Hi, and thanks for having me as part of this forum!

I'm a small business owner that has come through a couple of years of R&D with '06 and '07 turnover of £320k per year . This year, things are paying off, and in the first half of the year we have turned over £340k. We are now seeking investment into the business to allow us to move onto the next stage of launching the products we have developed over the last 30 months.

One problem I am coming across is the fact that to gain investment, I am being continually asked what I will be putting into the venture (other than blood, sweat and tears). While I have no problem with this and am 100% confident in the success, I do not have the spare funds.

I've spoken with a few lenders via MSM, but none of these seem to want to offer a loan for investing in my business. It was suggested to me that I put it through as 'home improvements', but that seems somehow dishonest to me.

Does anyone know of a lender that would lend for the purpose I require? Figure would likely be in the region of £50k and would be secured against my home (though I would prefer not to!!!).

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Craigieuk