Understanding Business Loans: What Types of Funding are Available

There are plenty of reasons why you might need to seek out funding for your business. Whether you’re starting a new venture or need help elevating your brand to the next level, it’s wise to take your time and find a lending option that suits your turnover and ability to repay.

However, researching business loans on your own can be time-consuming and frustrating – especially if you’re unsure of the types of funding available to you, and what lenders are likely to expect from you over your repayment period.

At Origin, we understand that funding businesses, let alone running them, can sometimes be stressful. That’s why we work with scores of trusted lenders to offer you help with the cost of equipment, fitting out, acquiring assets, developing franchises, and more.

In our complete guide on what to know about finding business finance in 2025, we briefly run through some of the different funding options available through Origin’s team. However, in this guide, we’re going to dive a little deeper into what each of our main funding routes have to offer, and to help you decide which option is likely best for you.

Of course, you don’t have to know which business funding option is perfectly suited to you right away – that’s where our team can help! All it takes is a quick phone call, with no obligation – and we’ll help get you onto the right path.

Who does Origin Finance support?

We help to fund business owners from a wide range of different backgrounds operating across some of the UK’s most in-demand sectors. Whether you’re looking to fund an existing brand or need some help kick-starting a new enterprise, you’ll be glad to hear that our expertise – and coverage – is broad!

We currently help business owners operating in but not limited to:

• Agriculture
• Brewing
• Broadcasting and Media
• Business and Professional Services
• Construction
• Drainage and Utilities
• Food Production
• Garages and MOT Centres
• Leisure and Hospitality
• Logistics and Warehousing
• Manufacturing and Engineering
• Packaging and Processing
• Pharmacy
• Printing
• Residential Care
• Retail
• Waste and Recycling

However, if your business doesn’t fall under any of these categories, don’t worry. We’re extremely flexible – and we want to help you find unique funding opportunities that suit even the most specific of needs.

Types of business funding available

We’re pleased to support a huge range of different business funding options thanks to our relationships with some of the UK’s most trusted lenders. When you call our team, we’ll carefully discuss your needs, what information we require from you, and what you can expect in the long term.

With a clear requirement and reasons for borrowing, we’ll be able to narrow down various options to fit your cash flow. But, what sort of business funding options might be available to you?

Let’s take a look at the most popular types of business funding we regularly arrange for our customers.

Important: The application process for each of these types of funding will vary, as will the requirements of each lender we assess and compare to suit your request. That means factors such as interest rates, repayment schedules, and whether or not asset security options are available will also vary.

Flexible business loans

Business loans come in lots of different shapes and sizes! Typically, we help businesses find repayable funding that’s deposited directly into their accounts, assessed by people, not machines.

We can help our customers find business loans such as term loans, working capital loans, and tax/VAT loans. You can even find funding to buy specific equipment upfront – more on that below.

Your eligibility for any funding through our lenders will depend on your business’s financial health, your projected cash flow, and more. However, you can be sure that our team takes care of all your questions and concerns during the process, and will even help you manage your loans effectively once we’ve helped you to secure a lender.

This type of funding is great for:

• Managing your cash flow
• Paying towards upcoming projects
• Buying out management
• Making up deposits for rent
• Acquiring brands and assets

Equipment finance and asset finance

Millions of businesses simply can’t run without certain equipment, machinery, or tools. However, in many cases, purchasing said equipment can prove to be very expensive. Therefore, lots of business owners struggle to get off the ground without any kind of funding behind them!

Equipment and asset finance gives you access to a broad range of equipment, tools, technology, and furniture that you’ll need to run your business or push it to the next level.

For example, you might need software for your office, machinery for your factory, or medical equipment for your lab. Ovens for your kitchen, shelving for your warehouse – even signage – it’s all covered under equipment and asset finance.

Origin can help you find equipment funding to cover hire purchases and leasing, meaning you don’t have to buy tools and fittings outright – and can instead spread the cost over a time period to suit your turnover best.

With asset finance, you’re typically using the item you’re getting funding towards as collateral – meaning you won’t officially own it until you’ve cleared the debt, and if you default, lenders can repossess the equipment. For that reason, it can be a low-risk option for many businesses.

