Salons, aesthetic clinics, barbers and personal care businesses share a favourable trait — money arrives daily and mostly by card — and an awkward one: the costs that matter arrive in lumps. Rent quarterly, equipment when it breaks, stock in bulk, and staff every month.
Where the money actually goes
A treatment device that costs £20,000 does not fail conveniently. It fails in a week you also owe rent, and every day it is out of action is revenue you cannot recover — the appointments simply do not happen.
Expansion has the same shape. A second chair, a treatment room, a new device: the cost lands entirely up front while the revenue builds over months as the diary fills.
What operators in this sector actually fund
- Replacing or upgrading treatment equipment that has failed or aged out
- Fit-out for an additional chair, room or site
- Bulk product and stock purchasing at better unit cost
- Covering a quarterly rent demand in a seasonally quiet month
- Training and certification for new treatments you intend to sell
A £20,000 advance, both terms
A clinic needs £20,000 to replace a failed laser device and get the treatment back on the price list. On our published rates:
| £20,000 advance | 20 weeks | 26 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Approved advance | £20,000 | £20,000 |
| Arrangement fee (5%, deducted at funding) | −£1,000 | −£1,000 |
| Paid to your account | £19,000 | £19,000 |
| Factor rate | 1.48 | 1.55 |
| Total repayable | £29,600 | £31,000 |
| Weekly payment | £1,480 | £1,192 |
| Total cost on cash received | £10,600 | £12,000 |
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.
Card-heavy takings work in your favour here: consistent daily settlement into a business current account is exactly the pattern underwriting reads most easily.
Why the decision being ours matters here
Personal care businesses are often smaller-ticket borrowers, which makes them low-priority for brokers earning on volume. We lend our own money from £10,000, so a £20,000 advance is a normal deal here rather than one that gets left at the bottom of someone's pipeline.
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.
About 3 minutes. No obligation. Limited companies and LLPs only.
Frequently asked questions
We are a small salon. Is £10,000 too small to bother with?
£10,000 is our minimum advance and a completely normal size for this sector. The criteria are the same: UK Ltd or LLP, 6+ months trading, £10,000+ monthly turnover through a business current account.
Most of our income is card payments. Does that help?
It makes the pattern easy to read, which helps. Consistent daily settlement into the business account is the clearest evidence of trading there is.
Can we fund a second location?
Fit-out and setup for an additional site is a common use within the £10,000–£75,000 range. Above that we would arrange the facility with a lending partner instead.
How much does a £20,000 advance cost?
On our published rates, £29,600 total over 20 weeks or £31,000 over 26 weeks, with £19,000 reaching your account after the 5% arrangement fee. Your own rate is confirmed in pounds before you sign.
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.