The working capital facility was structured by Adam Myers at Ultimate Finance, who worked with Adam Simpson at the Liquidity Club to tailor a finance package to support SLP’s growth strategy to move the business forward to expand with new projects in the rail sector and increase profits. The working capital line includes a revolving facility that provides flexibility for SLP to access funding when it is needed to assist new contract wins and growth opportunities.

​Duncan Proctor, Managing Director SLP said: “The new funding package puts SLP in a strong position for continued growth and will support new contract wins and our ability to drive forward the business. We have recently expanded our sales team which further strengthens our ability and desire to increase our customer base across the UK.  We want to be the best at what we do – which is why we’ve invested in our people and use the latest technology, enabling us to deliver projects on time and to specification."

​“I have been impressed by the support provided by Adam Simpson at Liquidity Club. He has been first class. The whole process has been much easier because Adam reviewed the funding options and introduced us to the right funding partner. As a result, we have worked with Adam Myers at Ultimate Finance and received the funding boost we needed to support our growth.”

SLP is winning exciting new contracts in the rail industry and the funding that we’ve provided means they can maximise those opportunities. ​We were able to offer Duncan  and his team an increased finance package that provides extra security to continue pursuing their growth plans with confidence.  Working with Duncan and Adam at Liquidity Club, has been a pleasure.” ​

​The company has notable clients across the commercial and public sectors including major retailers, managed service providers, education and government.

Liquidity Club met with Gwyn Hicks, COO and CFO of Hardware.com, to understand the plans for growth and capital requirements for the long-term. The result was an introduction to Secure Trust Bank who provided a facility that better met the needs of the business than their incumbent provider.

David Parsons, Regional MD at Secure Trust Bank further added: "Hardware.com's value-added offering has helped it secure contracts with blue-chip customers across the globe. With this new line of funding, the business can invest in new services to allow it to scale up and bring in new revenue streams. We're keen to support Hardware UK, and look forward to seeing the company progress in the coming years."

​I’m a man that doesn’t ‘do things by half’ and I take that approach into every aspect in my life! In my view, there is no point doing something if you’re not giving that something 100%. 

Preparation 
We've all heard the phrase “Abs are made in the kitchen”. Starting a new role and fitting in a training plan has been intense, especially trying to reconnect with all my contacts across the North West region. Planning my diary to maximise efficiency is a crucial part of success. The same approach can be taken with your finances. Planning for peaks and troughs in cashflows and seeking help early can avoid larger issues down the line.

Time management 
‘Don’t be a busy fool’ - organising your diary and determining where you need to be is a full-time job in itself!  Throw travel and rush hour traffic into the mix, and your days can quickly become shorter and less efficient. If you are looking at fundraising for your business, is meeting multiple lenders to compare really the best use of your time? Why not focus on running the business instead and leave an expert partner to manage this, maximising the time available to you?

Review the plan 
Many businesses set out their annual financial objectives once - at the start of the calendar year or start of their financial year. Even plans made with the best intentions should adapt as time moves on, and the end objectives change. It is good practice to take stock of how your business is performing towards your target and does anything have to be changed to achieve this? Don’t be afraid to amend this where needed. Missing an occasional training run will not be the end of the world – life does get in the way!

We at Liquidity Club have the market expertise to advise the SME market for their funding needs and business goals. With access to the full financial spectrum we are fully prepared to help and would welcome the opportunity to support your SME contacts where possible.

It is for the value of one hundred and fifty pounds , fifteen shillings and seven pence halfpenny (equivalent to £21,580 today)

It is in fact a simple assignment of book debts, precisely the mechanism we still use today in an invoice financing arrangement, drawn up before the Napoleonic Wars. More than that it was the classic case of individuals (not a bank or business) joining together to provide a loan to someone with cash flow problems. So you could say a forerunner of today’s Peer-to-Peer Lending!

I've spent over 35 years in the asset based lending industry and I've seen a number of significant changes but it seems we may have come full circle. During the early '80s most players were small independent houses often with a merchant banking background. Operationally as funders we were very much paper driven.

Gradually the main clearing banks began to extend their reach to put invoice finance alongside traditional overdrafts. Over the next few years Asset Based Lending was introduced by one or two US funders, until it became and now remains widely available. In the 21st century 'fintech' has taken off even further and the days of paper are now long gone with most data transferring electronically. Some funders in the current market claim to analyses hundreds of thousands of data points in making lending decisions, most of which are accessed without the client needing to lift a finger.

In a nutshell this is what is so exciting about joining Liquidity Club.

After 35 years in the lending world, working within given parameters and product sets, I now have the opportunity to look across the market for solutions to a range of funding problems that we are presented with. From trade finance, invoice finance and full ABL, to tax credits of R&D expenditure and overpayments in Stamp Duty; in short there aren't many funding requirements that we cannot present a solution for.

To learn more or for assistance raising finance for your business please contact Tim or one of the team here

Tim Corbett

As I sprint past my first anniversary of joining the Liquidity Club I pause for breath to reflect on what I and the Liquidity Club have been up to.

I remember my first day well, walking into the Finance 4 Business' brand new offices and being paraded around  trying to remember all the names presented to me. Sitting at my desk, I broke the spine of a crisp new note pad and that was that – time to support the growth of Liquidity Club.

How it unfolded
The concept, ‘an outsourced sales team’, is how we disrupt the market; working closely with a small selection of business finance funders who we felt fit with our values and the needs of businesses. The concept was formed, and it was time to find these finance providers the right funding opportunities.

