If you are a UK business, whether you are a start-up, a growing enterprise, or an established company, knowing which finance option to choose can make a huge difference, and having clarity on terms like flexible business loans, equipment loans, or a business loan without a personal guarantee helps. Johnson Reed believes every business journey is unique, and we offer a wide range of business loans and finance solutions tailored to different needs, from cashflow loans and start-ups to equipment leasing, expansion plans, and fit-outs.
In this guide, we will dive into each finance option available at Johnson Reed and how to choose the right one for your business.
Why Johnson Reed, and What Makes Us Different
Johnson Reed is not just a broker; we are a specialist business-finance partner with decades of experience helping UK businesses grow. We also lend from our own book in-house, meaning we have the ability to make quick decisions and speedy approvals.
- We have access to over 45 lenders, including UK and international banks, and we also act as an own-book lender. This lets us offer quick decisions and flexible financing even when traditional banks say no.
- Our approval process is fast, often giving a decision within two hours, and funds can be in your account within 24 to 48 hours.
- We support a wide range of businesses: sole traders, limited companies, SMEs, new starts or established firms, across sectors from hospitality and retail to fitness, medical practices, manufacturing, technology, and more.
- Because we specialise in flexible, asset backed and non-standard financing, we can offer solutions that traditional banks often won’t, especially for SMEs, start-ups or high capital projects.
In short, Johnson Reed is designed to adapt to your business, not to force you into a one-size-fits-all loan.
Types of Business Loans & Finance Solutions at Johnson Reed
Below is a breakdown of the main business financing products we provide, why they are useful, and when you might choose them. Here you will also find options such as equipment loans, flexible business loans, and situations that may qualify for a business loan without a personal guarantee.
Flexible Business Loans / Fast and Easy Business Loans (Unsecured / “Flexi Loans”)
Johnson Reed’s flexible business loans, often marketed as “fast and easy business loans” or “flexible business loans” are designed for businesses needing a quick cash injection or working-capital support, without tying up assets.
Key features:
- Borrow flexible amounts, from as little as £2,000 up to £500,000, depending on what’s needed.
- Repayment terms can be short (a few months) to medium term (several years, often up to 5 years).
- Fast approval (often in two hours), with funds possible within 24-48 hours once approved.
- No requirement for existing banking facilities – so your existing banking lines remain unaffected.
- Useful for bridging cashflow issues, dealing with unexpected expenses, managing seasonal dips, funding short-term working-capital needs, hiring, or early-stage project costs.
- Because these loans are unsecured (i.e., you don’t necessarily have to pledge equipment or assets), they can offer more flexibility than traditional asset backed loans. That said, unsecured loans often come with higher risk for the lender, which may translate to higher interest or, depending on lender policy, a requirement for a personal guarantee. In many UK lending contexts, unsecured business loans often come with a personal guarantee requirement.
However, obtaining a business loan without personal guarantee is possible under certain circumstances, especially when the business can offer other security or strong collateral, or enough financial strength.
In effect, our flexible loan / flexi loan offering can function as a “fast and easy business loan” for many SMEs, and where possible we strive to assess each business on its own merits and explore non-guaranteed options.
Start-Up Loans / Personal Loan for Business (for new ventures)
If you are launching a new business, the early stages often demand capital, for equipment, staff, premises, marketing, or working capital. Our Start-Up Loans are tailored exactly for that.
What you get:
- Flexible borrowing from £2,000 up to £500,000 (or up to a relevant cap depending on your plan).
- Fast approval, often within two hours, and quick access to funds.
- Fixed repayment schedules, helping you plan effectively during the first months when cash flow can be unpredictable.
- Designed to help with initial setup costs: equipment, premises, staffing, initial stock, or project launch, giving you a stronger foundation at launch rather than relying solely on cash reserves.
- For someone searching “personal loan for business” or “business loan for a start-up”, Johnson Reed’s Start-Up Loans provide a suitable, flexible, and accessible path, even when traditional lenders may be conservative due to a lack of trading history.
Equipment Loans / Asset Finance / Shop-Fit & Specialised Equipment Loans
For businesses that need to purchase machinery, equipment, office technology, shop fit-outs, retail fixtures, gym or leisure equipment, IT hardware, or any other capital intensive assets – but don’t want to pay upfront, Johnson Reed’s Equipment Loans and Asset Finance / Equipment Leasing options are often the smarter choice.
What’s included:
- Hire purchase financing for hard assets such as trucks, machinery, specialised equipment, and retail fixtures.
- Leasing for equipment that depreciates quickly or becomes obsolete, ideal for IT, office equipment, retail/fashion fixtures, or technology equipment.
