Posted: Wednesday, 10 November 2021 @ 09:49
"Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts"
- Sir Winston Churchill
When it comes to motivating speeches and meaningful mandates, Winston Churchill certainly knew how to galvanise a nation. It might be nearly 60 years since the former Prime Minister passed away, but these words that have been attributed to him still ring true, especially now.
The courage of entrepreneurs
In our business, we often find ourselves working with entrepreneurs - people who have shown the enormous courage to set out on their own, do their own thing and take responsibility for building a company. In most, if not all those cases, they are ultimately responsible not only for their own success, but also for supporting the careers of the individuals they employ and influencing the success of suppliers as well.
One of the natural parts of owning and running a business is that success tends to ebb and flow over the years. In the moment, it can be hard to accept if the balance sheet doesn’t quite look the way you want it - debt can be perceived as a failure. While sometimes it is, over the lifespan of a company and the length of an entrepreneur’s career, it doesn’t need to be the whole or defining story.
Changing the story
For many, healthy businesses, the pandemic was an extremely frightening time. In so far as they felt possible, the government sought to protect them, preventing banks from forcing the closure of previously robust organisations that could prove any problems were entirely linked to Covid-19. We saw this in the form of emergency funding as well as a variety of suspended loan repayment options in 2020.
Now, as a nation, we are in the phase of rebuilding, and there’s a different type of help available. While some businesses have disappeared, for the individuals behind them and those who battened down the hatches until the storm began to pass, things are happening, possibilities are emerging and it’s a cautiously exciting time.
The UK economy grew by 5.5% in Q2 of this year, which was more than previously expected. While we know there are a number of post-lockdown bottlenecks that are causing delays and challenges, there are also opportunities and the entrepreneurial spirit of the UK that we know so well continues to revive and thrive.
There’s help available
Furthermore, the collective consciousness is gunning for your success. One of the ways help is now available, is the return of niche lenders to the marketplace. In August 2021 alone, Leasing Life reported that asset finance new business grew by 6% across the UK according to figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA).
Historically, niche lenders have provided finance options to businesses where larger banks won’t, especially following difficult periods. The industry is here when it's most needed, paving the way for targeted and appropriate support tailored to different types of SME and their requirements.
For some, Rivers Leasing will be the right path. We also have a new product launching in December, which we look forward to telling you more about, and which will allow us to support a wider variety of businesses. If we’re not right for you, then there are others within our field who no doubt will be.
The point is, now is the time to have the courage to continue, and we want to help you do that.
CONTACT RIVERS LEASING