Types of business finance
Each kind of business funding explained: how it works, what it is secured on and who it suits.
Secured business loans: what you can borrow against
What you can use as security for a business loan, how a charge works, what is at risk and how secured compares with unsecured.
Angel investment: how it works and what investors expect
How angel investment works for founders, what angels expect in return for their shares, and how it differs from a loan.
Auction finance: funding a property bought at auction
How short-term auction finance works, what to arrange before you bid, the taxes to expect and the risks of missing completion.
Business debt consolidation: when combining borrowing helps
How combining several business debts into one repayment works, when it helps, what to check on cost and when to get advice first.
Business overdrafts: how they work and when to use one
How a business overdraft works, the fees and risks to check, how it differs from a loan and a credit line, and when to look elsewhere.
Business car and vehicle finance: the options compared
Hire purchase, finance lease or contract hire for a business car, with the VAT, capital allowance and company car points to check first.
Buy-to-let through a limited company: how the lending works
How lending works when rental property is held in a limited company, with the tax and stamp duty questions to put to an accountant.
Commercial property investment: how purchases are financed
How a business finances a commercial property purchase to let out: the main routes, what lenders assess, stamp duty and the risks.
Contract hire explained for business vehicles
How contract hire works for business cars and vans, how it differs from hire purchase, and the VAT, mileage and early-exit points to check.
Crowdfunding for business: the main types and the rules
The four types of crowdfunding, which ones the FCA regulates, the company law that applies and how it compares with borrowing.
Property development finance: how staged funding works
How staged development finance works: drawdowns, monitoring, costs, tax points and the risks to plan for before you build.
Equipment finance and leasing: how to fund machinery and kit
How hire purchase and leasing fund machinery and kit, who owns the equipment at the end and what to check on tax and risk.
Finance lease vs operating lease: the difference
How a finance lease differs from an operating lease on risk, maintenance, tax, VAT and what happens when the term ends.
Long-term business loans: borrowing over five years or more
Which finance runs over five years or more, how security and guarantees work, what a longer term does to cost and the alternatives.
Mezzanine finance: what it is and when it is used
What mezzanine finance is, where it ranks between senior debt and equity, when it is used and the risks to weigh.
Peer-to-peer business lending: how it works in the UK
How peer-to-peer lending works for UK businesses, who regulates the platforms, and what a borrower should check before signing.
Revolving credit facilities: how a business line of credit works
How a revolving credit facility works, what it costs, who can use one and how it compares with a term loan and an overdraft.
Sale and leaseback and asset refinance: raising cash from what you own
How a business can release cash from assets it already owns through asset refinance, often called sale and leaseback, and what to weigh first.
SEIS and EIS: how the investor tax reliefs work for your company
How the SEIS and EIS investor tax reliefs work for the company raising money: eligibility, limits, the HMRC process and the rules to keep.
Semi-commercial mortgages for mixed-use property
What a semi-commercial mortgage is, what counts as mixed-use property, how stamp duty and regulation apply, and what lenders look at.
Short-term business loans: how they work and what to watch
How short-term business loans work, what the total cost includes, who regulates them and when an overdraft or invoice finance fits better.
Loans for sole traders and the self-employed
How self-employed people and sole traders can borrow for a business, which finance types fit, what lenders check and the personal risks.
Stock finance: borrowing against inventory
How borrowing against inventory works, how lenders value stock, what security a limited company gives and the alternatives to compare first.
Supply chain finance: how it works for suppliers and buyers
How supply chain finance works for suppliers and buyers, how it differs from invoice finance and factoring, and the risks to understand first.
Trade finance: funding imports, exports and stock orders
What trade finance covers for importers and exporters, the UK Export Finance schemes that exist and the alternatives when a bank facility does not fit.
Van finance for business: hire purchase, lease or contract hire
Hire purchase, finance lease or contract hire for a business van: who owns it, how VAT and allowances apply and what to check in the agreement.
Venture debt: what it is and who it suits
What venture debt is, how it differs from equity and ordinary loans, how lenders assess it, the risks and what to look at if you have no venture backing.
Working capital loans: funding the day-to-day
What a working capital loan covers, how it compares with an overdraft, invoice finance and revolving credit, and the risks to weigh.
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