This type of funding is great for:

• Investing in expensive equipment and splitting the cost
• Funding modular buildings and porta cabins
• Purchasing commercial vehicles and plant machinery
• Acquiring specialist medical devices, food production machinery and catering equipment
• Upgrading existing machinery and tooling

Fit out finance

Fit out finance is a little similar to equipment funding, in that it’s typically used to support buying or leasing furniture, partitioning, mezzanines, storage equipment and decorating costs. However, this type of funding, as the name suggests, is typically used to support businesses that require offices, shops, units, warehouses, leisure facilities and other spaces, that require fitting out.

For example, if you take out a lease for a shop or a petrol station, you may need to pay for new shelving, flooring, signage, decorating costs, and security assets.

This type of funding is highly versatile, in that it’s frequently used to support business owners who are refitting their current premises, or those who find new spaces and want to fit them out sooner rather than later.

Fit out finance covers projects of all sizes, including consultancy, design, construction, and installation. We’ll work with you to find a lender option that gets your project off the ground in a flash.

This type of funding is great for:

• Fitting out restaurants and cafes from scratch
• Stripping out and refitting retail units with your branding and choice of furnishings
• Helping you start quickly at a new location
• Sourcing intangible assets – such as signage, building works, and HVAC

Commercial vehicle finance

As the name suggests, commercial vehicle finance helps businesses acquire lorries, delivery vans, tippers, catering vehicles and more – without having to pay the high cost of outright purchase, instead spreading it over years to come.

Building a fleet of commercial vehicles can be expensive and tricky to manage at first – which is why many business operators that rely on them seek out finance and leases, and hire purchase funding to literally help them get on the road.

Commercial vehicle funding is extremely flexible, and we help our customers find support for new and used vehicles – with the latter option making things even more affordable. This type of funding can also be used to pay for modifications and customisations, including branding and safety upgrades.

We’ll also help you to find a funding option that supports seasonal fluctuations – meaning you don’t have to worry about your cash flow holding you back from the vehicles you sorely need.

This type of funding is great for:

• Expanding your fleet
• Upgrading your current vehicles
• Kick-starting a catering van business
• Hiring HGVs, lorries, and other heavy-duty vehicles while spreading the cost

Franchise finance

Building a franchise can be immensely rewarding – and once you have a business that’s gathering interest and building revenue at a blistering pace, it’s likely you’ll want to think even bigger.

Franchises, however, can require significant investment from business owners. Whether in leisure and hospitality, commercial services, or consultancy, replicating the great work you do for your clients in multiple locations will come at a high initial cost.

That’s why we help businesses fund their franchising journeys with support from lenders offering term loans, credit lines, equipment funding, fit out finance and more. Expanding your business into a viable, profitable franchise will require careful planning, and we can help ease the strain of finding the funding to do it all.

This type of funding is great for:

• Investing in equipment to fit out new locations
• Hiring new staff and management
• Acquiring new assets and premises
• Running marketing campaigns to promote your franchise in new areas

Invoice finance

Many business owners need clients to pay their bills so they can keep things running smoothly. However, when clients and customers aren’t efficient at paying invoices due, pressure can start to mount. That, thankfully, is where invoice finance can come in handy.

We help customers find invoice finance options that allow them to borrow the money they are owed – meaning they don’t have to wait for weeks or months on end for payment, and can instead make the purchases they need while our lenders take care of pursuing the debt. Invoice finance is strictly for businesses that sell to other businesses and not consumers.

Typically, the lenders we work with release up to 85% of the money you’re due from invoices as working capital, though as always, each case (and lender) operates differently. Options we can help arrange for you include discounting, selective funding, and spot factoring – all can ensure that you get paid now, rather than later.

And, you can even choose which invoices you’d like to receive support from – you can seek as much or as little support as you require.

This type of funding is great for:

• Bridging gaps in your cash flow
• Using anticipated payments to take on more projects
• Investing in your business now rather than relying on customer payments

Professions loans

This type of business funding is specifically designed for individual professionals in particular fields of expertise. Though you’ll still be able to access several business funding products elsewhere with our range of lenders, seeking a professions loan can put you in touch with a highly specific option offered by a select few lenders.

Typically, professionals such as doctors, dentists, chartered surveyors, accountants, and solicitors can access this type of funding – however, we are – again – versatile. If you work in a capacity that relies upon a highly specialist set of skills and qualifications, we may be able to line up a professions loan for your unique demands.

