Main-street business finance · New Zealand
Funding for the businesses on your town square
Fit-outs, a winter's worth of stock, summer staff, a tax bill in a quiet month, or the café you've always wanted to buy. Funding Square helps the businesses around New Zealand's town squares find finance that fits the way they trade.
- No credit check to ask
- Not handed round to lenders
- $5k to $5m for business purposes
No credit check to ask
Finding out what's possible leaves your credit file untouched. A credit check only comes into it once you choose to go ahead.
Not handed round town
Your enquiry isn't fired off to a queue of lenders. It stays with one team that works out where your business genuinely fits.
A local-minded person
Someone who understands how a shopfront trades reads your enquiry and phones you. Straight answers on the form help us get it right first go.
On the square
Which shop is yours?
A café's cash flow looks nothing like a physio clinic's. Pick your kind of business to see what lenders look for and how owners like you usually fund the big costs.
Free tool
Where does your year run short?
Most main-street cash gaps aren't about bad trading — they're about seasons and lump sums. Pick your business and your numbers to see which months dip below your costs.
- Season patterns pre-set for cafés, retail, salons, gyms, clinics and tourism
- The full estimator adds GST, provisional tax, refits and lease costs
- Shows which kind of funding suits the shape of your gap
Your town
Every main street keeps its own calendar
Cruise-ship days in Tauranga, ski season in Queenstown, Fieldays week in Hamilton, a new stadium in Christchurch, roadworks on Wellington's Golden Mile. Our town guides cover what's shaping trade where you are — and the local support worth knowing about.
Main-street money
Start with the cost in front of you
You don't need to know loan jargon. Find the thing you're trying to pay for, and we'll explain how it's usually funded.
How it works
Four steps, and a person on the phone
- 1Open the conversation
Tell us what you need and what it's for in about a minute. No credit check to ask.
- 2A local-minded call
Someone who knows how shopfronts trade rings you — usually the same or next working day.
- 3A matched option
Secured or unsecured, sized to your season and your cash flow. No spraying your details around.
- 4Funded and back to work
Paperwork only once you go ahead. Funds go to you or straight to the shopfitter, vendor or IRD.
Heard on the main street
Four things owners believe that aren't quite true
"Banks are the only ones who lend to cafés."
Actually: Plenty of non-bank lenders fund hospitality and retail — including businesses a bank has declined. The trick is matching the lender to how you trade.
"A bad winter means I can't borrow."
Actually: Seasonal dips are expected. Lenders look at the whole year, not your quietest month — show them twelve months of statements.
"I'll have to put the house up."
Actually: Not always. Unsecured options sized on turnover suit many trading businesses. Property security opens up larger amounts and longer terms when you want them.
"Shopping around will wreck my credit."
Actually: Asking us costs nothing on your credit file. No credit check happens until you choose an option and decide to go ahead.
Guides
Straight-talking guides for shop owners
Leases, fit-outs, buying a café, the first-year bills and what to do when trade drops. Written for New Zealand main-street businesses.
The commercial lease checklist for shops and cafés
A plain-English commercial lease checklist for NZ shop, café and salon owners: term, renewals, rent reviews, bonds, guarantees and make-good.
Buying an existing café: the due diligence checklist
What to check before buying a café in New Zealand: real takings, costs, the lease, food registration, equipment, staff, stock at valuation and how to fund it.
Your first year on the main street: the bills nobody mentions
The costs that catch new NZ shop, café and salon owners out in year one: GST, provisional tax, ACC levies, KiwiSaver, licence renewals and rent reviews.
How to budget a shop or café fit-out
A step-by-step guide to budgeting a fit-out for a NZ shop, café, salon or clinic: scope, quotes, consents, contingency, GST timing and funding.
When trade drops suddenly: a 30-day plan for main-street owners
A practical 30-day plan for NZ café, shop and salon owners when takings fall suddenly: cash, landlord, suppliers, IRD and recovery funding.
Using your POS reports to plan cash and borrow well
Which POS reports NZ cafés, shops and salons should pull to plan cash flow, spot seasonal gaps, set GST aside and strengthen a funding request.
Questions from the square
What kinds of businesses does Funding Square help?
Main-street and neighbourhood businesses across New Zealand: cafés, restaurants, bars, retail shops, hair and beauty salons, barbers, gyms and studios, health clinics, vets, tourism operators and trades with a counter or workshop.
Does enquiring affect my credit score?
No. There's no credit check when you first enquire. A credit check only comes up once you've decided to go ahead with a particular option.
How much can a café or shop borrow?
Property-secured business loans run from $20,000 to $5,000,000. Unsecured options for trading businesses are typically $5,000 to $500,000, sized on turnover and bank statements. The right amount depends on what it's for and what your cash flow can carry.
Can I borrow without using my house as security?
Often, yes. Businesses with steady takings through the bank can look at unsecured options. Bigger amounts or newer businesses usually suit property-secured borrowing better.
My takings drop every winter. Can I still get funding?
Yes. Seasonal trade is normal on the main street. Twelve months of bank statements show lenders the pattern — and the cash gap estimator helps you show exactly when and how big the gap is.
Will my enquiry be sent to lots of lenders?
No. Your enquiry stays with one team, who work out where your business fits. We don't auction or broadcast enquiries.
Why don't you show interest rates?
Because every business is priced on its own circumstances — the business, the security, the amount and the term. A headline number would mislead. You'll see the full costs before you sign anything.
More answers on our FAQ page, or ask us directly.
Let's keep your doors open and your shelves full
Tell us what your business needs in about a minute. No credit check to ask, no spraying your details around, and a person who understands main-street trade on the other end.
No credit check to ask
Not handed round town
A local-minded person