01
Hiring ahead
New fee earners create payroll before utilisation and billing reach a steady level.
Professional Services
Business funding for professional services.
Funding information for agencies, consultancies, accountants, legal practices and other fee-earning firms managing payroll, hiring and delayed client receipts.
£5k – £5M
Funding range
Product dependent
Repayment terms
File dependent
Review timing
Before choosing funding
Finance the gap between people cost and client cash
A useful facility should follow the commercial cycle it is paying for. These are the details worth testing before comparing offers.
02
Debtor days
Retainers, staged projects and long client terms can make profitable work cash hungry.
03
Client concentration
A large account can support growth but also expose repayment to one renewal or procurement delay.
What to prepare
Having these ready makes the first review more useful and reduces avoidable follow-up.
- Aged debtor report
- Contracted pipeline
- Monthly management accounts
- Hiring cost and utilisation forecast
Questions worth asking
Use these to compare the repayment structure with the way your business earns cash.
- 01When will the new hire become billable?
- 02How much revenue depends on the largest client?
- 03Could invoice finance fit better than a term loan?
Professional firms often invest in people before those people become fully billable. Monthly payroll, recruitment and software costs can arrive well before retainers, milestones or client invoices are paid.
A useful funding structure should reflect contracted work, utilisation, debtor days and client concentration. Fixed-term lending may suit planned hiring or fit-out, while invoice finance can better match a growing B2B ledger.
Typical use cases
- Hiring ahead of contracted work
- Bridging 30 to 90 day client terms
- Office fit-out and technology
- Marketing and business development
- Partner buy-in or succession
- Acquisition and integration costs
Useful reading
Go deeper before you decide.
Practical guide7 min read
Invoice finance UK: factoring vs discounting explained
How factoring and invoice discounting actually work in the UK, cost shapes, eligibility, and when each is the right structure.
Practical guide7 min read
Business expansion loans for growing UK SMEs: sizing, structure and speed
A practical guide to funding UK business expansion: choosing the right structure for the growth thesis, sizing the facility, and getting through underwriting cleanly.
Debtor days
Key cash-flow signal
Pipeline
Forward visibility
Utilisation
Capacity measure
Clear
Written terms
Funding most suited to professional services
Frequently asked
Can a consultancy fund new hires before client revenue starts?
Potentially. A clear hiring cost, contracted pipeline and realistic ramp to billable utilisation help explain the request.
Does invoice finance suit professional services?
It can suit firms issuing qualifying B2B invoices on agreed terms. Contract structure, concentration and the quality of debtors are important.
Will work in progress count as an invoice?
Usually not until the work is completed and a valid invoice is raised, although contract finance may be considered in some circumstances.
Can funding support a partner buy-in?
A term facility may be considered where the firm has stable earnings and the transaction supports future cash flow. Terms depend on the full file.
When the bank says no, we take a closer look.
Start with a short initial enquiry. If a credit search is needed later, it will be explained first.
Check eligibility