Agencies, consultancies and professional practices carry an unusual risk: almost all the cost base is payroll, and payroll is the one bill that cannot slip. Win a large client and you hire before the retainer lands. Lose one and the salaries continue while you rebuild the pipeline.
The hire-before-you-earn gap
A new £20,000-a-month retainer usually needs two hires to deliver it. Those salaries start in month one. The client pays 30 days after the first invoice — which itself goes out at the end of month one. In practice that is two to three months of salary funded from your own balance before the account contributes anything.
Project businesses feel it as lumpiness instead: a large invoice at milestone completion, then nothing for six weeks, while the team is paid on the same day every month regardless.
What operators in this sector actually fund
- Payroll across the gap between hiring for a client and being paid by them
- Covering a delayed milestone payment without touching salaries
- Investment in tooling, licences or systems ahead of a delivery ramp
- Bridging the loss of a major client while the pipeline rebuilds
- Funding a pitch or tender process with real upfront cost
A £35,000 advance, both terms
An agency wins a retainer, hires two people to deliver it, and needs £35,000 to cover salaries until the client's first payments land. On our published rates:
| £35,000 advance | 20 weeks | 26 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Approved advance | £35,000 | £35,000 |
| Arrangement fee (5%, deducted at funding) | −£1,750 | −£1,750 |
| Paid to your account | £33,250 | £33,250 |
| Factor rate | 1.48 | 1.55 |
| Total repayable | £51,800 | £54,250 |
| Weekly payment | £2,590 | £2,087 |
| Total cost on cash received | £18,550 | £21,000 |
Illustrative, using our published factor rates. Your own rate is set by underwriting and is stated in pounds on your agreement before you sign it.
Whether you qualify
Four minimums. Meeting them is not the same as being approved — it is the point at which applying is worth your time:
- UK limited company or LLP — incorporated and registered at Companies House.
- 6+ months trading — six months is the least we can work with.
- £10,000+ monthly turnover — consistent, and visible in the business bank account.
- Active UK business current account — this is where the underwriting actually happens.
Services businesses often have strong profit and weak cash simultaneously. That combination confuses automated scoring but is entirely normal — and it is exactly the shape a short, fixed-cost advance is designed for.
Why the decision being ours matters here
A services business has no stock to point at and no machinery to secure against. Panel lenders often read that as weakness. Because Solvo lends its own book and prices against trading rather than assets, the absence of a warehouse is not the problem it becomes elsewhere.
Solvo funds £10,000 to £75,000 from its own book, usually within 24–72 hours of final documents. One decision, made by us — your file is not shopped around a panel. Above £75,000 we arrange the facility with a lending partner. A 5% arrangement fee is deducted from the advance at funding.
About 3 minutes. No obligation. Limited companies and LLPs only.
Frequently asked questions
We have no assets to secure against. Does that matter?
Not for this product. A revenue advance is priced against trading and account behaviour, not secured on assets. That is precisely why services businesses use it.
Can we fund payroll with it?
Yes. Covering payroll across a client payment gap is one of the most common uses we see in this sector.
Our income is lumpy — big project invoices, then quiet spells. Is that a problem?
No, provided the overall monthly turnover clears £10,000 consistently and the account is well managed. Lumpiness is expected in project work.
What if we want more than £75,000?
Above £75,000 we arrange the facility through our lending partners rather than funding it from our own book. Tell us the figure you need and we will tell you which route applies.
Illustrative only. Solvo Funding is a UK direct lender for limited companies and LLPs and also acts as an intermediary for facilities above £75,000. Advances are subject to underwriting; meeting the minimum criteria is not the same as being approved and we cannot guarantee an offer. Finance for limited companies and LLPs is generally not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.