Helping a new dog-grooming business find funding

In March, a woman in her mid-twenties came to us looking for to borrow £24,120 over three years to support her growing kennels and dog-grooming business by financing a new grooming station.

Having been trading for less than 12 months (the business was incorporated in May 2025), she didn't have any financial accounts at the time of the request, and she wasn't a homeowner, which is one of our minimum criteria.

That said, the business was doing well, she had an exceptional business plan and could clearly show what the money was for. She was also able to provide a personal guarantor, who is a homeowner, which meant we were able to approve the application.

The broker had initially assumed that because of her homeowner status, it wouldn't be something Rivers could help with, but it's a great example of where we are solution-focused, and why we believe it's important to have human conversations rather than relying on box-checking algorithms alone.

We look forward to seeing what she achieves over the next 12 months!