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.