Don’t let a rate rise cost you money before you’ve even started!

Are you seriously considering an Access4Lofts franchise but worried about the best way to raise the money?

If so, you’re not alone. It’s definitely one of the biggest concerns I hear, but I always like to remind people that there is a lot of help available out there, especially in the form of the Government’s Business Start-Up loan. There really hasn’t been a better time to apply than right now – I’ll explain why:

The Business Start-Up loan is one of the most popular ways for people joining a franchise to access funding, and for good reason. Up to £25,000 is available for each director, and the interest is capped at a MUCH lower level than you would received from a private lender such as a bank. That’s almost all the money you need to join a franchise like Access4Lofts, meaning you’re probably already a lot closer to affording it than you think.

Currently, the fixed rate is just 6% – but that rises to 7.5% from April 1st 2026

Over the life of a five-year loan, that gap adds up to a fair chunk of money. The kind of money you’d much rather have in your business (or in your bank account) than be handing over in interest payments.

The thing is, if you get your initial application in before the deadline, you can lock in that lower rate now.

It doesn’t take long to get the process started, and provided you get it in before 1st April, you can make sure you get the better rate.

Applying now doesn’t mean you have to join now

The 1st April deadline is just for submitting your application. It can then take up to a month to receive a decision, possibly longer if a lot of people rush to beat the rate rise. After that, you have up to three months to allocate the funds.

Which means this could simply be the foundation you put in place now, while you take your time deciding. Starting in summer or autumn is still very much on the table, and our next training session isn’t until June, with two places still available.

Plenty of time to get everything in place – once you’ve locked in that lower rate, that is.

If you needed another reason to get the ball rolling…

Access4Lofts is having its best year yet. January was our busiest month on record… until February came along and broke that record, too. Franchisees are booked up months in advance, and there are areas right across the country where we’re already getting enquiries we can’t service because we don’t have anyone there yet.

If you’ve been sitting on the fence, the combination of funding at a lower rate, a market that keeps growing, and territories that won’t stay available forever is a pretty good reason to at least have the conversation.

I’m happy to walk you through all the funding options and if it’s useful, I can also put you in touch with a financial specialist we work with who knows this stuff inside out. He can advise on the Start-Up Loan, private lending, bank finance, the lot.