A matter of Life and Debt

Starting up a business can be a nerve wracking process, not least when you realise that many 'great ideas' never leave the ideas stage due to, what I believe is the biggest single obstacle to starting a business, lack of funds.

Prototyping RoomMate has been by far our biggest cost to date and although we factored in as much as we could, we still needed a financial helping hand in the form of a loan to get us to the starting blocks.

A few weeks ago saw the start of a BBC series, A Matter of Life and Debt, that highlights a brighter side to lending, community lenders and Credit Unions who are playing an incredibly important role not just for fledgling businesses like ours but also providing much needed loans and support for people who otherwise would have no access to the funds they need.

We're extremely grateful to everyone at SWIG who spent an innordinate amount of time discussing our plans with us and making the process an tremendously positive experience. From the outset it was clear that everyone we spoke to were passionate about the role they and SWIG would have when they helped us, no useless platitudes, but clear and concise advice that in itself was as important as the loan we took.

If you are considering starting a business and are wondering whether working with someone like SWIG or with a community banking service could help you please get in touch and we'd be happy to help you on your way.

We hope you enjoy the show!