Strategic Business Finance for Established SMEs

Challenge

This was not a single loan. Acquiring the business required funding across several lines at once — for the property, the plant and machinery, and day-one working capital — arranged quickly enough to secure the deal without cutting corners on valuations or the sales-ledger review.

Structure

We organised the valuations and a sales-ledger audit within three weeks and structured a facility of over £1m: a 30-year commercial mortgage against the premises, 5-year asset finance secured on the machinery, and 80% non-recourse factoring against roughly £150,000 of debtor invoices to fund working capital from day one.

Outcome

The purchase concluded within two months of initial contact. The buyer gained a complementary business and an integrated funding structure spanning property, plant and working capital — each element sized to the part of the deal it supported.

Challenge

As first-time hotel operators, they needed a lender that would back a well-evidenced business plan rather than a prior hotel-ownership record — and a way to bridge the delayed property sale so the purchase could complete on time.

Structure

We built a strong business plan supported by three years of trading accounts and approached four lenders. We secured a primary commercial mortgage at a 70% advance (a rate of 3.25% above bank base rate), plus a bridging facility secured against the unsold flat to cover the timing gap.

Outcome

The purchase completed successfully, and the bridging facility was redeemed two months later when the flat sold — exactly as planned.