Half of small businesses would not be able to achieve their growth plans without securing finance
Thursday 27th June 2024
- More than half of small businesses would have to put their plans on hold if they were unable to secure finance.
- Agriculture (63%) and media (60%) sectors most likely to say they are reliant on funding in the next 12 months.
- Moving to a bigger office location is among the top priorities for the first time since pre-pandemic, as more staff are ordered back to the office.
Access to finance is becoming a critical issue for UK small businesses, with new research finding that more than half (53%) would have to put their plans on hold if they were unable to secure finance. The study by Novuna Business Finance underscores the importance of access to finance for the small business sector at this pivotal time for the economy.
The findings come at a time when data from the Impact Investing Institute shows that the success rate for SME applications for bank loans dropped from 80 percent in 2018 to about 50 percent last year, while a House of Commons Treasury select committee found that a “difficult environment” for small and medium enterprises risks 'disincentivising risk-taking, innovation, and potentially, growth”[1].
Reliance on finance was greatest among small businesses in the agriculture (63%), media (60%), and manufacturing (59%) sectors. Similarly, businesses anticipating a period of contraction or scaling back (74%) or those struggling to survive (74%) were particularly reliant.
Growth plans at risk
- Hiring staff - looking at the specific areas most reliant on securing funding, increasing headcount was the most commonly cited issue. Of those reliant on finance, a quarter (25%) said they would not be able to hire more staff if they could not secure finance. This was particularly the case in the education (47%) and media (32%) sectors.
- Launching new products and services – the proportion of businesses reliant on finance that said they would not be able to launch new products and services without funding was 23%. This peaked in the manufacturing sector at 43%, a proportion more than four times higher than a year ago (10% in Q2 2023).
- Bigger offices – For the first time in Novuna’s data series, moving to a bigger location was among the top priorities for small businesses relying on investment, reflecting a trend of companies ordering staff to return to the office[2]. Of the businesses reliant on finance, a fifth had plans to expand to a bigger office that required finance, with this peaking in the media sector at 25%.
- Marketing campaign – A similar proportion (21%) said they would be unable to run their marketing/advertising campaigns without securing capital. This was particularly the case for businesses who said they were struggling to survive (30%).
- Upgrade IT equipment – Modernising their IT capability and purchasing new computers and IT equipment featured on the priority list for 17% of small business owners. This had increased from 11% a year ago and is particularly significant in the legal (35%) and retail (33%) sectors.
Access to finance is a lifeline for UK small businesses, yet many are finding this lifeline increasingly out of reach and struggling to manage their cash flow as a result. The ability to acquire new machinery or upgrade technology – importantly at the time it is needed – is vital to any small business’s growth and profitability. Any barriers to this risk not just stifling the future of an individual business but will also have a knock-on effect on the economy at large.
Novuna Business Finance offers small businesses in need of capital the ability to finance assets, an alternative that could potentially benefit their overall cash flow and ease pressure on other areas of their budget. With an expert team and award-winning services, we provide access to the financial solutions our customers need and are committed to helping them develop and grow.
Jo Morris
Head of Insight
Novuna Business Finance
Additional tables
Proportion of businesses reliant on finance to achieve growth plans
Q2'18 | Q4'18 | Q4'20 | Q2'21 | Q4'21 | Q2'22 | Q4'22 | Q2'23 | Q4'23 | Q2'24 |
49% | 53% | 56% | 53% | 49% | 55% | 53% | 53% | 57% | 53% |
Of those reliant on finance, the top five plans they would not be able to achieve if they could not secure finance
Q2'18 | Q4'18 | Q4'20 | Q2'21 | Q4'21 | Q2'22 | Q4'22 | Q2'23 | Q4'23 | Q2'24 | |
Increase headcount/ hire new people | 22% | 24% | 24% | 21% | 23% | 25% | 22% | 21% | 25% | 26% |
Launch new products/ services | 18% | 24% | 22% | 19% | 20% | 23% | 19% | 21% | 23% | 23% |
Run a marketing/ advertising campaign | 19% | 19% | 18% | 16% | 19% | 21% | 16% | 19% | 21% | 21% |
Move to a better location/ bigger space | 18% | 17% | 13% | 15% | 18% | 22% | 15% | 15% | 18% | 21% |
Invest in new vehicles | 16% | 17% | 15% | 14% | 17% | 20% | 14% | 17% | 18% | 17% |
For more information, including a complete list of plans tracked over the last decade, please visit our website. To download a copy of our report on this issue, Access to funding: small business outlook over time (2017 - 2023), click here.
Percentage of small businesses that need finance to execute growth plans - by sector
Agriculture | 63% |
Media/ marketing/ advertising/ PR & sales | 60% |
Manufacturing | 59% |
Other | 57% |
Education | 56% |
Hospitality and leisure | 56% |
Transportation & distribution | 56% |
Construction | 53% |
IT & telecoms | 51% |
Legal | 51% |
Medical & health services | 49% |
Retail | 47% |
Real estate | 46% |
Finance and Accounting | 41% |
Note to editors
The research was conducted by YouGov among a representative sample of 1,088 small business decision makers between 27 March and 10 April 2023, spanning all key industry sectors.
[1] Financial Times, May 2024 - https://www.ft.com/content/95025a03-5e1a-44d0-83e6-3310a1bce068
[1] StartUps, May 2024 https://startups.co.uk/news/companies-ordering-return-to-office/