Fast finance to grow your business

Obtaining finance from a bank can be a stressful experience: multiple meetings, a slow, time-consuming process, and a lack of transparency about the costs involved.

All of this often ends with a ‘no’. However, it needn’t be like this.

To apply for a loan, businesses complete an online application form in as little as 10 minutes. Here they provide information about the business, including key financial details, management structure and number of staff employed. Crucially, no face-to-face meeting is required, so you can apply outside of working hours. Although there is a team on hand to help, should you prefer to talk it through over the phone. To be eligible you must have been trading for at least two years and have a minimum turnover of £50,000.

Funding Circle arrange the whole process, so you receive one lump sum and make one monthly repayment. Unlike banks there is no early repayment fee and the fee structure is simple and easy to understand. Since launching in 2010, investors have lent over £530 million to 8,000 businesses across the country. This form of direct lending and borrowing has helped to create an estimated 24,000 British jobs. Lancashire County Council have been lending directly to businesses within the area via Funding Circle since 2012. They part fund local loans, helping to stimulate economic growth and support enterprise.