How to Write a Winning Funding Business Plan Whitepaper

Many businesses fail to get the funding that they need due to the poor quality of the information that they provide to the banks or other sources of funding.  Most management teams have never had to write a funding business plan before and do not realise that it is very different to an internal milestone plan that they have hopefully written many times before.

Pegasus Funding Resources have over 10 years of successful experience in writing this type of plan and have now consolidated this experience in to this whitepaper.

Topics that are discussed include:

·         The 10 most common mistakes

·         The importance of the executive summary and the 9 mandatory points that must be covered.

·         The structure required

·         How to get started

·         The content

To receive a copy of this white paper please email peter.kelly@pegasusfunding.co.uk.

Follow our blog at: www.pegasusfunding.blogspot.com

Follow us on Twitter:@peterekelly

CAFÉ CONNECTIONS SCOOP FPA REGIONAL DISTRIBUTOR AWARD 2012

Café Connections beat off stiff opposition from over 50 of the best known names in the business to take the FPA (Foodservice Packaging Association) Regional Distributor Award this month.

Manufacturers picked their favourite distributor based upon the following criteria:

¨Ease of doing business with them

¨Desire to provide exemplary service to their customers

¨Product and customer knowledge of their staff

¨Ability to work closely with their customers and feedback relevant information

¨Desire to make their customers aware of new products

‘To say we are delighted is an understatement – as the industry’s manufacturers have in effect  underlined the importance of ALL our main selling points’ says Wendy Ball Sales Director.

A distributor has a hugely important role to play – acting as a knowledgeable and proactive hub – absorbing, understanding and matching up the needs of the end customer with what is being produced or developed by the industry’s manufacturers.  

As we always tell you … “we do a lot more than just shift boxes” and if you are not already getting all you can from our very excellent level of customer care, give it a try next time you are struggling with how you are going to package a particular product – or how you might be able to cut costs. 

You may be surprised at just how much time and hassle we can save you!  

Call the Customer Services Team on 0845 123 2994

 

Pegasus Funding Resources are proud to have worked with Cafe Connections for many years.

Bank lending scheme targets smaller businesses

A £20bn government scheme to try to boost bank lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has been launched by the chancellor.

Under the National Loan Guarantee Scheme (NLGS), such businesses will be able to access loans with interest rates one percentage point lower than those available outside the initiative.

Barclays, Santander, Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland have so far signed up.

Firms with an annual turnover of up to £50m will be able to participate.

The discounted loans are being made available because the government is to guarantee £20bn of the banks' own borrowing, thereby allowing the lenders to borrow more cheaply than they normally do.

The banks then pass on this cheaper funding to SMEs in the form of lower interest rates.

Lloyds said that as well as allowing it to offer customers cheaper loans, the scheme had the potential to "rekindle confidence, stimulate demand and encourage investment".

Chancellor George Osborne said: "The government promised to help small businesses get access to lower interest rates. Today we deliver on that promise with a nationwide scheme."

In the first tranche of loans under NLGS, about £5bn is being made available.

John Walker, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said: "Recent FSB research indicated that around 60% of small firms believed that credit is unaffordable and so this scheme should help reduce that burden.

"What we now need to see is clear communication to small firms and bank branch staff so that everyone is aware of it, and how it will work, so that businesses can benefit from it."

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has given the credit easing scheme a measured welcome.

John Longworth, BCC director general, said: "The current economic challenges mean that the government must look at new and innovative ways of providing credit to viable firms.

"While credit easing is a step in the right direction, it is not a panacea for all the problems faced by businesses trying to access finance.

"The National Loan Guarantee Scheme will make some loans more affordable. But it will not help the smaller, younger, and high-growth firms that have trouble getting credit in the first place."

John Longworth, British Chambers of Commerce: "It will really only apply to medium sized businesses"

Not all banks have signed up to the scheme, with HSBC and the Co-operative Bank being notable omissions.

Free business advice sessions in Watford: 24th April

 If you need free business advice come along to the Mercure (Ramada) London Watford This is your opportunity for a 1 to 1 session, with a consultant with extensive business experience (similar to Business Link, you can ask us anything to help get your business going or make it better, more profitable etc).

To book your individual 1 hour appointment, please call IBD Consultant Paul Botje  on 077389 39249.  Appointments will run throughout the day, starting at 10 am. This meeting is free. If you can't make it, or Watford is inconvenient, we will be scheduling more meetings very soon!

Business confidence turnaround hints at future growth

A turnaround in business confidence suggests that the UK economy is taking tentative steps towards recovery, according to the latest Business Trends report by accountants and business advisors BDO LLP. BDO’s Optimism Index, which points to business performance two quarters ahead, has surpassed the crucial 95.0 mark that indicates growth, with a reading of 98.0 for February – the highest in nine months. This represents a huge jump of 3.9 points, the single biggest monthly increase since December 2009. It is also the first time the index has topped 95.0 since last August, and demonstrates a considerable improvement from the gloomy 91.5 reading just two months ago.
Encouragingly for the UK’s overall economic recovery, the upturn in business confidence is broad-based. In the services sector, which accounts for roughly 75% of the UK’s output, optimism is especially marked, increasing to 98.3 in February from 94.7 in January, and comfortably exceeding the 95.0 growth threshold.
Peter Hemington, a partner at BDO LLP, commented: “It is encouraging to see business confidence improving significantly for the second consecutive month. Increasing optimism across sectors like manufacturing is particularly welcome.
“To ensure we continue to see progress and positive Q3 growth as our figures indicate, the Chancellor should use the upcoming Budget to ensure that the UK remains competitive for businesses. Measures that encourage growth, such as further accelerating the reduction in the main rate of corporation tax, will help to achieve this.”

£60m boost for rural businesses

Businesses in rural England are to benefit from a new £60m grant scheme, environment secretary Caroline Spelman has announced.
Grants, which could be worth more than £1m each, will enable entrepreneurs in rural areas to take life-changing opportunities to grow their businesses through the Rural Economy Grant scheme.
Successful applicants will receive up to 40% of the cost of projects in the five business areas of farm competiveness, agri-food, tourism, forestry, and micro enterprise support.
“Businesses in rural England can play a significant part in helping to rebuild the nation's finances,” said Caroline.
“They now have the chance to turn their most ambitious and innovative business plans into a reality, boosting profits, supporting a thriving rural economy and improving the natural environment.
“Our £60m investment will give farmers and rural entrepreneurs life-changing opportunities to transform their business prospects for the long term. It’s part of a £165m package of initiatives to unlock the economic potential of our rural areas, which have been overlooked for too long.”
The Rural Economy Grant scheme will enable businesses to maximise opportunities in the increasing global demand for food. For instance, grants may be available to help companies buy new processing and packing equipment, allowing them to target new markets.
This scheme is part of Defra’s £100m investment in the Rural Development Programme for England, which was announced in the Rural Economy Growth Review last year.