We need to raise in this range. We are planning around £22,500.
Why we need it up front
Grow the business
We help small businesses run better with simple, unified systems. We have two paying clients, and we need marketing money now to reach a steady flow of new ones.
Cover the licence and visa costs
The licence, sponsorship, visa and health costs for the family, plus our adviser's fee. These are fixed amounts. Most fall due together when we apply, so they need to be ready at that point.
We keep trading for about three months, then apply.
At a glance
Next steps
Hopefully this works for you. If it does, we will agree the amount and the repayment plan together, sign a short agreement, and get started. I'm happy to go through any of the numbers with you.
What we expect to earn
Month 1 is the month the money arrives. Income comes from setup and monthly fees on the system, and from setup and monthly fees on the managed adverts. We assume 3 in every 100 clients leave each month.
Money in the account
How the money adds up
The loan is not counted as income. The licence and visa costs are inside the costs.
Year 1 summary
Income, month by month
Carried over is last month's clients, less the 3% who leave. Setup fees are new clients × £297 (months 1 to 3) or × £500 (from month 4). Monthly fees are carried-over clients × £97. Ads income is the setup fee plus the monthly fee for the managed-advert clients.
Spending, month by month
The same in every case. The month 4 licence and visa costs are the licence (£611), certificate (£525), skills charge (£1,440), visa fees (£3,772) and health surcharge (£10,866).
| Month | Marketing | Systems | Workspace | Accounting | Insurance | Adviser | Licence & visa | Salary | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £1,000 | £400 | £500 | £150 | £300 | £1,200 | – | – | £3,550 |
| 2 | £1,000 | £400 | £500 | £150 | – | – | – | – | £2,050 |
| 3 | £1,000 | £400 | £500 | £150 | – | – | – | – | £2,050 |
| 4 | £1,000 | £400 | £500 | £150 | – | £1,200 | £17,214 | – | £20,464 |
| 5 to 12 | £1,000 | £400 | £500 | £150 | – | – | – | £3,206 | £5,256 a month |
| Year 1 | £12,000 | £4,800 | £6,000 | £1,800 | £300 | £2,400 | £17,214 | £25,648 | £70,162 |
How and when you're paid back
Repayments start in month 7, after six months of trading. After the first six repayments, we sit down with the real numbers.
What you are still owed
Still owed at the end of each month
The review
At the end of month 12, if the business is ahead of plan, we increase the repayments and shorten the timeline.
The business can afford these. At £2,000 a month in the plan case, it still has about £5,000 left over each month after costs and repayment. These are illustrations of what a review could do. The actual amount depends on how the first year goes.
What the business has left each month
After costs and repayment, on the planned schedule.
You get a one-page update every month: new clients, income, costs.
The details
Tap a heading to open it.
What we do
We help small businesses run better with simple, unified systems, so they stop juggling lots of apps and tools.
We're starting with cleaning companies. They have teams, they run on several tools, and one cancellation means updating several places. Our system puts bookings, customers, team schedules and follow-ups in one place. We have onboarding and support procedures written down, so we can add support staff as we grow.
Where we are today: two paying clients, at £97 a month each. Both paid their setup fee. One joined in August and one in September.
How we make money
| What the client buys | What they pay |
|---|---|
| The system | £297 to set up (£500 from month 4), then £97 a month |
| Managed adverts | £297 to set up, then £297 a month (3-month minimum). The client pays their own advert costs. |
About 1 in 10 system clients also takes managed adverts.
How we win clients
We use outreach, demos and referrals, backed by a £1,000 a month marketing budget. We assume about 1 in 5 conversations becomes a client.
| New a month | In plain terms | Conversations | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our plan | 8 | 2 a week | About 10 a week |
| Best case | 12 | 3 a week | About 15 a week |
What the money is for
Fixed costs: £19,614
| Sponsor licence | £611 |
| Certificate of sponsorship | £525 |
| Skills charge (3 years) | £1,440 |
| Visa fees for the family of four | £3,772 |
| Health surcharge (3 years, four people) | £10,866 |
| Immigration adviser (two instalments of £1,200: one on starting, one at application) | £2,400 |
| Total | £19,614 |
Running the business
£2,050 a month, plus £300 insurance at the start.
| Marketing (adverts and outreach) | £1,000 |
| Business systems | £400 |
| Workspace and business address | £500 |
| Accounting | £150 |
From about month 5, the company also pays a first salaried hire at £33,400 a year. That is £3,206 a month with National Insurance and pension. Total monthly costs then become about £5,256.
Client income pays for most of the running costs as the business grows. The loan covers the fixed costs and the gap while we build up.
What could go wrong
- Sign-ups run slower than expected. If we sign only 1 new client a week, year 1 income is about £50,000. £22,500 would then run short by about £2,300 in month 9, and £25,000 just covers it. In that case repayments start later, in month 13 at £500, and we review them as the business grows. We think this is unlikely, but we want you to see it.
- Clients leave faster than the 3% a month we assume. That would slow growth.
- Marketing costs more per client than planned.
- Costs not yet counted: support staff as we grow, and tax and VAT.
- Application delays. Fees are set. A delay moves the salary start, but it doesn't change the total.
All figures are projections, not promises.