A collection of our thoughts, opinions, (and sometimes general musings) on everything to do with all aspects of business finance, commercial finance, small businesses, and general news about ASC Finance for Business.
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Support your local football club and business!
This week’s blog focuses its attention on football which is a timely subject as we’ve just witnessed the domination of the "wealthy" premier league clubs against the smaller lower league teams in the FA Cup. I say wealthy, but I’m sure when you look at the P&L accounts of the teams in the premier league...
A quick history lesson; before money, someone requiring a product or service would offer something in exchange. This was an early form of finance. Let’s look at your business in 2013 – you are operating a successful business selling a product or service but in the current economic climate, so many of your customers are...
In a small Hertfordshire market town, the boutique shops and eateries are prevalent and that’s how the locals like it. So when a successful independent coffee shop wanted to expand into the vacant space next door it applied to the council in the appropriate fashion. The application was rejected for reasons unknown. A few months...
Another New lending Scheme doomed for the dustbin - thankfully there is ASC
I don’t have a crystal ball and I’m not a betting man. I tend to make educated guesses based on previous results. My latest forecast is a pessimistic outlook for the newly announced Business Bank that was included in the Autumn Statement. It sounds good on paper! But hang on, can we just think about...
A personalised plate, more than just numbers and letters!
According to a recent survey from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the top 10% of households in the UK are now 850 times wealthier than the bottom 10%. A staggering figure! But the biggest gap between the rich and the poor is not in property but in pensions. The ONS found that while the...
At ASC we have spent years working with entrepreneurs to source the finance they need to get their projects off the ground. But what is better, to encourage entrepreneurs or to encourage entrepreneurial thinking? Small and Medium sized enterprises are hugely important to the recovery of the economy which is why I think we should...
You may have read that lenders are tightened up their criteria following guidance issued by the FSA. For example there has been a greater restriction on ‘interest only mortgages’ because the FSA believes that lenders should be stricter to prevent buyers taking on debts they cannot afford! Here is a recent example from one of...
Peer to Peer Lending - the Holy Grail for Commercial Finance?
About a year or two ago there was a great wave of enthusiasm for all the new social lending sites springing up on the internet. A great deal was said and written about how important these alternative sources for business finance will become. I have carried out a little research over the last few days...
Business Finance for Humans or Robots? You decide!
This is just a quick exercise to see if we are conducting ourselves in the way that you would expect. Q1: Do you like call centres? Q2: Do you like speaking to automated messages? Q3: Do you like going into a bank and standing in a long queue only to get rejected? Q4: Would you...
Another initiative which probably won’t take off, but it’s worth a comment. The latest idea is that parents use their pension pot to create a deposit for their kids to buy a residential property. Sounds great, but let’s look at it in a bit more detail. I’m not referring to the technical complications and rules...
