bizbritain guides
The guide library
Every article we’ve published, newest first. Filter by topic or search for the question in front of you. Cited, dated, and quietly updated when policy or rates change.
-
Due diligence when buying a business: five things your lender will check
Due diligence when buying a business also builds the evidence your lender needs. The five areas it checks, and the gaps that slow a decision down.
-
Seasonal stock: use a term loan for the order and an overdraft for the gap
Term loan or overdraft for seasonal stock? Usually both. How to split one Christmas stock bill between them, and what lenders ask now costs are rising.
-
How to value a business you want to buy: what a lender will actually fund
How to value a business to buy the way a lender does: the profit it uses, the addbacks that stand up, and what to do when the asking price is more than the bank will fund.
-
Asset sale or share sale? What changes when you fund the business you are buying
Asset sale vs share sale: buy the company, or buy its parts. What each one changes about tax, staff, old debts and what a lender will lend against.
-
How an earn-out works when you buy a business from a retiring owner
An earn-out lets you pay part of the price for a business later, if agreed targets are met. Here is how it works with a retiring seller, and how a lender sees it.
-
Your customer has gone into administration. Three ways to cover the cash gap, ranked by speed
What to do when a customer has gone into administration owing you money: the first-day steps, why invoice finance will not fund that invoice, and three ways to cover the gap.
-
Management buyout finance without a deposit: what changes when the team cannot put cash in
Management buyout finance usually assumes the team funds 10% to 30% of the price. When it cannot, vendor loan notes, earn-outs, a sponsor or a government guarantee change the stack. Here is how, and what each costs you.
-
Declined for a Start Up Loan? Six months to reapply, 30 days to appeal, and what to do in between
Declined for a Start Up Loan? You have 30 days to appeal and six months before you can reapply. Appeals rarely succeed, so here is what to fix in the six months, and where bizbritain fits in.
-
Small business bank lending has fallen 30% in three years. Here is where the money is now
Small business bank lending across Great Britain is down £26.8bn since 2022, according to money.co.uk. Where the money is now: a Start Up Loan for firms trading under five years, asset finance, invoice finance and the Growth Guarantee Scheme.
-
How long does a Start Up Loan take? With bizbritain, usually one to two weeks from submission
With bizbritain, most applicants are approved within one to two weeks of submitting a finished application, and funds can land within 24 hours. The part that sets the pace is the paperwork, and myplan cuts the workbook down to about 30 minutes.
-
Do I need a deposit for a Start Up Loan? No, and here is what unsecured means
Do I need a deposit for a Start Up Loan? No. The scheme asks for no deposit, no security and no guarantor. Here is what unsecured means for you.
-
Can AI write a business plan for a Start Up Loan? The 2026 guide
Can AI write a business plan for a Start Up Loan? It can draft the words. It cannot know your customers, your costs or your own budget. Here is what to let it do and what to keep.
Read the guides · ready to apply?
Got a question the guide didn’t answer? Talk to an advisor.
We’ve backed thousands of British founders. If you’ve read the guide and you’re ready to find out what a Start Up Loan could do for your business, our advisors are on the phone now.