This type of funding is fantastic if you have a specific service or equipment need that may be difficult to secure help for through catch-all loans or other options. Rest assured, we’ll carefully discuss your needs and your ability to repay in close detail before lining up potential lenders for you to consider.

This type of funding is great for:

• Expanding your professional practice
• Finding working capital at short notice
• Consolidating professional / business debt
• Paying towards tax and VAT bills

Refinancing

Refinancing, in short, is all about releasing working capital from assets that you’re already in ownership of. Specifically, it’s a type of funding that applies to businesses with plant, machinery and vehicles that have already been paid for in full or have less than 40% finance outstanding.

Through our lenders, it is typically possible to achieve up to 80%, and in some cases 110%, of the total value of your asset(s) – though, as always, each lender will have its own terms and stipulations that you need to consider.

One of the biggest benefits of refinancing is the fact that you don’t lose ownership of any equipment you release working capital from. No one takes possession of it while you’re paying off your debt – meaning provided you find an option that you can feasibly pay back within timescales expected, you can continue using your asset from day to day.

You can even refinance equipment that’s already under another funding solution elsewhere providing there is enough equity.

 

In many cases, releasing cash from equipment you already own or have locked under funding makes perfect sense. It might save you from having to sell items and machinery outright – meaning it’s well worth considering the option should it be available through our lenders.

This type of funding is great for:

• Releasing funds at short notice
• Managing your cash flow and rebalancing your accounts
• Upgrading other equipment
• Consolidating other debts to potentially lower interest rates

New business finance

Believe it or not, many businesspeople start new ventures without realising there’s a world of potential funding out there. You don’t necessarily have to scramble around for all the money to get started on your own!

New start or new business finance is great for company owners who want to find funding based on their applications and personal merits, rather than their commercial ownership history. And, yes – that’s perfectly possible with many of our lenders, provided your application is strong enough to give them the confidence to invest in you.

We work with hundreds of new start businesses – getting started in any of the industries and sectors we support isn’t easy when you have just an idea and a plan. However, we can help you present your plan to our trusted lenders so you can gain the confidence and funding to get your dream business up and running sooner rather than later.

Eligibility can vary depending on several factors, and, again, lenders’ terms and conditions will vary and apply, too. However, it doesn’t hurt to reach out to our team and find out more about what might be available to you.

This type of funding is great for:

• Getting your business off the ground without worrying about financial restraints
• Starting businesses from scratch, based purely on your plan

Growth Guarantee Scheme (GGS)

The GGS is the UK government’s current name for what was the Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS), which helped businesses with turnover of up to £45 million per year find extra funding support.

The GGS is currently available to several UK businesses until the end of March 2026, and we can help you find up to £2 million per facility (or £1 million per facility under the Northern Ireland Protocol) to support the ongoing running of your business.

This is a partially government-backed loan which is available in the form of asset-backed funding, invoice finance, term loans, and overdrafts. Our team will help you find an option that you’re eligible for and can feasibly afford to repay, based on your revenue and your funding amount.

There are several terms and conditions that apply to GGS applications that are worth exploring in detail before you seek funding. To start, we recommend that you read our complete guide to the Growth Scheme.

This type of funding is great for:

• Managing your cash flow
• Re-investing in your marketing
• Making large purchases
• Funding your ongoing growth

What to expect from your application

Your eligibility for each of these funding types will vary, and depend on a number of supporting factors. However, it’s always wise to ensure you have a working business plan, a strong credit rating, and have up-to-date accounts that can support your application to any of our lenders.

We know that applying for any kind of funding can be a big step for many business owners. That’s why we take the time to get to know you and what you do – and, we will compare each of our lender partners to find a solution that both covers your immediate needs and fits your ability to repay when expected.

We don’t charge fees for our broker service – meaning there really is no risk to calling our team now to find out more about the types of funding you could be benefitting from!

Be sure to complete our online form, or call Origin Finance now – and start focusing on growing your business without the financial nightmares.

Ready to Explore Your Options?

At Origin Finance, we’re here to guide you through the process without the fuss. Our approach is simple: we educate rather than sell, ensuring you make the best decision for your business’s future.

• Check your eligibility with our commitment-free eligibility checker
• Calculate your repayments using our online calculators
• Book a discovery call with one of our experienced Account Managers

Whether you choose a business loan, explore other financing options, or decide that credit cards better suit your immediate needs, we’re here to ensure you have all the information needed to make the right choice.