Getting Finance Articles
Expert articles and practical legal guides on getting finance for uk businesses.

What Is an Ordinary Share? UK Startup Equity and Shareholder Rights
If you’re building a UK startup, at some point you’ll probably hear someone say: “We’ll just issue ordinary shares.” It sounds straightforward - but in practice, ordinary shares can shape everything from...

Redeemable Preference Shares: How They Work And When To Use Them
If you’re raising money for your UK startup (or planning ahead for the next round), you’ll quickly run into the question of shares. Not just “ordinary” shares, but different classes of shares...

Key Benefits Of A UK Holding Company For Growing Businesses
If your business is growing (or you’re planning for growth), you’ve probably started thinking beyond day-to-day trading and into bigger questions like risk, investment, and how to structure new ventures. That’s where...

VC Funding Rounds Explained: Each Startup Fundraising Stage
If you’re building a UK startup with big growth plans, you’ll probably hear people talk about VC funding rounds pretty early on. And while it can feel like everyone else already knows...

How To Value A Company: Common Valuation Methods For Startups And SMEs
If you’re running a startup or SME, valuing your business can feel like trying to hit a moving target. Your revenue might be growing, your product might be evolving, and your “real”...

Equity Lawyers: Shareholders, Vesting And Cap Tables For UK Startups
If you’re building a UK startup or growing an SME, equity can feel like the exciting part of the journey - bringing on co-founders, rewarding early team members, and raising investment. But...

UK Investor Agreement: Key Terms Founders Need Before Taking Funding
Taking investment can be a huge moment for your business. It can help you hire faster, build product, scale marketing, or simply give you enough runway to stop “bootstrapping by sheer willpower”....

Franchise Costs in the UK: What to Budget Before You Sign
Buying a franchise can feel like a shortcut to running a proven business model - you get a recognised brand, established systems, training, and (in some cases) an existing customer base. But...

What Is A Convertible Loan Note? Key Terms For UK Startups
If you’re raising money for a UK startup, you’ll quickly run into a familiar funding question: what is a convertible loan, and is it the right way to bring in investment without...

Loan Facility Agreements: Key Terms And Legal Risks For UK SMEs
If you’re running a small business, getting access to funding can be the difference between “we’re growing” and “we’re stuck”. A loan facility can be a practical way to manage cashflow, invest...

What Is Crowdcube? Equity Crowdfunding for UK Startups
If you’re building a startup in the UK, there’s a good chance you’ve come across equity crowdfunding as a way to raise capital without relying solely on angel investors or venture capital....

Share Classes In The UK: A Guide For Startups And SMEs
If you’re building a UK startup or growing an SME, you’ll probably reach a point where issuing only ordinary shares stops being enough. Maybe you’re bringing in an investor who wants some...

How To Value A Private Company In The UK: Methods, Pitfalls And Legal Risks
If you’re a founder, there are plenty of moments where you’ll need to work out how to value a private company - raising investment, offering shares to a co-founder, bringing in a...

Equipment Leasing In The UK: Key Terms, Risks And Pre-Signing Checks
Leasing equipment can be a smart move for small businesses. Instead of tying up cash in expensive machinery, vehicles, IT hardware or specialist tools, you can spread the cost and (in many...

Short-Term Debt: What UK SMEs Should Know Before Borrowing
Short-term debt can be a smart way to cover a cashflow gap, take on a big order, or bridge the time between paying suppliers and getting paid by customers. But it can...

Right Of Pre-Emption In The UK: What It Means For Shareholders And Founders
If you’re building a UK company with co-founders, early investors, or an employee share scheme on the horizon, your cap table can change quickly. That’s exciting - but it can also get...

How Escrow Works in UK Business Deals
If you’re negotiating a business deal and thinking, “This looks great… but what if the other side doesn’t follow through?”, you’re not alone. Whether you’re buying a business, selling shares, licensing IP,...

Change In Control Clauses For UK Startups And SMEs
When you’re building a startup or scaling an SME, it’s normal to focus on the exciting stuff first: product, customers, hiring, and growth. But when investment, acquisitions, or even a strategic partnership...

Holding Company Benefits: Pros, Cons And How They Work For Your Business
If your business is growing (or you’re planning for growth), you’ve probably started thinking about how to structure things so you can scale without exposing everything you’ve built to unnecessary risk. That’s...

Advantages Of Debt Financing For UK Startups And SMEs
When you’re building a startup or running a growing SME, cashflow can feel like a constant balancing act. You might need funding to hire your first team members, buy stock, invest in...

New Share Issues in the UK: Legal Steps for Companies
If you’re running a UK company and you need capital to grow, bring in a new co-founder, or reward early supporters, a new share issue can be a really practical option. But...

What Does DD Mean In Business?
If you’ve seen “DD” in an email thread, a contract draft, a finance spreadsheet or a funding deck and thought, “Wait… what does that mean for my business?”, you’re not alone. The...

Paid-Up Share Capital: Meaning And Requirements For UK Startups And SMEs
If you’re setting up (or growing) a UK company, you’ll almost certainly come across the term paid-up share capital. It pops up on Companies House filings, in due diligence requests, and in...

Limited Company vs LLP: Key Differences and Choosing the Right Structure
If you’re setting up (or restructuring) a business in the UK, one of the biggest early decisions is choosing the right legal structure. For many founders, the decision comes down to choosing...
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