Knowledge Centre

Everything we know, in plain English.

Articles and guides on financing and buying a business, written by our funding specialists and organised by where you are in the journey — from first curiosity to the keys in your hand.

Reading time

01

Acquisition Finance and Loans

How the money side works — structures, deposits and what lenders actually check before they say yes.

6 min · Oct 2026Buying a trade business: the practical guide to funding, valuing and taking over an existing firmWhy buying an established trade business beats starting from scratch, how to value one, how the funding fits together, and what to check before you sign.

10 min · Oct 2026The Costs of Buying a Freehold BusinessThe purchase price is only part of what you'll spend. Stamp duty, surveys, solicitors, stock and the cash to get through your first month — here's the honest full list, with a worked example.

10 min · Oct 2026The Costs of Buying a Leasehold BusinessThe price you agree with the seller — the lease premium — is only part of it. Rent deposits, landlord's fees, stock and the cash to survive your first month: the honest full list, with a worked example.

8 min · Oct 2026What Are Government-Backed Loans?When a bank says no — or not quite enough — a government guarantee can change the answer. How the Growth Guarantee Scheme works, and five real funding problems it has solved for buyers.

6 min · Oct 2026Interest Only vs Capital Repayment: Choosing for a Freehold PurchaseThe same loan can be structured two very different ways. When paying interest only beats chipping away at the balance — and what lenders ask in return.

5 min · Oct 2026How Much Deposit Do You Really Need?The honest answer, how buyers can raise the funds they need, and the one mistake that can leave new owners cash-poor from day one.

6 min · Oct 2026Decision in Principle: What Lenders Look ForBefore any lender says yes, they need confidence on six counts. Know what they are before you make an offer.

02

The Buying Process

Valuations, due diligence and the road from accepted offer to keys in hand.

7 min · Oct 2026Valuing a Small Business: Profit Multiples ExplainedMost main-street businesses sell for a multiple of maintainable profit. Here is what that means — and what moves the number.

6 min · Oct 2026Due Diligence: The Numbers That MatterThree months of checking saves thirty years of regret. Where to look, and the costs sellers hope you will not find.

6 min · Oct 2026From Offer to Completion: A Realistic TimelineSix to ten weeks is normal. Here is what happens in each of them — and where deals actually lose time.

5 min · Oct 2026Leasehold Business Due Diligence ChecklistPlanning to buy an existing leasehold business? A few things worth thinking about — thirty questions across six areas, from the lease itself to the people who come with it.

5 min · Oct 2026Freehold Business Due Diligence ChecklistPlanning to buy a freehold business? A few things worth thinking about — twenty-nine questions across six areas, from the building itself to the people who come with it.

03

Ownership

After completion — protecting your cash, your staff and the goodwill you just paid for.

5 min · Oct 2026The First 90 Days as the New OwnerThe goodwill you paid for lives in the staff and the regulars. How to keep both while you learn the business you just bought.

6 min · Oct 2026Why Buyers Run Out of Cash (and How Not To)Profitable businesses still fail in year one. The three cash traps that catch new owners — and the buffers that beat them.

04

Buying at Auction

What to check before you bid — plant, vehicles, business assets, farm machinery, specialist assets and business property bought at auction.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying Plant & Machinery at Auction: Things Worth Thinking AboutThe catch is that an auction gives you no second chances.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying Business Assets at Auction: Things Worth Thinking AboutThat speed can mean real savings, sometimes a fraction of the new price.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying Vehicles at Auction for Your Business: Things Worth Thinking AboutVehicles also sell fast.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying Farm Machinery at Auction: Things Worth Thinking AboutFarm sales have their own rhythm.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying Specialist Assets at Auction: Things Worth Thinking AboutThese assets can offer the biggest savings, but they also carry the biggest unknowns.

9 min · Oct 2026Buying Business Property at Auction: Things Worth Thinking AboutIt is also the least forgiving.

05

Frequently Asked Questions

Straight answers on deposits, due diligence, lender assessments, fees, confidentiality, and completion.

12 min · Oct 2026FAQs: Buying a Business with Acquisition Finance and LoansClear answers to 27 common questions about acquisition finance and loans, buying a business, applying for funding, and working with iLendi Capital.

06

Buyer's Guides

Complete buying guides for every sector we fund — plus the freehold and leasehold essentials every buyer should read first.

