If you are seriously considering investing in an Access4Lofts franchise you’re probably worried about the best way to raise the money. Rest assured you’re not alone.

Raising the required finances is definitely one of potential franchisees biggest concerns, however there is a lot of help available out there, especially in the form of the Government’s Business Start-Up loan and there really hasn’t been a better time to apply than right now.

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 receive 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, but if you get your initial application in before the deadline, you can lock in the 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 lower rate.

Applying now doesn’t mean you have to join now

The 1st April deadline is just for submitting your Business Start-Up loan 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 the next training session isn't until June, and there’s still two places 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! Franchisees are booked up months in advance, and there are areas right across the country where Access4Lofts are already getting enquiries that they can't service because they 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 are all pretty good reasons to at the very least have an initial conversation.

The Access4Lofts team are happy to walk you through all the funding options and if it's useful, they can also put you in touch with a financial specialist they work with who knows financing inside out. He can advise on the Start-Up Loan, private lending, bank finance, and other options which may be available.