Free tool
Compare industries side by side
Tap up to three of 74 industries and see exactly how lenders read each one — uses, documents, red flags and the lending lane that fits.
Pick two or three industries
They'll line up here so you can compare them row by row.
When comparing industries helps
Most owners only ever see their own industry through a lender's eyes. Laying two or three side by side shows why the questions change: a business paid by card every day is read on its takings, one paid on 30 to 60 day invoices is read on its debtors, and one built on specialised equipment is read on what that equipment would fetch second-hand.
It's especially handy if your business straddles two industries — a café that also caters, an electrician moving into solar, a mechanic adding a detailing bay — or if you're buying a business in a field you haven't worked in before. For a single industry in depth, use the industry finder.
Ready to see what's possible for your own business? Start a 60-second enquiry — no credit check to enquire, your details go to us rather than a crowd of lenders, and a real person calls you back.
Comparison questions
What does the industry comparison show?
Pick up to three industries and see them side by side: what each usually borrows for, how lenders read it, the documents worth gathering, the red flags that slow applications and the lending lane that tends to fit.
Why compare industries at all?
It's useful if your business spans more than one industry, if you're thinking of buying a business in a new field, or if you simply want to see why a lender asks you different questions to a friend in another trade.
Is the comparison an offer or approval?
No. It's general information about how lenders commonly look at each industry. Your own trading history, security and circumstances decide what's possible, which is why a real person reviews every enquiry.
Does it affect my credit file?
No. The comparison runs in your browser and stores nothing. Enquiring doesn't involve a credit check either — that only comes up if you decide to go ahead.
Compared the field? Now let's look at your business
A 60-second enquiry lets a real person look at your business specifically — with no credit check to enquire.
No credit check to enquire
Not sent to a crowd of lenders
A real person who gets your industry