www.elesclothing.co.uk hopes this article will help all our wholesale start up business.

Alternative Funding Options for Small Businesses

The British funding environment is undergoing a huge change at present; the traditional funding model of large banks lending and venture capitalists investing is stagnating (as has been made very clear in the press), and thus small business owners are having to look elsewhere for capital to nurture, stabilise and grow their enterprises.

As bleak as this sounds, it is not necessarily a bad thing. Because the ‘elsewhere’ I mentioned is absolutely full of exciting new funding concepts, designed to provide businesses willing to depart from the norm the spoils of capital investment. At Ingenious Britain, we’re trying to open small business owners’ eyes to new developments and concepts we feel can really kick-start the British economy – we call this the ‘New Business Normal’, but you can call it ‘a new start’.

Crowdfunding

Essentially, crowdfunding is the rise of the online armchair ‘Dragon’. Much like on the TV series Dragons’ Den, you ‘pitch’ your business for an equity stake in your company. The difference here though is anybody can be that Dragon. You can decide yourself if a business is investable, and put your own money (as little or as much as you’d like) into it for a share of that business, or a reward – which are normally stratified so that the more you invest, the better the reward.

Online investment is expected to reach £12billion in ten years’ time, and crowdfunding is the start of this revolution. It’s democratising investment, and the onslaught of technology has facilitated local communities (both digital and otherwise) to come together and back a certain project or business. If you have a wide follower base, and a watertight business plan (with projections), this is the opportunity for you to make the most of it!

Check out: Crowdcube, PeopleFund.it,BankToTheFuture

SEIS (Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme)

We love SEIS here at Ingenious Britain. It’s a scheme brought in by the Government last year, which hasn’t got nearly the exposure it deserves. It basically offers a lower liability risk for investors looking to pump money into businesses by ensuring additional return for them in the form of tax credits. More information on the specifics of the scheme is available on the HMRC website.

Lower chance of losing money for investors = higher chance of investment in your company. I normally hate maths, but that looks like a good equation to me.

Prince’s Trust

Younger entrepreneurs, this is for you. The Prince’s Trust have been helping out 16-25 year olds for over 20 years, and they’re great if you’re looking to take the first tentative steps in the business world.

You can get a grant of anything up to £500 to help you get into education, training or employment, and via theirEnterprise Programme you can apply for a low-interest loan of up to £4000 if you’re a sole trader, and £5000 if you’re a partnership if you’re looking to start up a business.

Invoice Trading

Now, this is new, and I was delighted we featured it in the latest edition of Ingenious Britain, because I think it’s a great alternative to short-term loans (A.K.A. ‘Hello, 4000% APR’) for unlocking the value within your unpaid invoices and maintaining healthy cash-flow.

Invoice Trading is the process whereby small businesses(the sellers) place invoices in an online auction and sell them individually or in bundles to the best bidder (the buyer). This means they get quick access to outstanding funds. Sellers then buy invoices back after either 30, 60 or 90 days. It’s a fantastic concept, and one that definitely deserves looking into if you’ve a history of receiving late payments or need to bolster cash-flow.

Regional Growth Fund (RGF)

There are a host of government schemes, both local and national (most of which are available to look at here) which are designed to help up small and start-up businesses; I’ll focus on the RGF because I think it can be the most beneficial for small businesses.

The RGF is a £2.6 billion fund operating across England from 2011 to 2016, which supports projects and programmes that lever private sector investment to create economic growth and sustainable employment. The first three rounds allocated £2.4 billion, which will leverage over £13 billion of private sector investment and create or safeguard over 500,000 jobs.

It is about to enter its fourth phase and organisations across the UK have been encouraged to apply for their share of the £350 million fund before the deadline, which is fast approaching. So, if you fit the bill (and let’s face it, most businesses do fulfil that brief), then apply, apply, apply!

Also worth checking out: R&D Tax Credits, which aren’t just for men in white coats.

StartUp Loans UK

Finally, chaired by former-Dragon and entrepreneurial behemoth James Caan, I’d like to introduce you to StartUp Loans UK. As well as low-cost, unsecured loans, the scheme offers mentorship, which can be vital for businesses in their early stages.

The only downside is that there is an age limitation – the scheme only offers finance to those aged between 18 - 30 but it’s a great scheme for younger entrepreneurs who need guidance as well as finance.

Thanks,

Team Eles