A Tool Like No Other

What’s the most useful tool you use at your job? It’s a simple question, but not a simple answer. To some it might be as easy as a stapler, or a craftsman’s multi-tool. For others it might be some high-tech program that automates various tasks, or even just their computer itself. However, one set of...

Experience and Understanding – Always Necessary!

Nobody knows a business like its accountant. Their knowledge of a business’ books and finances means they have a better understanding of the exact situation a business is in than any other employee. This puts them in a unique position when it comes to business finance – their understanding of a business means they can...

Finance is a powerful negotiating tool - have a look at our article with Daltons Business to see how it can change the sale process.

What is a “Personal Service”?

At ASC, it’s very obvious that we’re proud of our “refreshingly personal service”. You’ll see it mentioned across our website and marketing messages. Keeping things personal is one of the key ASC values, and we make sure it’s practised in every ASC office. This means that sometimes we get asked what we mean by a...

Knowledge at Your Fingertips

The modern world runs on data analysis. Everything from stocks and finance trading to marketing and advertising runs on a foundation of solid data that helps direct decisions and focus attention on how a company’s actions impact its business offering. Whilst not as data-derivative as, say, stockbroking, the lending world is no different in this...

Inviting a Comparison

“How do you choose between lenders?” is a question we get asked often. It can be a tricky question to answer – no two brokers will have the same method, for one. But it involves broker and client looking at an offer and seeing if it really fits a business. However, there’s been a development...

Blockchain & AI – Finance’s Future?

Technology is amazing. We can do things today that would seem like magic at the turn of the century. There are few places where this is truer than Financial Services. The rise of “fintech” has changed the nature of brokers and traders, with communications taking hours, not days and complex calculations done in minutes. With...

Basic Opinions

It’s no secret that lenders live and die by their interest rates. Exactly what interest rates a lender charges has a major impact on potential clients. As such, a change in the Bank of England’s base rate is a serious event. If the base rate rises, it could mean more profit, but if their rates...

Going, Going, Gone! The World of Auction Finance

Buying a property at an auction isn’t exactly the “normal” way to acquire real estate. Properties usually come onto the auction market because they have been seized from their previous owners as collateral – usually as a result of non-payment of some form of debt. This makes property auctions a potentially lucrative way of buying...

Could Crowdfunding Work for You?

When you think of financing a business venture, crowdfunding probably isn’t the first thing on your mind. Why get £5 from 1,000 individuals when you can get the whole £5,000 from a real lender? Yet in recent years crowdfunding has become a popular option for companies to finance projects, with platforms like Kickstarter raising millions....