Making business finance work for you

Starting a business doesn’t come with a set of instructions.

We know that understanding the many different types of financial product in the marketplace and how they could support your business can be difficult.

Our Making business finance work for you guide is designed to help you make an informed choice about accessing the right type of finance for your business.

In this expanded edition of the guide, we’ve highlighted the nine most common challenges you might face, and the types of finance that could help you meet them, to help you move your business forward.

Those challenges include:

Starting a business – Starting a new business often requires capital – money that is used to help research your business idea, create a prototype product, or purchase equipment or machinery that your new business will use.
Research and development – Research and development (R&D) is when a business develops innovative products, services, or processes.
Importing and exporting goods and services – Businesses selling goods or services overseas face risks when it comes to cash flow and receiving payment from buyers.
Protecting cash flow and working capital – Cash flow can be unpredictable with unforeseen costs, seasonal fluctuations, and wider economic challenges all impacting business growth.
Debt consolidation – If you have multiple loans or lines of credit, you may decide to consolidate the debts into a single, more manageable loan.
Purchasing a major asset – If a small business is looking to acquire another business or invest in a large asset, such as specialist plant or machinery, an injection of capital may be required.
Scaling and growing a business – Whether it’s opening a new location, expanding product lines, or increasing production capacity, growth requires capital.

Want to learn how to manage your start-up’s finances? Check out our free online courses in partnership with the Open University on being an entrepreneur.

Our free Learn with Start Up Loans courses include:

Plus free courses on finance and accounting, project management, and leadership.

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Disclaimer: The Start -Up Loans Company makes reasonable efforts to keep the content of this article up to date, but we do not guarantee or warrant (implied or otherwise) that it is current, accurate or complete. This article is intended for general information purposes only and does not constitute advice of any kind, including legal, financial, tax or other professional advice. You should always seek professional or specialist advice or support before doing anything on the basis of the content of this article.

The Start-Up Loans Company is not liable for any loss or damage (foreseeable or not) that may come from relying on this article, whether as result of our negligence, breach of contract or otherwise. “Loss” includes (but is not limited to) any direct, indirect or consequential loss, loss of income, revenue, benefits, profits, opportunity, anticipated savings, data. We do not exclude liability for any liability which cannot be excluded or limited under English law. Reference to any person, organisation, business or event does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation from The Start-Up Loans Company, its parent company British Business Bank plc, or the UK Government.

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