Wednesday 12 November 2014

Latest Business Experience Exchange (BeXeX) Event: How Leadership Style Impacts on Culture and Business Success

Our more successful clients are forever curious and challenging. They constantly ask questions about business to their peer group. They are always curious about what works and what doesn’t and what practices have given other business leaders the edge. This is especially the case when it comes to leadership style, the topic of our next BeXeX event.

Every proactive business owner is curious about how some leadership styles can create success whilst others fail to generate results. For example, many have seen the ‘command-and-control’ style of management lose its impact whilst more collaborative and listening approaches have gained ground, especially with the younger Millennial workforce.

At our next BeXeX event on November 25th we will take a much more in depth look at the various leadership styles and how they can be used to determine business culture and success.

During the event, the Home Counties Business Advisors will present an overview of this subject whilst encouraging attending business owners to share stories based on real business experience. We will then facilitate discussion amongst the group to ensure learning and knowledge transfer.

So whether you are relatively new to business ownership or have successfully grown your business, come and share your experiences, ask questions and learn from your peers.

Our next session is at the Riverside café, Thames St, Staines TW18 4EA on 25th November 2014 from 1730-1930.

To book your place, click here, which will take you to Surrey Chambers of Commerce with whom we are hosting this event.

We look forward to seeing you in Staines for a challenging and provocative evening.

Friday 7 November 2014

The Rise and Rise of Alternative Funding for SMEs

As peer-to-peer lending, invoice trading and crowdfunding shift into the mainstream, the alternative finance market is set to double in size next year, with the sector set to reach a value of £4.4 billion
The report from charity Nesta and the University of Cambridge said alternative finance to businesses and consumers was set to hit £1.74 billion in 2014, before jumping to £4.4 billion in 2015. The market was only around £666 million last year.
A raft of finance providers have sprung up in the wake of the financial crisis when banks cut back on lending to SMEs, forcing them to look for alternative sources of finance.

The co-author of the Nesta report, Liam Collins said:
“These findings shed light on a growing movement that is revolutionising banking, investing and giving by using technology to simplify the links between those who want to invest money and those who need it. With bank lending to SMEs down again this quarter, it’s no wonder that alternative finance is fast becoming an important source of funding for individuals, businesses and organisations who struggle to access finance elsewhere.
“The UK is leading the way globally, and with significant potential for the market to expand it won’t be long before we see alternative finance moving into the main stream.

By the end of this year, it is expected that alternative British lenders will have provided more than £1 billion in business finance to over 7,000 SMEs during the year - or 2.4% of all bank lending to such companies. This proportion set to increase further as bank lending continues to fall.
Nesta’s study found peer-to-peer business and consumer lending continued to dominate the market, P2P will account for 1.3 billion pounds in total in 2014, while invoice trading will pull in 270 million pounds and crowdfunding 84 million pounds - a 201% increase on last year.

Contact Peter Kelly on 01932 244810 to learn about Alternative funding for SMEs.