Marking the moment: Five years of Complete Commercial Finance
Many companies start out with a five-year business plan which outlines their intentions and goals, yet few review their progress as they reach the 60-month milestone. 2025 marks Complete Commercial Finance’s fifth anniversary and a moment to reflect on the journey so far with directors Karl Lanham and Michael Moore
They say the first five years in business are where you get good, and it’s evidently true in the experience of Complete Commercial Finance, which has grown its client list, team and expertise in the half decade since directors Karl Lanham and Michael Moore established the business finance brokerage.
With 50+ years’ combined experience in commercial finance, Karl and Michael’s vision was to create a company which helps businesses to navigate and secure the best funding for their unique needs, whose core values are integrity, consistency and outstanding service.
Fast-forward five years and, with a team of six advisers covering Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, all of whom share the two directors’ values and approach, Karl and Michael have far surpassed their original vision for Complete Commercial Finance.
“I like to think that we are a reasonably well-run business,” says Karl, “and while we tend to assume that’s just what happens, we are both fortunate and proud to have grown to a team of six advisers, each of whom have a hugely positive relationship with introducers and customers. I think this speaks volumes about them individually and collectively, and the fact is we all strive for the same goal to do the right thing for customers in a well-managed and compliant way.”
“I think one of the biggest achievements over the past five years is that we have become a trusted brand,” says Michael. “Each of the consultants who works with us is well-respected in the commercial world and has chosen to join Complete Commercial Finance because they recognise and share our values.
“Similarly, customers come to us, largely through referral, because they see us as a trusted company. Establishing and building our brand reputation has been a significant achievement over our first five years of trading and seen us transform from two, well-regarded brokers to a fully-fledged business that is the first choice of many introducers.”
Marking the milestones
Complete Commercial Finance’s first year of trading was marked by the pandemic, which many would have considered a blow to a new business. Yet ironically the company’s ability to offer tailored advice to companies, and help them to navigate the government’s Covid-19 financial support, helped to highlight the value of its expertise to many firms.
“We went into consultancy mode,” says Karl, “and while businesses weren’t necessarily contacting us to use our services to arrange loans, they wanted to know what to do and how to organise BBL and CBILS. Within three months of launching the business, we effectively became an advice centre, particularly for accountants whose clients were looking for help and didn’t know where to turn.”
“This had a direct knock-on effect in establishing us as a trusted business, which is still a core part of our brand,” adds Michael. “Many of our clients were suddenly challenged with paying for their finance, so a lot of time was taken up with working with lenders to arrange solutions, and it was very much a case of holding customers’ hands through the process during a really difficult period.”
“The energy crisis came shortly after,” adds Karl, “and many clients’ bills doubled or tripled, followed by labour shortages and disruption to supply chains, the war in Ukraine and a cost of living crisis, so it’s been a tumultuous few years.
“I think the learning of all of these events is that there’s always something happening, but businesses find a way through these challenges and we’re always here as a support to turn to, even at the most difficult of times.”
“In sharp contrast to those events, I think a key milestone was the first time a customer contacted us as a direct result of reading an editorial that we’d written,” says Michael. “Having someone read your opinion and reach out to work with you as a consequence of seeing and respecting your viewpoint is a huge validation of what we believe and stand for.”
“And, of course, having the team join us has been a huge milestone,” says Karl. “Gary Webb was first and suddenly we weren’t just two guys working together, and then Colin Gathercole joined, giving us wider coverage in Essex. This was followed by David Read in Suffolk and Wayne Rand in Lincolnshire, who both identified the strength of the brand as a reason to join Complete Commercial Finance. It was another key moment of recognition for the business.”
Building relationships
The company’s growth and recognition has also seen Complete Commercial Finance invited to be a sponsor and judge of the West Norfolk Mayor’s Business Awards for several years, and David Read involved in projects with the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce. The visibility of the business has naturally led to it brokering a wider range of funding for its growing client base.
“We’ve moved away from purely transactional services and most of our clients work with us on a long-term basis now,” says Michael. “This enables us to review and look at opportunities for growth, using funding to maintain a good cashflow and protect reserves. Many clients feel they are operating in an advice desert and, whereas they might have spoken with a bank’s business manager in the past, this type of personal contact is increasingly distant.
“At the same time, commercial finance has become more sophisticated with products like merchant cash advances, invoice discounting and property finance evolving into highly flexible business tools which can be tailored to suit a company’s individual circumstances.”
“The shift in working with our clients over the long-term is significant and will, I believe, support them as commercial finance becomes more regulated,” adds Karl. “We can see the sector evolving and working with a trusted broker will become increasingly important.
“Brokers who bury their head in the sand won’t have access to lines of credit with some lenders in the future, so working with a brokerage which is already compliant will help businesses to tap into a wider range of funding options.Regulation and compliance have always been key to us, but now it is the most important part of doing business and we’re in a good position to support our clients as things change. We’ve invested time and money to be ready and ahead of the curve with changes already coming down the track.”
“There is already far more transparency in the way business finance is agreed,” echoes Michael, “and recent changes to commission disclosure on asset finance means you’ve got to be able to look a customer in the eye and say, ‘this is why we get paid for what we do’. I’m really comfortable that the advice we give to our clients helps them to get the best finance for their needs and specific circumstances, and I think these type of changes are positive in regulating the sector.”
“Increasingly, we are seen by our clients as an extension of their business and act as a financial director would. We hugely value the trust that those companies invest in us to steer and navigate their growth through funding. Across our team, all of the guys have 20+ years working in the industry and they are experts who can genuinely advise clients – that’s something we are enormously proud of after five years of establishing the business, and we are excited to see where the next five years will take us.”
