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How to fund your business

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What do you do when your business is struggling under mounting debts?

October 8, 2014

While it may be tempting to ignore a mounting debt problem in your business, it is the worst thing you could do. If your business is a limited company, there are many avenues open to you to resolve debt-related problems. So, where do you start?

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Business debt recovery – A practical guide for small businesses

October 8, 2014

If your customers do not pay you on time (or at all), then they are inflicting serious damage to your business. It is something that is so often overlooked as ‘one of those things’ small businesses just have to put up with, but with the right approach you needn’t let your business succumb to this […]

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Raising finance for your business

October 8, 2014

To raise money to grow your business, you have to convince likely lenders that your idea is profitable, or at least has the potential to be. Here, we take a look at two the two key elements that should drive your search for funding; The different types of finance available What lenders and investors look […]

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How to avoid late payment problems

August 28, 2014

The single biggest cause of small business failure in the UK is poor cash flow management, most often brought on by late payment issues. It’s therefore vitally important that you do all you can to ensure that your customers pay you on time. Here are 7 things a small or start-up business (or any organisation […]

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Using ‘Credit Limit Application Forms’ for new customers – the factors you need to consider

August 12, 2014

Credit limit application forms are a useful way of finding out the financial capabilities of a new client or customer, before you agree to provide them with any form of credit.

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What exactly are invoice finance and factoring, and what benefits can they bring to my business?

June 12, 2014

Invoice finance and factoring are two terms you may have heard thrown around in relation to business finances – but what exactly are they? Well, they’re not quite a loan, but they are a source of funding – and they’re secured against your outstanding, unpaid client invoices, so you might prefer to think of them […]

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How to get your business ready to sell – 10 things to do before you put up the for sale sign

April 30, 2014

So you want to sell your business? The place where you’ve spent more time than with your family; invested money which you’ve sometimes had to borrow in order to expand or buy new equipment; given your heart and torn out your guts; worked anywhere from 60 – 80 hours a week, maybe more; tackled a […]

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5 things you should know if you want to attract business angels

April 22, 2014

Angel investors can be a lifesaver for a small enterprise – not only can they supply capital investment, but they often have years of valuable experience to offer a fledgling business. As viewers of Dragons’ Den will know, securing angel investment is no easy task. Although much of the BBC show is put on for […]

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Factoring for small businesses – the pros and cons

November 21, 2013

If you’re doing well enough that your business is growing rapidly you would expect your finances to be healthy. But that isn’t always the case. If your firm is expanding quickly, you could find that your cash flow becomes a problem, even though your business is profitable. It’s a unique financial situation where you are […]

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The free tools businesses can use to credit check new clients

October 25, 2013

One of the big issues when you’re taking on a new client is whether you can trust them to pay you or not – so how best do you deal with this concern? Some people charge a deposit or part-payment upfront, but that can be off-putting to customers, who equally don’t know whether you’re trustworthy […]

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£100 million business funding scheme now open to all high growth potential companies

July 5, 2013

The Angel CoFund, which provides investment capital for businesses with the potential for rapid growth, can now be tapped by companies from all over the UK. Previously, only high-growth businesses in specific geographical areas of the UK were eligible for funding through the CoFund. However, a £50 million finance boost from the government’s Business Bank […]

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What are business angels and how they can help your business?

May 3, 2013

Although it may not reflect ‘real life’, the BBC’s Dragons’ Den programme has done a good job in highlighting the role that angel investors play in the business world. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the ongoing economic downturn has actually resulted in an increase in business angel activity. As the returns from more traditional means […]

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Guide to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme

March 27, 2013

The Government launched the EFG scheme to encourage lenders to provide further funding to smaller businesses following the credit crisis. In this article, we look at the how the scheme operates in practice, and how small firms can benefit.

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Popular funding options for fledgling businesses

February 19, 2013

Many businesses will need to raise funds at some time – either at the start-up stage, or to finance expansion. With ‘traditional’ credit still in short supply and the possibility of a ‘triple dip recession’ in 2013, here is an overview of the various options open to small businesses looking to raise funds.

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What to do when a client refuses to pay or can’t pay

November 21, 2012

If you’ve got a business headache right now, there’s a pretty good chance it’s to do with clients owing you money. It’s almost as if the economic downturn has become a prime opportunity for anyone who fancies improving their own cash flow to help themselves to better credit terms from their suppliers… but without asking […]

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What are County Court Judgements?

