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Guides, walk-throughs and expert advice from the bizbritain team — from your first eligibility question to drawdown day. Search hundreds of articles, or pick a topic to explore.

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01 Acquisition finance eligibility: who can apply? 02 Am I eligible for the Growth Guarantee Scheme? 03 Are franchise non-compete clauses enforceable? 04 Are there any fees? 05 Business growth loan eligibility: who can apply? 06 Can a lender take a charge over my home? 07 Can a sole trader get a business growth loan? 08 Can franchise finance cover the franchise fee and working capital? 09 Can growth finance fund buying another business? 10 Can I apply if I'm a student? 11 Can I apply if I'm on Universal Credit or other benefits? 12 Can I apply while I'm still employed? 13 Can I borrow against goodwill? 14 Can I buy a business with no money down? 15 Can I change Business Support Partner, or move my application to bizbritain? 16 Can I change my mind? Withdrawing and the 14-day cooling-off period 17 Can I combine a Start Up Loan with other franchise finance? 18 Can I fund further acquisitions later? 19 Can I get a business growth loan with bad credit or CCJs? 20 Can I get acquisition finance with bad credit? 21 Can I get a franchise loan with bad credit? 22 Can I get a loan to buy a business if I've never owned one? 23 Can I get a Start Up Loan for a second franchise site? 24 Can I get finance to buy a franchise? 25 Can I get finance to buy an existing franchise? 26 Can I only have one Start Up Loan at a time? 27 Can I refinance existing business debt? 28 Can I repay a business growth loan early? 29 Can I repay the loan early? 30 Can I sell my franchise later? 31 Can I take a payment holiday? 32 Can I take my Start Up Loan in two parts (a tranched loan)? 33 Can I use a Start Up Loan for a franchise? 34 Can I use a Start Up Loan or the Growth Guarantee Scheme to buy a business? 35 Can I use a Start Up Loan to buy a business or a franchise? 36 Can I visit your office? 37 Can my franchise contribution come from borrowing or family? 38 Can the business I'm buying help fund the purchase with its own assets? 39 Can you arrange a commercial mortgage for business premises? 40 Does a Growth Guarantee Scheme loan need a personal guarantee? 41 Does bfa membership matter to lenders? 42 Does bizbritain lend Growth Guarantee Scheme loans? 43 Does my business need to be registered with Companies House or HMRC first? 44 Does my second loan have to be for the same business? 45 Does the franchisor have to approve my franchise purchase? 46 Does the franchisor's forecast replace my own business plan? 47 Does TUPE apply when I buy a business? 48 Do I need a business bank account? 49 Do I need a deposit for a Start Up Loan? 50 Do I need a target business before I apply for acquisition finance? 51 Do I need filed accounts for a business growth loan? 52 Do I need industry experience to get franchise finance? 53 Do I still have to repay if my business closes? 54 Do you take commission from lenders? 55 Eligibility: which businesses and loan purposes are excluded? 56 Evidence required to fund premises 57 Growth Guarantee Scheme and subsidy control: what do I need to declare? 58 How are bolt-on and buy-and-build acquisitions funded? 59 How are franchise resales valued? 60 How are multi-unit franchise deals funded? 61 How can franchisors work with bizbritain? 62 How can I check I'm really dealing with bizbritain? 63 How does an earn-out work when buying a business? 64 How does applying for a business growth loan with bizbritain work? 65 How does applying for acquisition finance with bizbritain work? 66 How does applying for franchise finance with bizbritain work? 67 How do franchise referral links work? 68 How do I apply? 69 How do I become a bizbritain franchise partner? 70 How do I check a franchisor before I invest? 71 How do I compare the business finance offers you find? 72 How do I contact bizbritain? 73 How do I finance a franchise? 74 How do I finance a van or equipment for a franchise? 75 How do I fund adding a franchise unit or territory? 76 How do I fund buying out a business partner or shareholder? 77 How do lenders treat a vendor loan? 78 How do lenders value a business I want to buy? 79 How do repayments work, and who do I pay? 80 How is buying a business usually funded? The capital stack 81 How is my application assessed? 82 How long can I take to repay a Start Up Loan? 83 How long does a business growth loan take? 84 How long does it take to buy a business with finance? 85 How long does it take to open a franchise? 86 How long do I need to have been trading for a business growth loan? 87 How long will it take? 88 How much can I apply for? 89 How much can I borrow under the Growth Guarantee Scheme, and for how long? 90 How much deposit do I need to buy a business? 91 How much does bizbritain charge for a business growth loan? 92 How much does bizbritain charge for acquisition finance? 93 How much of my own money do I need for a franchise? 94 How much sector experience do I need to get acquisition finance? 95 How much will a lender lend to buy a business? 96 How much working capital does a franchise need? 97 How profitable does the business I'm buying need to be? 98 How to complete your business plan workbook 99 How to evidence your ability 100 I already have an application. Who should I contact? 101 I have poor credit history: will I be declined? 