I jumped in my car, took many trains, made countless calls, talked to loads of businesses, to my introducers, learnt all about the world of social media and then we made a video that is yet to go viral (see above), but I have total confidence! What was clear from early on was business’ were looking to raise finance but other than speaking to their bank they didn’t know where to start (as Will Mason reported in his blog earlier this year).

Pleasingly (and thank you to everyone that has supported me) the opportunities came in thick and fast and the results have exceeded expectations. We’ve secured cashflow solutions to include refinance, new finance, acquisition & transactional debt, growth and turnaround all for a variety of situations.

What next?
Liquidity Club is not standing still. We have invested in our people and are up to a team of seven, bolstering our analytics team, launching in the North West and now London and the South. Everyone believes in our core value ‘Pragmatism’ - we are pragmatic in everything we do, approachable, straight talking and lateral thinking. 

It’s good to stop and pause for breath and reflect but not for too long as there are businesses that require finance and funders willing to support them, it’s time to kick on!

Paul Varley

Asset based lending to businesses in the UK has grown 2% year on year in Q3 2018. 

Stephen Pegge, Managing Director of UK Finance said: "Asset based lending continues to show steady growth, driven mainly by advances to larger businesses. Support to small and medium-sized companies through invoice finance and asset based lending is now comparable to total balances drawn on overdrafts."

"However, overall growth has remained modest in line with recent trends across SME lending, as businesses delay investment decisions until the broader economic picture becomes more certain.""

http://www.business-money.com/announcements/asset-based-lending-continues-to-show-steady-growth

A family-run business, AD Bird Stainless Limited was established in 1987 and has quickly built up a reputation for the fast, efficient and reliable supply of quality, specialist, stainless steel products and services. The business employs 23 staff from its headquarters on Sheffield Road in Penistone and is forecast to achieve over £7million turnover this next financial year, which demonstrates substantial growth over the previous year. It works with a wide range of industries including nuclear power generation, oil and gas, water, marine, petro-chemical, architectural, automotive, construction and general engineering. 
​
The ABL facility was structured by Ian Flaxman at Wyelands Bank, who worked with Adam Simpson at the Liquidity Club to tailor a finance package to support AD Bird Stainless Limited’s growth strategy. The ABL line is a revolving facility that works by accessing cash held within the debtor book and assets, thereby giving AD Bird Stainless Limited access to working capital to assist future growth.  

The business is today run by the second family generation of Nigel Bird, Managing Director, and son of founder Derek Bird.

​Nigel Bird, Managing Director at AD Bird Stainless Limited said: “The funding is a very important driver in our growth and allows us to manage our future plans. We are extremely busy with new orders and supporting existing customers, both in the UK and overseas, and I am excited to have the financial backing to invest for the future. This year we are on track to hit our forecast turnover which has been assisted by our increased focus in the marine sector. The support provided by Adam Simpson at Liquidity Club throughout the process has been great, he has really understood our business and our growth strategy.”

​Ian Flaxman, Managing Director, Working Capital Solutions at Wyelands Bank, said: “At Wyelands Bank, we were set up to help businesses just like AD Bird Stainless Limited to trade, grow and create jobs.  By supporting small and medium firms, providing the business finance they need to trade effectively, we fill a vital gap in the market.  We give customers direct access to decision makers and work together to find the right funding solution for them, as this deal with AD Bird Stainless Limited demonstrates.” 

Liquidity Club has expanded its team in the North of England with the appointment of Chris Carter as the Regional Director for the North West region.
​
Chris’ appointment highlights the successful growth of Liquidity Club which was launched a year ago as an alternative business channel for business funders to assist SME’s looking to raise finance to support growth and present impartial financial solutions that are tailored to suit each individual business.

Chris will concentrate across the North West region including Manchester and will work alongside colleagues in the Birmingham and Leeds teams. Chris has extensive experience in the banking and financial services sector having recently worked for Mercia Fund Managers and prior to that the Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest.

​Recently published statistics indicate that only 34% of SMEs are using external finance, while only 47% are planning to grow in the coming 12 months. Could this indicate that SMEs are lacking the funding to expand? Or could it be that SMEs are lacking information regarding how debt finance could benefit their business?

Those SMEs who have borrowed in the last 12 months have generally used finance for expansion (29%), working capital (28%) or purchasing capital equipment (22%). In addition, around 2 in 3 of these borrowers have used finance provided by their main bank. 85% of SMEs are using finance provided by a company with whom they have an existing relationship, whether a bank or another provider. Contrary to the common media rhetoric, only 12% are being declined when applying - a real positive message.

One concern amongst the statistics is that only 4 in 10 businesses are consulting a professional advisor or finance provider about funding. This can be so valuable in finding the right structure and cost of funds. At Liquidity Club we have seen numerous businesses able to release far more cash, or save money, when moving to new providers compared with their incumbent provider. Yet only 7% of SMEs, in the statistics, have moved to a new provider in the last year.

Perhaps this highlights the need for more information being made available to directors of SMEs. Equally, it may be that increasing choice of providers, complex terminology and the number of different products can be confusing for those directors of SMEs. For any who agree with these sentiments, we would welcome a conversation about debt funding to break down some of these barriers.

All statistics sourced from BVA BDRC:
http://www.bva-bdrc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/BDRC_SME_Finance_Monitor_Q2_2018_Final.pdf