June 18, 2012

Often when you see adverts for loans – particularly debt consolidation loans – you’ll hear them speak of ‘CCJs’ as something that might have prevented you from being approved for a loan elsewhere. CCJs are County Court Judgements, and are a legal process designed to resolve issues such as non-payment by taking your client to […]

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Late payment the biggest cash flow killer

May 2, 2012

A recent survey shows, once again, that late paying customers remain the biggest single threat to the health of the UK’s small businesses. Here, we provide some tips on how to avoid late payment problems.

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Crowdfunding – a new alternative for small and start-up businesses looking to raise money

February 9, 2012

Raising business finance is difficult at the best of times but in today’s age of austerity banks, business angels and governments are tightening their belts, cutting off the supply of cash which is leaving start-ups and growing businesses who need seed finance thirsty for money. As a result venture capital is being democratised.

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5 ways to instantly improve your cash flow

February 8, 2012

Cash flow is the most important thing in your business – more important even than profit. If you imagine cash to be the blood cells of a business, then cash flow is the flow of blood, keeping the business alive. A healthy person will quickly die without blood. And a healthy profitable business will quickly […]

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Top 10 business finance tips for start-ups

November 16, 2011

When you are starting a new business you have a million and one things to think about. As a new business owner, many of the issues you will need to tackle, will be completely unfamiliar to you. With so much to do, you will need to learn quickly. If the financial side of the business […]

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Late payment debt recovery service for ByteStart visitors

October 8, 2011

As late payment problems consider to plague small businesses, we have teamed up with a leading debt recovery service to ensure ByteStart visitors can receive help getting their invoices paid.

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Tips for avoiding late payment problems during the downturn

October 8, 2011

Now we are in the middle of an economic downturn, one of the most important things small companies should do is to keep a firm control on their cash flow.

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How factoring can free up your business cashflow

October 8, 2011

The lifeblood of any business is cash. You need good cash flow to keep your business viable. In some ways it’s more important than turning a profit – it’s not unheard of for profitable businesses to go under, just because they ran out of cash.

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How to manage your cashflow and grow your business via invoice financing

October 8, 2011

Good cashflow management should be one of the most important priorities for businesses of any size. As has been so brutally demonstrated in recent months, it is possible for perfectly solvent companies to become unsustainable if cashflow becomes a problem.

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Ensure business success by developing good money habits

October 8, 2011

Whatever your business does, the purpose of it is simple: to do it at a profit. That’s the whole point of business. Even if you run a not-for-profit organisation, you still need to make a profit to reinvest (or at the very least break even). So how do you make a profit from your business?

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Guide to successful risk assessment and credit management of new customers

October 8, 2011

If a stranger walked up to you and asked to borrow £100 on the spot with a promise that you would be paid back in 30 days, would you oblige? Thought not! What about repayment and the implications if it failed to materialise? Despite these obvious risks, many firms are expected to do business this […]

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6 things you can do to help make sure your small business survives a recession

October 8, 2011

With the UK in a period of prolonged recession or very low growth, and with the credit crunch affecting the economy, conditions are very difficult for a large number of small businesses. The realities of a recession means that consumer spending is weaker and therefore any service provider, retail outlet or manufacturer that is reliant […]

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How to speed up late payers and when to use a debt collection agency to tackle the worst culprits

October 8, 2011

Sadly, there is a real culture of late payments in the UK. For business to business transactions, most firms automatically expect 30 days credit. In fact, if you don’t agree different terms, the law says businesses can take 30 days to pay by default. If you find yourself lucky enough to be supplying very big […]

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Invoice discounting – a small business guide

October 8, 2011

Unless you’ve got mortgage-free commercial premises or machinery, the biggest asset in your business is probably its sales ledger. Its value shouldn’t be under-estimated. The money your business will bring in each month is a valuable tool that can be used to make business life easier.

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What are venture capitalists, and how do I attract their interest?

October 8, 2011

If you’ve ever watched an episode of Dragons’ Den – and find me anyone in business who hasn’t watched at least one episode – you’ve seen some venture capitalists in action.

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Top tips on how to impress business angels

October 8, 2011

At ByteStart, we have come across hundreds of would-be entrepreneurs over the past decade. We have also had the pleasure of meeting plenty of angel investors and industry insiders. If you have a fledgling business, or an idea that you think you can turn in to a viable business, you might want a business angel […]

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What are Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs)?

October 8, 2011

Launched in 1995, shortly after the introduction of the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), Venture Capital Trusts allow individuals to invest in a range of small unquoted companies and spread their risk. Income tax and capital gains tax (CGT) reliefs are available to investors in VCTs.

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Overview of the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS)

October 8, 2011

Created in 1994, the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) provides investors with a series of attractive reliefs in return for investing in unquoted companies which may carry a higher degree of risk. How do companies and potential investors qualify to take part in the Scheme?

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