Happy Birthday to Lending Made Simple
Posted on 7th February 2019 at 16:59
This month, Lending Made Simple celebrates two years in business – and it has been instrumental in helping many SMEs flourish in this tough economic climate.
Set up by Gillian Palmer in 2017, the company aims to provide businesses with alternative funding solutions to those offered by standard high street banks.
Gillian really believes in building long lasting relationships with her clients by working with them to find the right solution to make their business a success.
A driven successful entrepreneur
Founder Gillian has a very strong background in business acquisition, sales and finance. She built up her previous company, selling Xerox photocopiers from zero. When she sold the business 10 years later she had grown the business to 3,500 clients with a turnover of €7 million.
Following this success, she was approached by a top tier accountancy firm to be the Sales Director in their Finance Broker division. Her time within the corporate world widened her business experience. Gillian quickly realised her skill set lay in running a business on her own terms. This insight and knowledge has proven to be invaluable to her clients.
It was from her own experience gained as a business owner that Gillian recognised there was a gap in the market for alternative sources of funding. She realised that many SMEs are at the mercy of their banks when it comes to obtaining and keeping credit. The majority of the products offered by the banks are inflexible with high interest rates.
Finding the right funding solutions for your business
When researching the possibilities available to a client, Gillian and her team at Lending Made Simple work diligently to find the right solution for each individual business. The company has access to a wide variety of finance products. The platform includes Revolving Cash funds, Growthline facilities, Merchant Finance and Bridging Loans. Lending Made Simple’s choice of funding solutions continues to expand.
Lending Made Simple as a business is built on developing and nurturing solid long-term relationships. As a straight-talking Dubliner, Gillian is very open and honest about what will work best for your business.
The initial consultation is always free and Gillian is more than happy to have a friendly chat if you want to talk through your current situation. Gillian has recently set up a telephone-based Cashflow clinic to give business owners a chance to talk through their cashflow questions and issues. The appointment can be booked here or telephone: 0203 325 8000. Appointments are available on Monday and Thursday, every week from 9am to 1pm.
Addressing the issues
“Cashflow can be the bane of a business owner’s life”. Gillian observes, “some feel that if cashflow is tight, then somehow their business is failing. But actually it could be the opposite. When a company is growing, managing their cashflow to keep up with the additional demand can be problematic. However, at Lending Made Simple we have many different, flexible solutions that can help”.
The proof is in the pudding!
Over the last two years, Lending Made Simple has been instrumental in the success of many of their clients’ businesses. They have provided fast and creative solutions where more traditional routes have failed. These solutions have enabled businesses to grow their potential in both returns and growth.
A ‘heart-felt’ cashflow solution within 24 hours!
Here is an example of how Lending Made Simple can make a difference. A florist came to Gillian for help. Their company had been trading for 3 months and needed cash funding to purchase stock for Valentine’s Day. The banks refused to offer any credit as they considered the business a ‘start up and too high a risk’.
However, with Gillian’s excellent knowledge of the funding available in the market place, she set up a £10,000 Revolving Cash Fund facility’ for the business within 24 hours. This type of funding allows the business owner to choose how much they want to utilise of the total loan amount as no interest is payable on the funds not used. They only pay interest, (on a daily basis) for the funds used.
The florist purchased their stock for Valentine’s Day and made their profit. They repaid the loan and have recently opened a second shop!.
LMS can jump in where banks fail
Another client of Lending Made Simple had been trading for 2 years selling stationery to SMEs. As a business they recognised they needed additional cashflow to be able to service large contracts and tender for both government and corporate contracts. The bank declined to provide an overdraft based on the single fact that one of the Directors was not a homeowner. However, when approached, Gillian was able to set up a Revolving Cashflow facility. This gave the business the confidence to expand and was key to the business winning two large contracts that very month.
Big plans ahead
There have been numerous success stories from the past two years at Lending Made Simple. Gillian is not stopping. She has exciting plans in place to grow the business further. She wants to reach out to more businesses and remind SMEs that there are always other options when it comes to funding. Lending Made Simple wants to be THE place where businesses come to for all their financial needs.
But it’s not all work, work, work…
Although Gillian loves her work and her days are long, she also manages to take time out to pursue her hobbies.
To destress she loves taking long walks in the countryside with Sandy, her dog. She combines her walks with ‘Herping’. For those who are not in know, ‘Herping’ is looking for and monitoring native snakes such as adders and grass snakes.
Gillian is also actively involved in her son's hobby of breeding Reptiles. This takes her all over the country and Europe.
Maybe these ‘hobbies’ have set her in good stead for dealing with the financial services sector and negotiating the best deals for her clients!
Share this post: