GLASSHOUSE SALON

AABF Founding Member Fleximize has underwritten over £150 million to UK SMEs since 2014. The lender specialises in unsecured and secured business loans and has been celebrated for the flexibility and innovation it has brought to the alternative lending space since its inception.

Here’s how Fleximize’s business loans have helped UK SMEs in practice.

Olivia Crighton, owner of Hackney-based Glasshouse Salon, was introduced to Fleximize by her broker when searching for a funding partner. Olivia had created a well-loved organic and natural haircare salon in London Fields and found that the business was growing faster than expected.

She had already incorporated the business, expanded her team of stylists, and set up an online shop for her customers but knew there was still bags of potential for her brand.

Although Olivia could see further room for growth, she was held back by a lack of capital.

She’d already been approved for a business loan with another lender but found that when she returned to retrieve the funds, they were no longer available. Frustrated by a lack of support and the fast-changing nature of the lending market, Olivia turned to the Fleximize team, who specialise in providing their customers with the flexibility and transparency that seems to evade many of the traditional top-tier lenders.

Fleximize was able to offer Olivia the £15,000 she needed as an unsecured business loan over a term of 12 months. This meant that she was able to proceed with her plans to expand her business, such as doubling the number of stylists on the salon floor and moving to larger premises. Olivia would also benefit from award-winning customer service and flexibility, such as repayment holidays, no early repayment fees, and access to exclusive offers on tools to help run her business.

“It feels like you’re being invested on a personal level as well as on a monetary level.”

Olivia Crighton, Founder of Glasshouse Salon