- Financing may include not just the purchase of equipment, but also installation, setup, and, when relevant, software or soft-furnishing packages (especially for non-standard or bespoke equipment). JR refers to such unusual or non-standard business assets as “Quirky Kit”, and offers non-standard finance to cover them.
- Using equipment loans or asset finance allows businesses to preserve working capital, keep cash flow stable, and spread costs over time, which is often more manageable than a large upfront payment.
No matter if you run a retail shop, gym, tech firm, or manufacturing business, equipment loans give you the flexibility to invest in tools and assets without draining cash reserves. You may get a free quote with our finance calculator.
Non-Standard / “Quirky Kit” Finance – Soft Play Finance, Leisure, Niche Asset Financing
Sometimes businesses need finance for assets or business setups that do not fit into standard categories – for example, bespoke fit-outs, soft furnishings, specialised installations, leisure or entertainment equipment, or niche business assets. Johnson Reed’s non-standard or Quirky Kit Finance is designed for such cases.
This flexibility opens the door for financing for:
- Soft play centres or leisure facilities, “Soft Play finance” where you need play equipment, padding, safety surfacing, furniture, lighting, etc.
- Leisure, entertainment, or niche businesses that require bespoke or non-standard kit, which traditional lenders may hesitate to finance.
- Any business needing custom asset financing, from retail fixtures to gym/leisure equipment, bespoke furniture, shop-fit, signage, interior installations, or specialised IT/tech kit.
Because JR understands that not all business assets are standard, this finance option offers a path for businesses to access funding when other lenders may decline.
Sector-Specific Finance Packages: Restaurant, Chip Shop, Franchise, Retail, Fitness, School, and More
One of Johnson Reed’s strengths is tailoring finance to specific sectors. Because business needs vary drastically by industry, JR offers dedicated packages for many sectors.
Examples include:
- Hospitality & Catering Finance, for restaurants, pubs, cafes, hotels; financing kitchen equipment, fit-outs, furniture, commercial appliances, bar setups.
- Retail & Shop-Fit / Retail Finance, financing shop-fit, display units, fixtures, lighting, signage, CCTV, POS systems, and more. JR can finance shop-fit costs and associated project expenses.
- Fitness, Gym, and Leisure Finance, for gyms, studios, fitness centres needing equipment, fit-outs, and layout investments.
- IT & Tech Loan / Tech Business Finance, to fund hardware, software, IT infrastructure or tech related business investments, helping businesses stay current without draining working capital. JR’s “non-standard finance” or equipment leasing can cover this.
- Soft Play / Leisure / Children’s Play Centres, leveraging soft-play finance and non-standard financing for bespoke fit-outs, safety equipment, furnishings, and niche infrastructure.
- Chip Shop Loan / Chip Shop Finance, for fast-food outlets, takeaways or chip shops needing kitchen equipment, ventilation, shop-fit, POS systems, furnishing, JR’s catering/ hospitality / retail packages are relevant.
- Franchise Finance / Experienced Franchise Finance Facilitators, for franchise businesses needing funding for franchise fees, equipment, fit-out, working capital, and initial setup. JR’s experience across sectors and the lender network makes them a helpful facilitator for franchisees.
- School Finance / Education Sector Financing, for private schools, training centres, nurseries needing equipment, furnishing, renovation or expansion – via asset finance or bespoke finance packages.
This sector specific flexibility shows that Johnson Reed understands that financing needs are rarely one-size-fits-all, and bespoke packages often deliver the best outcomes.
Business Loan Without Personal Guarantee: What It Means & When It Matters
In many standard unsecured business loans, lenders ask for a personal guarantee, which is a legally binding promise from a business owner or director that they will repay the loan personally if the business defaults.
While this gives lenders security, it places significant personal risk on the business owner, which many SMEs prefer to avoid. Some lenders, or under certain conditions, may offer loans without personal guarantee if there is sufficient business collateral or other security.
At Johnson Reed, because we have access to many lenders and our own funds, we evaluate each opportunity carefully and, where possible, aim to structure finance that minimises personal risk while meeting business needs. This flexibility can make JR suitable for business owners seeking a business loan without a personal guarantee, though terms will depend on the business’s strength, collateral, and lender policies.
Johnson Reed vs Banks or Generic Lenders:
There are several important reasons many UK businesses opt for Johnson Reed over traditional banks or generic lenders:
- Speed and Agility, many banks require weeks of paperwork, strict covenants, and long waiting periods, but Johnson Reed’s access to multiple lenders plus its own funds allows rapid decisions (often within hours) and quick disbursement.
