Bank debt and asset finance
Term loans, revolving facilities, hire purchase and equipment finance. Cheapest money first, and usually more available than owners expect.
Usually fitsProfitable, asset-backed businesses with a clear repayment story.
Business finance & funding · Birmingham & West Midlands
The right capital, on terms you can live with.
Most funding processes fail on preparation, not on the business. I build the numbers and the narrative that get a lender or investor to a decision quickly, then negotiate alongside you.
West Mids Finance · Advisory in the room
Capital options
Six routes, one correct answer for your business
The cheapest capital that fits the risk is almost always the right capital. Part of the work is telling you which route not to take.
Equity investment
Angel, venture, growth and private equity. A model, a data room and a narrative that survives a first partner meeting.
Usually fitsHigh-growth companies willing to trade ownership for speed.
Private debt and mezzanine
Flexible capital for acquisitions, buyouts or a balance sheet reset where bank terms no longer fit.
Usually fitsPredictable cash flow with a defined event and exit route.
Working capital finance
Invoice finance, supply chain finance and stock facilities to convert a growing order book into cash.
Usually fitsBusinesses whose cash is trapped in debtors or inventory.
Grants and innovation funding
R&D relief, innovation grants and regional schemes, claimed properly and reflected correctly in the forecast.
Usually fitsTechnology, manufacturing and research-heavy businesses.
Refinancing and restructuring
Replacing an expensive facility, renegotiating covenants, or consolidating a fragmented debt stack into one clear position.
Usually fitsBusinesses with existing debt that no longer matches the plan.
Fundraise readiness
What a lender or investor checks before they will meet
Tick most of these and the process moves. Miss the first three and no deck will save it.
6–12 wks
Typical time from readiness review to signed terms
1 page
The summary that opens every funding conversation
- 01Three years of clean historical accounts that reconcile to the bank
- 02A driver-based model with base, upside and downside cases
- 03A 13-week cash forecast, not just a profit forecast
- 04A clear use of funds and the return or repayment logic
- 05Customer concentration, churn and contract length explained honestly
- 06Working capital assumptions you can defend in a meeting
- 07A data room that answers diligence questions before they are asked
- 08One page that explains the business in language a lender understands
The process
From first model to signed terms
- 01
Readiness review
Two weeks. We test the numbers and the story the way a credit committee or investment partner will, and fix what would fail.
- 02
Build the pack
Model, forecasts, lender or investor deck, and the supporting schedule. Written to be read without a call.
- 03
Approach the market
A targeted list of lenders or investors, warm introductions where possible, and a controlled process rather than a scattergun.
- 04
Negotiate and close
Term sheet comparison, covenant negotiation, diligence coordination, and a funding position the business can live with.
What I prepare
The documents that carry the conversation
- Integrated financial model with scenarios and sensitivity analysis
- Lender or investor presentation, ten pages maximum
- Historical financial summary, adjusted for one-offs and explained
- Cash flow forecast and working capital schedule
- Diligence data room structure and content review
- Term sheet comparison with the commercial points that matter
Recent work
A £10m asset-based lending facility, arranged at pace
Anonymised example · client details withheld
The challenge
A well-established business needed liquidity quickly. The existing funding no longer matched the asset base, and the owners wanted to avoid raising equity at a price that would have cost them control.
Our involvement
Sandy built and led the asset-based lending process: the borrowing base, a fully evidenced business case, defensible forecasts and a clear account of the trading story. The submission was prepared to answer a credit committee’s questions before they were asked, and the lender and adviser timetable was managed throughout.
The outcome
The lender moved to formal credit sign-off on a £10m facility. It was not a quick process, and the outcome reflected the quality of the submission as much as the trading position.
£10m
Asset-based lending facility
8 weeks
To formal credit sign-off
100%
Debt funded, no equity dilution
Anonymised example. Sector, size and timing have been changed, and no client is identifiable.
Where we work
Business funding support across Birmingham and the West Midlands
Funding processes are run with West Midlands lenders, asset-based lenders and regional investors, alongside national specialists where the facility calls for it. Preparation and negotiation are handled from Birmingham, with meetings arranged around your lender and adviser timetable.
Next step
Raising in the next six months?
Bring the latest accounts and a paragraph on what the money is for. I will tell you which route fits, what a lender will push back on, and what to fix first.