Browse by category

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a Leasehold BusinessGoodwill, fixtures and the right to trade — but the lease rules everything. How to read it, fund the deal and avoid the traps.

9 min · Oct 2026Buying a Freehold BusinessBuy the business and the building it trades from. How freehold purchases are valued, financed and checked before you commit.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a PharmacyContracted NHS income beneath a retail counter — one of the most dependable small-business purchases in Britain.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a Dental PracticeA patient list, a contract, and chair time that sells itself — if the UDA history is clean.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a Care HomeOccupancy, fee income and CQC ratings — one of the most substantial specialist acquisitions, and one lenders actively favour.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a Garage or MOT CentreThe MOT is the closest thing to annuity income on the high street. Bays, ramps and a book of customers who must return.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying an Accountancy PracticeThe fee bank is the business. How to value it, verify it, and fund the acquisition.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a Solicitor FirmFee income, work in progress, and SRA approval — the three things that define every solicitor firm acquisition.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a Recruitment AgencyClients, candidates, and the debtor book — what drives value in a recruitment agency acquisition.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying an IFA PracticeRecurring adviser charges, assets under advice, and the client retention that makes the funding work.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying a Commercial Cleaning BusinessThe contract book is the business. How to assess it, verify it, and fund the acquisition.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a Fast Food TakeawayThe most financeable purchase on the high street — if the takings are real. How to verify the numbers and structure the deal.

9 min · Oct 2026Buying a Convenience StorePredictable daily trade and half a dozen income lines under one roof. Stock at valuation, licences and the freehold question.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying a CaféStrong margins on every cup and a customer base that returns daily — if the location, lease and books all tell the same story.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a RestaurantCovers, spend per head and a kitchen that holds its value. How to price a restaurant — and how to fund it.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying an Off LicenceThe licence is the value. Everything else — stock, chillers, regulars — follows from that single document.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a Retail ShopIndependent retail survives on niche and loyalty. How to judge a shop's real position — and pay the right price for it.

9 min · Oct 2026Buying a Pub or BarFreehouse, tenancy or lease — three very different purchases wearing the same coat. Know which one you are being offered.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying a Hair or Beauty SalonThe diary is the asset. Rebooking rates, chair rental income and the stylists who must stay for the goodwill to transfer.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying a BakeryA production business disguised as a shop. Waste ratios, wholesale accounts and equipment that can finance itself.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a Fish and Chip ShopBritain's original takeaway. A weekly ritual, a short menu and one piece of equipment that matters more than all the rest.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a Post OfficeA contractual income floor beneath a retail business — and a community role that protects the location itself.

9 min · Oct 2026Buying a Hotel or B&BProperty-backed hospitality: the building secures the loan while the bookings prove the income.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a Day NurseryFunded hours, private fees and a waiting list — childcare revenue is booked by the term, not by the day.

9 min · Oct 2026Buying Commercial PropertyTwo buyers walk into every commercial property deal: the investor chasing rent, and the owner-occupier chasing equity. Each gets a different mortgage.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying a LaunderetteWashers turning from seven in the morning — a simple, countable business where the utility bills tell the truth about turnover.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a Franchise ResaleA proven model, an established customer base, and a lender panel built for it.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying an Estate AgencyLocal market position, vendor relationships, and the lettings book that makes the funding work.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a Gym or Fitness StudioMembership income, equipment condition, and lease length — the three things that define every gym acquisition.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a Letting AgencyThe managed portfolio is the business. How to value it, verify it, and fund the acquisition.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying a NewsagentCommunity retail that runs on habit. How to assess the footfall, verify the income, and fund the acquisition.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying a Courier & Delivery BusinessThe contract book and the fleet — the two things that decide whether a courier acquisition works.

8 min · Oct 2026Buying a Holiday Let or Short Stay PropertyTwo very different acquisitions, two very different funding structures — and we arrange both.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying a Car ParkLocation, income mix, and planning status — the three things that define every car park acquisition.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying a Serviced Office CentreLicence income, occupancy rates, and the freehold that underpins it all.

7 min · Oct 2026Buying an Industrial or Warehouse PropertyTenant covenant, lease terms, and structural condition — what drives value in industrial property.

Beyond the reading

Advice is better when it is about your purchase.

Tell a funding specialist what you are looking at. A personal, no-obligation view on the finance — same day.