Financial support can be beneficial to your business for many reasons, including if you’re just starting out and need a boost of funds, or if you’re trying to finance your company’s growth – there are a variety of options to choose from like short-term loans or equipment loans. From construction companies to retail businesses, there is something for everyone. Read on to find out how your business can benefit.
Start-up businesses
If you’re a new business, financial support can help to get you off the ground. Although a lot of bank loans may not be an option for businesses that have not been established for over two years, there are loans and support specifically tailored to a new business venture’s need. There is a variety of benefits that can come with choosing a start-up loan such as:
- Improve your credit rating: If you’re a new business, taking out a loan can help you to build up a good credit score so that you’re more likely to be approved for other forms of financial support you may need in the future.
- No payback if you fail: These loans are ideal as you won’t be stuck with the repayments if your business fails, your company will be liquidated, and your assets will be auctioned to match the amount you borrowed.
- Protects your personal funds: When starting a new business, it can be tempting to use your own hard-earned money to get you where you need to be, but these loans can give you a sense of security, giving you access to funds that aren’t connected to your personal finances.
- Grow your business: As a start-up, growing your business relies on having sufficient funds to do so. Choosing a start-up loan can give your business a boost to success.
Although start-up support can be beneficial, it can also be difficult to get. It is best to choose a lender that specialises in start-ups, as loans are based on trust that you will be able to make the repayments. With no history of business revenue, this can make lenders wary of approving financial support to new businesses.
Retail businesses
Retail businesses rely solely on sales from customers to be successful. There are lots of ways in which financial support could be advantageous if you’re running this type of company, either as a physical shop or online.
Using a loan can allow you to increase order size, meaning that you can appeal to a wider audience. Stocking more of your most popular products, as well as products that you think will appeal to your customers will help to drive sales. You could also use your financial support to invest in marketing and social media so that you can promote your brand and widen your reach.
Retail businesses rely on customer service and management skills, so you could use a loan to invest in staff, and train them in areas that would be beneficial to your customers; invest in their skills and customers will keep coming back.
Construction businesses
Construction is in high demand, and businesses pride themselves on the profession that they’ve mastered over the years. With construction being a sector that people are always going to need, a company could use financial support to grow their workforce. The funds could be used to train apprentices and purchase new vehicles, or they could go towards branding.
An equipment loan is also something that a construction company could benefit from. This loan is specifically made for businesses that need specialist equipment or machinery to do their jobs – this equipment can be expensive, so a loan means you can do your job with the most up-to-date equipment, without having to find a lump sum of cash to pay for it.
Established businesses
It’s not just smaller, up and coming businesses that can benefit from the range of financial support that lenders have to offer. If you’re an established business, you may be looking to expand and grow, either to another location or with the product or service you provide. You can use this boost to finance new premises, and new staff or use it to make necessary improvements and updates to your current set-up.
As an established business, you are more likely to be approved for a bank loan, as you will have sufficient information for lenders to see that you have good credit and can make repayments. There is less of a risk for lenders if you’ve taken out financial support, or another type of loan in the past – so you are more likely to be approved.
