Two services, handled properly
We previously listed six service lines. We now concentrate on two, because how a business takes payment and how it funds itself are closely connected and are best reviewed together.
Card payment solutions
Terminals, merchant accounts and payment processing compared across a panel of providers. We look at what your business currently pays and what alternatives exist, and we will say plainly when your existing arrangement is already competitive.
- Countertop, portable and mobile terminals
- Contactless and digital wallet acceptance
- Online, invoice and telephone payments
- Point of sale and reporting where required
- Terms confirmed in writing by the provider
Business finance
Business loans, working capital, asset finance, equipment finance and invoice finance arranged through a panel of lenders. What is available depends on the circumstances of the business.
- Loans and working capital facilities
- Revenue based and asset finance
- Equipment and invoice finance
- Subject to status, eligibility and affordability
- No charge to you for the introduction
What being a broker actually means
The term is used loosely, so it is worth setting out exactly what we do and what we do not do.
We are not a lender or a payment provider
Your merchant account is held directly with the payment provider and any finance agreement is between your business and the lender. We arrange the introduction. We do not hold or handle your money at any stage.
We are not tied to a single provider
We work with a panel across both payments and finance. Providers differ on pricing, contract terms and the types of business they accept, so the comparison is the service.
The provider pays us, not you
We receive a commission from the provider or lender a business proceeds with. There is no charge to you for the introduction, and we would rather state that openly than leave you wondering.
We will tell you to stay where you are
If your current arrangement is already competitive for your profile, that is what we will say. There is nothing to be gained from moving a business that is well placed.
Recommendations are based on suitability
Options are put forward on the basis of suitability, eligibility, commercial competitiveness and what you have told us you need. The decision is yours to make.
One relationship covering both sides
Because we handle payments and finance together, you are not explaining the same business twice to two separate firms.
Before you sign anything
The detail behind the fees, in plain English.
Not sure which applies to you?
Most conversations begin with card payments and end up covering both. A short call is usually enough to establish where to start.
What is actually out there
Most business owners meet one provider, sign, and never see the rest of the market. These are the kinds of arrangement that exist. Which one suits you depends on how you trade, not on who called you first.
Taking card payments
The institutions that actually process a card payment and settle the money into your account. Everything else in the chain sits on top of one of these.
A single flat rate, a terminal and an app, with little to negotiate. Simple to set up and often the right answer for a lower volume business.
They resell acquirer services and set their own pricing on top. Rates vary widely between them for the same underlying processing.
Countertop, portable and mobile card readers, sold outright or rented. The rental is frequently a bigger cost over three years than people expect.
Taking payment over the phone, by payment link or through a website checkout, which is priced differently from card present trade.
Raising money
A fixed amount over a fixed period with set repayments. Predictable, and suited to a known cost such as a refit.
An agreed limit you draw on and repay as you need it, paying for what you use. Useful for uneven cash flow rather than a one off purchase.
Repaid as an agreed percentage of your card takings, so payments fall in a quiet month and rise in a busy one. Often suits seasonal trade.
Secured against the equipment itself, which usually means the equipment is the security rather than your other assets.
Raising money against invoices already issued but not yet paid. Relevant if you sell to other businesses on credit terms.
We are a broker, not a lender and not a payment provider. We approach providers on your behalf and explain what comes back in plain terms. What you are offered depends on the provider, your trading history and their own criteria, so nothing here is a quote and nothing is guaranteed.
