Questions, answered plainly.

We’re a business finance broker. An adviser learns what your business needs, finds suitable lenders from our panel, explains the options and costs in plain English, prepares your application and supports you to a decision. We don’t lend money ourselves.

UK businesses, from newer companies to established firms, looking to borrow from £1,000 to £1 million. Most of the businesses we help are limited companies or LLPs. If you’re a sole trader or partnership, talk to us: we’ll tell you honestly whether we can help. We can’t arrange finance that’s regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

You start with a short online enquiry, which takes a couple of minutes. An adviser then calls you to talk it through, so there’s no long application to fill in on your own.

None. You can ask questions, compare offers and decide not to go ahead at any point, at no cost.

Finding out your options is free. When you take funding from a lender we’ve introduced you to, the lender usually pays us a commission. If a fee were ever payable by you, we’d agree it with you in writing before any work starts.

It can. Commission is part of the lender’s costs, and some lenders let brokers influence the rate within a range. We explain how this works on our how we’re paid page, and you can ask your adviser what we’d receive before you accept an offer.

Your adviser lays every offer out the same way: amount, term, total repayable, fees and any guarantee. You can also use our quote checker to convert factor rates and flat rates into an effective APR.

Talking to an adviser doesn’t involve a credit search. When you choose to apply, lenders carry out their own checks, and some may leave a mark on your credit file. Your adviser will tell you before anything is submitted.

Possibly. Some lenders on our panel focus on how your business is trading rather than past credit problems. Be upfront with your adviser and they’ll concentrate on lenders likely to consider you.

Some lenders consider businesses trading for three months; many prefer six to twelve months, and some want two or three years. The longer and steadier your trading, the more choice you’ll have.

A promise from a director to repay the business’s borrowing personally if the business can’t. Most unsecured business lenders ask for one. Your adviser will explain the guarantee on any offer, and point out lenders that don’t require one.

Usually your last three to six months of business bank statements, company details and directors’ details. Larger amounts can need filed or management accounts. Open banking lets you share statements securely without downloading anything.

It depends on the lender, the amount and how quickly your information is ready. Some lenders can decide within a day; larger or more complex requests take longer. Your adviser will give you an honest estimate up front.

An adviser reviews what you’ve told us and calls you to talk through your options. If you want to go ahead, they prepare and submit your application, then help you compare offers.