleaned from a series of successful fundraisings.
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Getting funds together to accelerate your venture won’t be a quick task. Choosing the wrong fundraising activities can not only prolong the process, it can even deter investors from backing your business.
So, what are the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make when trying to bring in funding for their companies? Funding expert, John Auckland of TribeFirst, reveals 7 frequent fundraising failures; Continue…
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There may come a point where you end up missing a repayment for a loan or credit card that you have taken out, perhaps as a result of an unexpected financial emergency, or maybe just simply not having kept a track of your finances that month.
One of your first thoughts will be how quickly you can rectify the situation and pay the lender back, but have you also considered that this late payment could affect your credit score negatively? All The Lenders takes a look at how this works, as well as what you can do to also minimise the impact. Continue…
It’s impossible to forget the repercussions of the financial crash, many of which are still felt throughout the global economy today. But, as economic growth flatlined, the opposite happened in the online world.
While the banks cut off their lending to startups, internet technologies were undergoing a key evolution. Web 2.0 was emerging, and technology began connecting individuals, allowing them to bypass many long-established intermediaries.
This was the precursor to both rewards and equity crowdfunding.
Put simply, Rewards Crowdfunding is the practice of giving lower cost or exclusive items as rewards to early adopters in return for their backing, while Equity Crowdfunding involves selling shares in your business.
To help you understand more about the pros and cons of Rewards and Equity Crowdfunding, and the key points for success, we asked crowdfunding expert, John Auckland of TribeFirst to explain more. Continue…
Look around at the world’s many unpredictable events and it could not be clearer that our political, and social, tectonics plates are shifting.
Fueled by the digital revolution of young technology adoptees who are now reaching adulthood, it is in many ways unsurprising that the connected generation is rejecting old leadership paradigms, and favouring the peer-to-peer model over outdated intermediaries.
As the plates shifted, crowdfunding has been able to blossom, and its societal impact is far more radical than you might realise.
My prediction is that by 2030, all worthwhile ideas will be brought to life via crowdfunding. Continue…
The goal of any equity crowdfunding campaign is to catch the attention of investors and convince them that your business is worth backing.
But how does the mind of an investor work?
With more equity crowdfunding campaigns run each year, it’s crucial to know what motivates potential investors and how they make their crowdfunding investment decisions.
The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) is designed to help smaller, risky businesses raise funding to fuel growth.
Early-stage businesses can find it difficult to secure investment, so the EIS was set up to encourage more investors to back fledgling businesses by offering generous tax-breaks.
To help you see whether the EIS could help you raise funding for your business, we asked award-winning chartered tax adviser, Jonathan Amponsah CTA FCCA to explain how it works. Continue…
When it comes to start-up investment, the UK has some of the best tax relief schemes anywhere in the world.
The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), along with its earlier-stage sibling the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS), offer protection of investments in UK start-ups. If the business fails, investors can claim up to 80% of the investment as tax relief against their income tax bill. Continue…
A form of finance which is rapidly gaining popularity in the UK business market is bridging finance. Around £750 million was borrowed through the means of bridging in the year 2011, since then it has only gone up where in 2016, this number went up by £4 billion.
The way bridging loans work is that they allow a business (or an individual) to access large sums of money within around 2 to 4 weeks. Continue…
One of the biggest obstacles to growth for start-up businesses is investment. Investors are often reluctant to commit their money to a new business with a promising idea but no track record of success.
Fortunately the Government lent a helping hand in 2012, and introduced the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) to help smaller, riskier companies attract investors willing to take a punt on a bright idea becoming a successful business. Continue…
Any time is a good time to start a company, so said renowned American angel investor Ron Conway.
That may be true, but how easy is it to find the necessary funding?
The answer largely depends on your understanding of how fundraising should be done.
Venture capital money going into technology companies in the UK is at an all-time high. A year post-Brexit referendum, British tech firms attracted £2.4bn in funding.
To date this year, UK fintech companies alone have seen £825m of VC investment.
So, what do investors look for in tech start-ups and how do you get a slice of this funding for your technology venture? Continue…
Getting finance for your business is no longer just a case of approaching your high street bank manager and asking for a loan.
The market is now much more varied, and boasts a huge range of products which have been tailored for more specific purposes. This means that depending on your requirements, it’s easier than ever to find funding that fits your business – if you know where to look.
Asset finance is one such funding solution, but what exactly is asset finance and is it a good option for your business? Continue…
Everybody understands that starting up a business from scratch is not a simple process or an easy challenge to take on.
Regardless of how lofty your ambitions are or whether you’re aiming to establish yourself as a sole trader or as a the boss of a burgeoning new enterprise, finding access to initial and early-stage sources of finance is a vitally important step along the way towards sustainability and success.
Here’s a look at some of the most commonplace and most viable routes to finance currently available to startup businesses and the entrepreneurs behind them.
PROMOTED GUIDE – This is a promoted guide from Funding Xchange – the business funding marketplace where lenders compete to fund your business. Get Funding Now!If you have approached your bank and found it difficult to secure the funds your business requires, you’re in good company. Banks are declining up to 50% of loan requests from some smaller businesses.
Banks’ lending decisions have very little to do with you or the prospects of your business. And their outdated processes and high costs of capital make it difficult for them to lend to smaller businesses.
Business owners are also being frustrated by the inability of banks to provide flexible forms of credit to businesses. This is highlighted by the fact that the availability of business overdrafts, long a favorite tool for businesses to smooth cash flow, has shrunk by more than 30%.
So where else can you get funding for your business?
There are lots of things to think about if you’re considering taking out a business loan.
The UK’s business lending market includes a wide range of providers offering subtly different types of business loans. Some are aimed at a particular type of business, or companies of a certain size or those operating in a specific sector.
With a wide range of business loans available it’s important to first get a basic understanding of the different options you have when it comes to borrowing money to fund your business.
Here are some of the key considerations you need to bear in mind when sourcing a business loan for your firm. Continue…
Since the recession of 2008/2009, there has been a significant reduction in the ability of banks to lend to British SMEs.
Whilst mainstream finance is still great for some businesses, many banks now have lending criteria that small businesses are unable to fulfill.
Fortunately, ‘alternative finance’ can offer a viable substitute for entrepreneurs looking for innovative and flexible ways to fund their business growth.
But before blindly assuming alternative finance is the answer to all your financial woes, there are six things you need to understand before you approach an alternative finance provider looking for funding. Continue…
Borrowing money from a bank to finance your business is a lot harder than getting a loan to buy a new car or to improve your home.
Banks have a number of tough rules that you need to know before you approach them for a business loan, and these rules have become even more stringent as a result of the credit crunch.
Continue…
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