Access to Finance Wandsworth is an event designed to inform local entrepreneurs about the various funding options available to SMEs and how to access them, in order to start or grow their business.
The event will consist of a panel discussion, themed workshops and 1-1 meet the funder sessions.
9:00 Registration
9.15am Networking Breakfast
10:00 – 11:00 Panel Discussion: How to access growth finance in 2023
Rebecca Burn-Callander.
Meet the Funder 1-1 sessions 11am-4pm
This panel discussion is aimed at the founders and leaders behind micro, small, and medium-sized businesses, who are seeking to access finance over the coming year and beyond.
How do you determine the right funding route for your business? How do you pitch for finance? How do you craft a business plan that can woo bank managers and investors?
This experienced panel of funders will help talk us through the current funding landscape and explain how rising interest rates can affect you.
They will share practical tips for business owners that need to finance their growth, from bank loans to crowdfunding – as well as how SMEs can best access these products. You will also hear from an entrepreneur about how they funded their growth journey. The discussion will be followed by a Q&A with all panellists.
Panellists:
- David Woods, Senior Manager – The British Business Bank
- Nick Cavender, Investment Manager – Creative England
- Holger Westphely, the Head of Lending – Big Issue Invest
11:15 – 12:45 Workshop: Know your numbers to grow your business – Julie Wong
For a business to succeed, you need to stay on top of cash flow, profit and budgets. In this interactive workshop, business mentor Julie Wong will help break down the jargon to give you a masterclass in finance basics. Julie will share top tips on how to manage your cash flow and funding and discuss how to set realistic financial goals to create a more profitable future for your business.
In this session you will learn:
- How to understand your costs and review your overheads
- How to get the best out of your accountant/bookkeeper
- What good financial management looks like
Julie Wong is a qualified Chartered Accountant with over 25 years of commercial experience. Julie, whose mission is to take ‘the fear out of finance’, has been a business mentor for the past five years and is a programme partner on the British Library’s ‘Get Ready for Business growth programme. Her aim is to help business owners understand business jargon, get to grips with the basics of finance and learn the value of knowing their numbers to stay in control while growing their successful business.
Please ensure you book a ticket for the workshop(s) you would like to attend.
1.30pm-2.30pm
How to get funding and pitch for finance
The good news is that there has never been so many business funding options. The bad news it has never been so confusing as there have never been so many business funding options….
In this session, John Feldmanis from NatWest, will break down and simplify some of the options that you may have heard about allowing you to better understand the options available to your business.
The second part of this workshop will focus on how to pitch for finance and is designed to build the confidence needed to approach lenders and stakeholders, and how best to present your case.
Participants will be encouraged to have a go at pitching: this will provide the opportunity to practice a pitch and learn first-hand about what makes your pitch effective. You can use your own pitch or a provided, prepared case study.
By the end of this workshop you will be able to:
- Establish what type of funding is available to your business
- Know what Lenders and Investors want
- Consider how to present your case
14:30 – 16:00
Workshop: How to make more money by diversifying your revenue streams –
Patricia van den Akker, The Design Trust
In this live workshop with Patricia van den Akker of The Design Trust, we will look into diversification. You will learn how having different income streams and sales channels can make your creative business more sustainable. This session is aimed at creative and lifestyle businesses but could be very relevant for other small businesses too. In this workshop, we will cover:
- What is diversification and why is it so important?
- What are the most common income streams for creative/lifestyle businesses? And what are the advantages & disadvantages of each?
- How to create a mini-action plan to diversify your business. Which income streams do you want to explore?
The session will end with a Q&A where you can ask Patricia questions about diversification and other ways to grow your creative business.
Please ensure you book a ticket for the workshop(s) you would like to attend.
This is your opportunity to pick the brains of a funder/financial expert about how to access finance for your business, what you need to get ready for finance or to discuss any cashflow or finance issues you may be facing. Sessions can be viewed and booked here.