If you've been following my work on LinkedIn, you already know what I believe.
Here's what to do next.
My name is Paul Goodman. I have spent my entire working life in and around SME businesses, ten years in accountancy practice, six years running a manufacturing business, and over twenty years in commercial finance.
I post on LinkedIn because I think the SME funding market has a serious problem that not enough people are honest about: too many viable businesses are being matched to the wrong finance, at the wrong cost, by intermediaries who are optimising for their own income rather than their clients' outcomes.
I have spent much of the last few years refinancing businesses out of exactly those situations - expensive, short-term debt that suited the broker's bank balance and damaged the business that took it on.
If any of that has resonated with you, and you want to talk about your own situation, that is what I am here for.
You are probably in one of these positions
You have been turned down and you are not sure what to do next.
A bank or lender decline is not necessarily the end of the road. In most cases it says more about the lender's appetite or process than about your business. There is usually more to explore but it needs to be explored properly.
You are already in finance that is costing more than it should.
This is the most common situation I deal with at the moment. Businesses that took on short-term, expensive facilities often because they were in a hurry, or because the broker they worked with placed them there. If the cost of your current debt is working against your business rather than for it, refinancing may be possible and the conversation is worth having.
You need finance and you want to get it right first time.
Before you speak to a lender directly, or before you engage with a broker you are not sure about, it is worth speaking to someone who will tell you what actually fits your situation and what to avoid.
You are a female founder or you are from the armed forces community.
We have built dedicated businesses to support exactly these communities. Finance for Forces and Female Founder Finance exist because generic support is not always enough. If either applies to you, please reach out directly.
What to expect
I will not pressure you. I will not tell you what you want to hear if it is not the truth. I will not recommend finance that suits my income rather than your situation.
What I will do is listen carefully, tell you honestly what I think is possible, and if there is a genuinely good route forward, help you take it.
We are not on the clock. Our fee model means we are paid as a by-product of doing a good job for you. All fees and commissions are disclosed before you commit to anything.
Tell me briefly what your business is, what you think you need, how much, and what it is for.
That is enough to start a useful conversation.
Or submit a contact request. I read every enquiry personally
Goodman Corporate Finance has arranged over £3 billion in commercial finance for UK SMEs over more than 20 years.
We cover every major finance type, growth finance, invoice finance, asset finance, property finance, working capital, trade finance, bridging, and more across every sector and region.
Paul Goodman chaired the NACFB, the national trade body for commercial finance brokers, for over a decade.
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We typically receive a payment (s) or other benefits from the finance provider if you decide to enter into an agreement with them depending on the chosen provider and their commission or incentive models. This will be disclosed with full transparency upon engagement.
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