small loan is required, I'm with Barclays….

have any small businesses successfully got a small loan recently?

the business has steady revenue but still wondering if the credit tap has been turned on yet?

No. Short answer.

Yes, but just dont expect it on commercially viable terms and expect to have to sign some very onerous personnel guarantees.

Yes. Short answer.

Our bank has been very helpful.

Mind you. We've all just handed them another £39 billion so maybe, if porridge-face asks them nicely they might lend a bit of it out.

In all honesty, the banks in this country have never really lent much to business. Its all mortgages and personal credit. Hence we're still in recession when Germany and France aren't. Their banks have been lending to business. Ours haven't. Despite them, proportionally, receiving far higher sums

Banks aren't really lending "new" money to anyone. What they're really interested in doing at the moment is refinancing existing debt on more favourable terms (more favourable to the bank, that is…).

This is true at the larger corporate end and, from what I understand, small businesses also.

But, that is not to say there is not financing nout there. Have you considered business angels, high net worth individuals looking for better returns than they can get in the markets at the moment, the smaller private equity funds (which I bet are cash rich, even now)?

Assume this relates to the busienss we exchanged emails about the other day? You will also suffer with bank credit committees who see the word "clothing" and think "retail", which is a sector where no money is going right now. I know that isn't the current model, but you'd be amazed on what technicalities the same organisaitons that nearly brought about the downfall of society with their loose lending pricatices will use now to avoid handing out money to clearly good businesses.

From experience, depending on the sums you are looking at, i.e assuming sub 20k I would go down the route of personnally financing the company (mixture of loans / credit cards – you can still get 0% deals). It gives you so much more control.

OMITN – no different venture. from past experience, angel investors are usually not interested in relatively small sums – but we don't need a huge amount, so you end up giving away too much equity for cash you don't actually need. the trading has been great in a short period of time, we can grow organically, but promised initial funding didn't happen.

Speak to a commercial broker who can look at the banks and other routes for you as well.

I know a very good one. If you want me to pass your details on to him then e-mail me, its in my profile.

I'm not having any luck. Though I had a large customer who ramped up sales recently and then went into liquidation nearly costing me my home, then in the same week I won a large monthly contract with three airports but the banks were only interested in the capital I had in my house.
I've actually found banks a hinderance this year.

oldgit. You sound like you're having a very similar experience to ourselves at the moment. The same has happened to us. All the banks have done is change our terms and conditions to screw us that little bit more

iDave – fair enough. I think you're right about the equity stake.

The trouble with anyone taking equity stakes even now is that they all think it's the pirvate equity boom of 2005 when people gave away their businesses in order to be able to sell it again three years down the line for a gazillion.

Not quite true about the equity stake expectations….

Indeed times have changed a little, but there are new business equity stake models which provide for good convertibility terms and reduced equity expectations, alongside smaller syndicated equity amounts.

Look around locally – regional development bodies, growth investment network organisations etc, you'll be surprised at what is out there.

As always, have a realistic plan/revenue model with some ideas on scaleability and exit options for the investor. The reality is that for the most part, equity investors are looking at the strength of the management team before the concept/business, so be sure of your onions!

Oh, and the private equity market is still very buoyant – a combination of average alternative returns and predatory bridging finance.

Good luck, if you have a solid business – the funding is available.

Yep a mate of mine just got 60k to buy a building…. he has a very low turnover, and lower profit!