If someone is planning to buy an established business as a going concern eg. equipped and operating unit on a 5 year lease, is it necessary to have a business plan to present to bank in order to obtain a loan? Or would they be prepared to lend money based on last few years books and turnover/profit figures? It wouldn't be vast amount of money as it is quite a small, privately run operation.
I have no experinece but it seems to me that any numpty can buy a business, the bank will want you to demonstrate that you have a clue about running it
I do have plans on how it would be run. ie. how to generate more work and be more efficient, however don't have much on paper. TBH, the thought of preparing a proper business plan is a bit of a head f@@k!
Yes , maybe no depends on the terms of the loan.
But if you are borrowing money to buy a business i would presume you have an intent to run it ? Therefore I would get myself prepared and write a business if only to make sure i focus on what needs to be done to make it work. I'd doubt the bank would care that much unless you are borrowing a lot and even then all they care about is what its turnover has been and what the order book looks like , as in, the asset itself.
Go to the bank and ask for lots of money,when they ask you for a buisness plan etc,say wheres yours,then ask them what experince they have of running a buisness as theirs has failed massively and we the tax payer are running a support system for dead ducks.
They may not lend you any taxpayers money now,dont worry,just become an MP, and defraud the state and then plead ignorance, it works,it appears.
Rant over.
My idea is to secure the funds to purchase the business and obtain a small overdraft facility to help with initial cashflow. In the meantime I would write out a plan outlaying the facts and figures and potentially use it to assist with borrowing more in the future.
From what I've seen, writing a business plan and getting it right is something that takes time.
lol project 😀
Being serious for once,the banks are very reticent to lend money now without you putting something into the deal, have you any experience,have the relevant customer service skills, and lastly money to invest.
Try Buissness link, theyre a semi government agency and offer free advice, and will help write a buissness plan.
Ditto project - you can write a good, sound business plan in a day. Ask business link for one of their generic templates and also ask to see some sample (real) business plans.
Most local authorities have start up grants (often 50/50 - they'll match your investment) which require you to have a BP - if you can get a hold of this funding, you could ask your bank to match it.
Thanks guys!
I went on one of Business Link's seminars about writing a business plan. Think it was free.
Was very useful and the day or two I later spent on my business plan was definitely the most valuable time I spent pre-launch.
Like you, I knew in my head how I'd run my business successfully, but writing it all down in neat sections helped me explain it to other people much more easily.
😆 @ project
I might just do that for a laugh at local bank
The banks also have business planning guides but evidence suggests they could be flawed!
Use the B'link but be careful not to get sucked into their "planning mantra" or you'll be writing plans for ever and forget to run your business!!