Growth & Funding

“I don't know if I can afford a hire”

Salary is only the starting point. Here is the true cost of an employee.

“I need equipment to grow”

Should you buy outright, lease, or use asset finance?

Guide

Can I Afford My First Employee?

The real cost of hiring your first employee goes far beyond the headline salary. Learn how to calculate employer National Insurance, pensions, holiday pay, downtime, and tools — and how to test whether your business can actually sustain the cost.

Guide

Funding Growth Responsibly

How to think about funding growth — whether through retained profit, short-term credit, or external finance — without overcommitting the business. Plus, the vital questions to ask before you sign anything.

Guide

Credit vs Retained Profit

The trade-offs between using your own cash buffer and using someone else's money to grow. How to calculate the real cost of both, and when to use which.

Guide

Business Purchase Affordability

Before you buy that new van, software suite, or piece of machinery, run it through this four-step affordability test to ensure it won't break your cash flow.

Guide

Business Funding Options: choose the right capital for the job

Compare self-funding, grants, loans and equity by use of funds, repayment profile, control, cash timing and evidence required.

Guide

Start Up Loans: personal borrowing for a new business

Understand the current UK Start Up Loans structure, personal liability, eligibility checks and the business-plan evidence required before applying.

Guide

Business Grants: find the right scheme and plan the cash timing

Search current UK grant directories, test eligibility and plan match funding or reimbursement before committing to a grant-funded project.

Guide

PAYE Registration: prepare for your first payday

A UK first-employer sequence for registering with HMRC, setting up PAYE, collecting starter details and reporting the first payroll on time.

Guide

Automatic Enrolment: workplace pension duties for first employers

Understand the duties start date, staff assessment, workplace-pension setup, communications and ongoing monitoring required when employing staff for the first time.

Guide

Payroll Software or an Accountant? choose the operating model

Compare self-run payroll software with a payroll provider or accountant by workload, controls, data ownership and the employer’s continuing legal responsibility.

Guide

Your First Hire: cost, cash runway and employer setup

Plan a first employee with a full cash-cost model, a realistic revenue case, PAYE registration, payroll ownership and workplace-pension duties in the right order.

Guide

Invoice Finance: turn eligible invoices into working-capital availability

Understand how invoice finance works, the difference between factoring and discounting, what providers assess and the controls to review before considering a facility.

Guide

Asset Finance: match the equipment, agreement and cash capacity

Understand leasing, hire purchase and other asset-finance structures, then test ownership, end-of-term obligations and cash capacity before applying.

Guide

Lender Readiness Pack: make the funding case traceable

Prepare a clear, reconciled funding evidence pack with a stated purpose, current financials, cash forecast, assumptions and document control.

Guide

Business Overdraft vs Term Loan: match the facility to the cash-flow shape

Compare a business overdraft and term loan through cash timing, repayment structure, availability risk, fees, security and realistic affordability.

Guide

Equity vs Equity Crowdfunding: compare the investor relationship, not only the raise

Compare direct equity routes and equity crowdfunding through ownership, governance, disclosure, investor communication, fees and preparation—not a generic valuation target.