However, the alternate avenue, the bottom up approach - assisting businesses to become more credit worthy, seems to have taken a back seat within recent press coverage.

B&C spoke to Just Cashflow about the advantages of the bottom up approach, and how it can unlock finance for those SMEs which are currently struggling to access funds.

On the subject Just Cashflow’s John Davies had this to say:

“Television programmes such as Dragons' Den help highlight the fact there is no shortage of good ideas. However, businesses applying for credit could learn a lot from the line of questioning the Dragons adopt and the reason why the common response is "I'm out".

“Where is the business plan? Who looks after the finance? What are the business KPIs? Just Cashflow is looking for the same information and it really increases the chance of getting finance if the business has the answers and can demonstrate it is being proactive and in control.

“Naturally, how the business is going to be financed and how the all-important cash flow is going to be managed are key questions businesses should address. Unfortunately, we come across examples of Directors who enjoy their title but obviously have a very poor grasp of business fundamentals.

“Businesses should focus on doing everything they can to improve their creditworthiness. Some Directors we have encountered focus purely on the company and forget that almost all prospective lenders will also run a personal credit check. Therefore, Directors paying their own credit cards, utility bills etc. and showing they are in control of their own finances is extremely important.

“Filing business accounts within the deadline, paying suppliers on time, having a Debtor Book and a system in place for ranking and following up late payers all contribute to building up a very positive picture of a well-run business. Being proactive like this doesn't guarantee you success but believe me it does significantly improve your chances.

“Just Cashflow is in the business of helping businesses improve their creditworthiness. In the future, if one of our customers approaches a traditional Bank for finance we will be only too happy to help. A record of drawing down on one of our finance facilities, meeting regular interest payments and repaying in full means we will be able to provide an excellent credit reference.”