Funding for the future

Whatever the financial climate, funding should be seen as an important strategy to help diversify and grow your business. There are several reasons why you might want an injection of capital during the forthcoming upturn:

• Hiring new talent to expand and increase your client base.
• Bringing new and improved products and services to the market to boost profitability and improve customer satisfaction.
• Increasing marketing and advertising to raise brand awareness and boost demand for your product or service.
• Investing in new technology to lower costs and help you stay ahead of the competition.

There currently exists a general perception that credit is difficult to secure at the moment, which is understandable given the reports that have been published in the news. The Bank of England recently reported a record fall in business lending from the banks and the chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses suggested that a significant number of organisations feel “put off by the high cost of finance”.

While it’s true that the downturn has made securing finance tougher, there are successful investors out there who are always in the market for a good investment. In fact, throughout the recession period we have had helped many of our clients to raise considerable sums through alternative finance routes, placing them in an excellent position to take advantage of the recovery.

The first step to securing funding is to develop a watertight proposition.

Any lender will need to see evidence of a well run business with a strong sense of direction and good management team in order to be confident on their return on investment.  We can work with you to:

• Identify the ways in which funding willbest support your short and long term business goals.
• Get your company’s financial statistics investor-ready with detailed breakdowns of past performance, current status and forecast activity.
• Provide you with relevant market intelligence that shows how you compare favourably against competitors.
• Help you optimise your management structure to put you in the best financial and organisational position possible.
• Single out the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that have a positive impact on your business to demonstrate that you are a proactive, professional organisation that is sure to succeed in the future.

Once these documents are in place, we can help you review the wide range of finance sources available, looking beyond the traditional channels to get you the best deal.  Alternative sources that you may not have considered include: Government initiatives (such as the Enterprise Finance Guarantee), grants and development loans, as well as private investors and banks (not just your won) who are willing to support attractive propositions.

As a well established firm, we have a strong network of private investors and venture capitalists and can help get your business in front of key decision makers who are interested in your sector. We also have excellent relationships with bank managers across Essex and East London and know what they are looking for. Furthermore, if your best option is a Government loan or grant, we can help you to find the right scheme and develop a compelling application.

To find out more about funding and what options are available to you, please contact our Corporate Finance Team.