Also in the news...
Brilliant Borders: Kenya's Customs goes digital
A new app will save time and money for big businesses and small traders alike, as a longstanding Kenya-UK partnership further improves cross-border trade.
Yorkshire family brewery taps into new export opportunities with Government guarantee
UKEF support helps Wold Top brewery to expand its exports into new markets.
Bond Support Scheme
Find out about the Bond Support Scheme - how it works, its benefits and how to apply.
UK and African business leaders arrive in Togo to create trade and investment deals
The event brings together delegations from ten African nations alongside leading UK companies and investors to advance partnerships that promote economic growth and jobs.
Countering sanctions evasion: guidance for freight and shipping
For freight forwarders, carriers, hauliers, customs intermediaries, postal and express operators, and other companies facilitating the movement of goods.
Open for business?
There is talk circulating that maybe the ‘credit crisis’ is over. We suspect that that may indeed be just ‘talk’.
We are a 43-year old company engaged in the financial service area. Over our 43 years of doing business, primarily with the small business sector, we have seen it all - recession, growth periods, inflation, deflation, credit crises and more.
While ‘ups’ have cancelled out the ‘downs’ and vice versa, one or two very solid constants have emerged: First, the tenacity and determinedness of entrepreneurs to make things happen in adverse conditions has been very prevalent; and second, that entrepreneurs know when the time is right for growth and they know how to exploit the conditions to leverage their growth options.
Small business is often referred to as the backbone of the national economy - it’s the engine that makes things happen, and it’s the job creator. Most of these things are true today and have proved to be accurate statements in the past.
Small business owners have become very knowledgeable in better understanding how to grow their business in recent years. This has been born out of necessity because, although the SME sector is the engine of the economy and the job creator, it is invariably the sector that is worst hit when there is any credit crisis. When the mainline funders start to tighten their lending criteria, it is invariably small business that becomes the primary target.
Entrepreneurs have, therefore, had to become more agile in navigating the secondary finance market to find opportunities to allow them to grow and reach their full potential. If your bank is not open for business, then never despair as there are many options available - it just needs a little patience to locate them.
David Banfield
David Banfield is the President of The Interface Financial Group a 43 year old company dedicated to helping small businesses grow through an innovative invoice discounting programme.