Have you ever bought a house? You probably have, in which case you’ll almost certainly have raised a mortgage. You couldn’t have paid for it outright.

And yet that is what too many business owners try to do when they buy or start a business.

To build and grow a successful and profitable business requires raising finance. It’s called working capital and the quicker the business grows the more of it you’ll need.

I was fortunate to spend over ten years as a corporate finance partner at Deloittes, before I set up Guilford Accounting, during which time I acted for numerous individuals and companies, both public and private, on a range of transactions including mergers and acquisitions, flotations, management buy-outs, business sales, refinancings and raising loan capital.

During this time I developed excellent contacts with the cohort of investors and lenders to companies seeking finance.

The corporate finance process we follow, which is available to clients of Guilford Accounting is:

  • Determine the objectives for which finance is required;
  • Quantify the amount and type of finance required, including working capital, by generating a financial model of the business for 3-5 years after acquisition or start-up;
  • Identify the security available to lenders;
  • Identify the sources of finance to meet this requirement;
  • Prepare a detailed financial proposal using our bespoke template to submit to prospective investors and lenders;
  • Manage the due diligence process required by investors and lenders (if applicable);
  • Evaluate offers of finance and select the best fit for the business;
  • Lead manage the process and coordinate the activities of investors, lenders and solicitors to a successful conclusion.

Our fees for this service include a fixed fee payable on taking instructions and a success fee when the finance is available to the business. If in the unlikely event that finance is not forthcoming then only the fixed fee is payable.