If you spend any time speaking to SME owners at the moment, a clear picture emerges. It’s not a lack of ambition holding businesses back. It never has been. It’s the weight of everything around them.

Rising costs continue to bite. Energy, materials and wages have all increased and for many businesses the pressure is constant.

Cashflow is tighter than it should be, with late payments from customers on the rise and the burden of chasing them adding to the strain.

At the same time, access to finance has become more challenging, with narrower criteria and higher costs making it harder to secure the support needed to move forward.

Andrew Mackenzie shares details of the new competition

placeholder image — Andrew Mackenzie shares details of the new competition

Layer on softer demand in some sectors, ongoing inflationary pressure and an increasing regulatory burden and it’s clear that many businesses are being asked to do more, with less room for error.

And yet commendably, despite all of this, the ambition is still there.

Across Yorkshire, we continue to see business owners looking ahead. Investing where they can, adapting where they need to and finding ways to keep moving forward. It’s something we see every day, and something we believe deserves backing.

At One Stop Business Finance, that belief has shaped how we work since we were founded in 2014. We’ve always taken a practical, open-minded approach, focusing on understanding the full picture and looking for ways to make things work, rather than reasons they won’t.

Because outcomes change when businesses are supported properly. When they have access to funding that fits their situation, when decisions are made with judgement rather than rigid criteria and when there’s a willingness to back potential, not just protect against risk.

We see that difference every day in the businesses we work with. That’s why we’re launching the OSBF Opportunity Grant.

We’re inviting applications from Yorkshire-based SMEs who would benefit from a £5,000 cash injection. This is a grant in the truest sense; funding provided with no requirement to repay it.

Whether that’s easing short-term cashflow pressure, investing in new equipment, supporting growth or unlocking a specific opportunity, we want it to go where it can make a meaningful difference.

We want to demonstrate that with the right backing, at the right time, businesses can move forward with greater confidence. That when you support ambition, rather than hold it back, the outcomes can be very different.

Because based on our experience, the difference between standing still and moving forward is often smaller than it seems. Sometimes, it’s simply about having someone believe in what you’re trying to build.

Yorkshire has a long and proud history of enterprise, and SMEs remain the backbone of the regional economy. This initiative is one way for us to support that community and give something back in a practical, meaningful way.

If you’re a Yorkshire-based business owner with a clear idea of where you want to go next, and how a £5,000 boost could help you get there, we’d love to hear from you.

You can register your interest by emailing [email protected]. Applications are open until July 31 and more details on the application process can be found at www.osbf.co.uk/grant.

At OSBF, we believe in backing businesses with potential. This is one way we’re putting that belief into action.

Andrew Mackenzie is Managing Director of One Stop Business Finance