102 I'm on a visa: am I still eligible? 103 I need less than £100,000. Should I get a Start Up Loan instead? 104 Is a franchise deposit refundable? 105 Is a franchise easier to fund than an independent start-up? 106 Is a Growth Guarantee Scheme loan a government loan? Is it cheaper? 107 Is a Start Up Loan a personal loan? Do I need security or a guarantor? 108 Is bizbritain a lender? 109 Is bizbritain authorised by the FCA? 110 Is bizbritain the lender? Who provides my Start Up Loan? 111 Is my business loan regulated, and who can I complain to? 112 I started my application but haven't heard anything 113 Is there a turnover limit for business growth finance? 114 Is there stamp duty when you buy a business? 115 Is there VAT on buying a business? Transfer of a going concern 116 Is there VAT on franchise fees? 117 I've been turned down by my bank: can I still apply? 118 Locked box or completion accounts: what's the difference? 119 MBO finance: how is a management buyout funded? 120 My application was declined: can I appeal or reapply? 121 My bank turned me down. Can you still help with a business growth loan? 122 My business has been trading for a few years: is it too late? 123 My business is just an idea: am I still eligible? 124 My business sells abroad: am I eligible? 125 My ID, proof of address or bank statements were rejected: what's accepted? 126 Second loans: how do I apply for a second Start Up Loan? 127 Secured vs unsecured business loans: what's the difference? 128 Share purchase vs asset purchase: what's the difference? 129 Should I use a bank franchise team or a broker? 130 Start Up Loan eligibility: am I eligible? 131 What are heads of terms and exclusivity when buying a business? 132 What are mezzanine and unitranche finance? 133 What are warranties, indemnities and the disclosure letter? 134 What can I spend a Start Up Loan on? 135 What documents do I need? 136 What documents do I need for a business growth loan? 137 What documents do I need for acquisition finance? 138 What documents do I need for franchise finance? 139 What does a franchise cost in total? 140 What does bizbritain do for a franchisor's candidates? 141 What do I do if my business partner also wants to apply? 142 What do I need to do after buying a business? 143 What due diligence will a lender expect when I buy a business? 144 What happens after I accept a business finance offer? 145 What happens after I submit my application? 146 What happens between heads of terms and completion? 147 What happens to my loan if my franchise ends early? 148 What happens to the lease when I buy a business? 149 What help does bizbritain give during my application? 150 What if I can't make a repayment? 151 What if I need more than £25,000 for a franchise? 152 What if my acquisition finance is declined? 153 What if my business can't make its loan repayments? 154 What if my business growth loan application is declined? 155 What if no lender offers me acquisition finance? 156 What if no lender offers me a facility? 157 What interest rate will I pay on a business acquisition loan? 158 What interest rate will I pay on a business growth loan? 159 What is a back-up plan and why do I need one? 160 What is acquisition finance? 161 What is a debenture? 162 What is a management buy-in (MBI)? Can I get finance as an outside buyer? 163 What is a master franchise, and how is it funded? 164 What is a merchant cash advance, and when is a loan cheaper? 165 What is an acquisition vehicle (Newco), and do I need one? 166 What is asset finance? Hire purchase vs leasing 167 What is EBITDA, and what does "maintainable" mean? 168 What is invoice finance? Factoring vs invoice discounting 169 What is myplan, and do I need a business plan before I contact you? 170 What is the abort fee, and when does it apply? 171 What is the engagement letter and retainer? 172 What is the Growth Guarantee Scheme (GGS)? 173 What is trade and stock finance? 174 What is validation and why is it necessary? 175 What is vendor finance? 176 What is your personal survival budget? 177 What mentoring and support do I get after my loan? 178 What ongoing fees will I pay a franchisor? 179 What other costs come with buying a business? 180 What other costs should I expect from a lender? 181 What security do acquisition lenders take? 182 What should I check in a franchise agreement? 183 What's the difference between a term loan and a revolving credit facility? 184 What's the interest rate, and can it change? 185 What types of business growth finance are there? 186 What types of finance does bizbritain arrange? 187 When and how will I receive the money? 188 When should a franchisor introduce a candidate to bizbritain? 189 Where can I read reviews of bizbritain? 190 Where can my deposit for buying a business come from? 191 Where do I sign in to my application? 192 Which company am I dealing with? 193 Who is bizbritain? 194 Why are franchise finance applications declined? 195 Why use a broker rather than going to a lender directly? 196 Will a business growth loan enquiry affect my credit score? 197 Will a franchise finance enquiry affect my credit score? 198 Will an acquisition finance enquiry affect my credit score? 199 Will applying affect my credit score? 200 Will bizbritain ever ask me to pay for a Start Up Loan? 201 Will I have to give a personal guarantee? 202 Will I have to give a personal guarantee to buy a business?

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