- Flexibility and Range, from small funding needs to larger amounts, from short term bridging to multi year asset or equipment finance, Johnson Reed offers a broad spectrum of solutions that adapt to your business’s stage and sector.
- Sector Awareness, whether you run a restaurant, gym, retail shop, medical practice, manufacturing unit, tech business, soft-play centre, school, or franchise, there is a tailored solution. This sector specific approach often means better terms and more relevant financing than generic lenders.
- Preservation of Cash Flow and Credit Lines, through leasing, hire-purchase, and asset finance, you avoid upfront capital outlay and preserve working capital for operations, marketing, growth, or unforeseen expenses.
- Trust, Experience, and Relationship-Based Underwriting, Johnson Reed has decades of experience and a flexible underwriting approach that values business potential and need over rigid traditional bank metrics.
- Simplicity and Transparency, whether you need a quick, flexible loan, a specialised Equipment / Soft-Play / IT & Tech / Retail loan, or a complex asset finance package, the application process is structured to be straightforward, with fixed repayments or leasing terms, clear conditions, and personal support from account managers.
Potential Use Cases and Real-World Scenarios
Here are some typical situations where Johnson Reed financing can be a game changer:
- New gym or fitness studio, needing to acquire equipment, lease machines, finance fit-out, without depleting working capital. Use fitness/leisure/IT-tech finance or equipment loans.
- Soft-play centre or children’s entertainment business, requiring bespoke play equipment, safety matting/ flooring, furnishings, lighting, fit-out, Soft Play Finance or non-standard/quirky kit finance can fund it.
- Restaurant, café, pub or chip shop start up or refit, needing kitchen equipment, ventilation, freezers, furniture, fryers, POS systems, use chip shop finance/hospitality & catering / retail finance packages.
- Retail store opening or renovation, needing shop-fit, display units, fixtures, security systems, use retail finance or equipment/asset finance to spread cost over time.
- Manufacturing or small production business upgrading machinery, requiring new CNC machines, fabrication equipment, welding tools, using equipment loans or plant & machinery finance to grow capacity while keeping liquidity.
- IT, tech, or services firm needing hardware, software, or infrastructure upgrades, use IT & Tech Loan, equipment finance, or non-standard finance depending on need.
- Franchise business needing capital for franchise fee, fit-out, equipment, working capital, and benefit from Franchise Finance with experienced Franchise Finance Facilitators.
- Small school, nursery or training centre expanding, renovating or equipping premises, school finance via asset/equipment leasing or specialised finance packages can help fund furniture, IT, facilities, renovation.
- VAT/tax bill Loans, business loans or working-capital loans can smooth cash flow, manage obligations.
- Start-up venture of any kind without trading history or large capital, Start-up Loans or flexible personal-loan-for-business options allow you to begin operations, buy equipment or stock, and build up gradually.
How to Apply with Johnson Reed: What to Expect?
- Initial Contact and Quote: You can use Johnson Reed’s quote request form to specify what you need. Because JR deals with many lenders and also uses its own funds, it will assess and tailor the best package for you.
- Fast Decision, often within two hours once documents are submitted, with funds typically available within 24 to 48 hours, depending on loan type and lender.
- Flexible Terms, depending on your business needs, from short-term loans to multi year equipment finance or hire-purchase arrangements.
- Transparent Process, with clear repayment schedules, no hidden fees, and personal support from a dedicated account manager.
- Tailored Packages, because of the broad lender panel and flexible underwriting, your business is evaluated as a whole, not just a credit score. This is particularly helpful for small or non-standard businesses.
Ready to apply? Use our finance calculator to get started!
Business Loan Without Personal Guarantee:
In many standard unsecured business loans, lenders ask for a personal guarantee, which is a legally binding promise from a business owner or director that they will repay the loan personally if the business defaults.
While this gives lenders security, it places significant personal risk on the business owner, which many SMEs prefer to avoid. Some lenders, or under certain conditions, may offer loans without a personal guarantee if there is sufficient business collateral or other security.
As we have access to many lenders and their own funds, we evaluate each opportunity carefully and aim to structure finance that minimises personal risk while meeting business needs. This flexibility can make JR suitable for business owners seeking a business loan without a personal guarantee, though terms will depend on the business’s strength, collateral, and lender policies.
Take the Next Step With US
If you are looking for funding, no matter to start up, expand, upgrade equipment, or just smooth out cash flow, consider contacting Johnson Reed.
Whatever your business goals, growth, stability, or diversification, Johnson Reed can help craft a finance solution aligned to your ambitions. Get a free quote within 24-48 hours.
