Why we set up a specialist site for difficult business loans

Ownright Custom Finance exists for the loans that don't fit the standard mould, and for the people who've been told no. Some of the hardest requests we see are from business owners: an ATO debt that has grown, a default that followed a supplier dispute, an insolvency that ended years ago but still follows the business around, or a structure a bank simply can't read.

A problem we kept seeing

People in these situations search online, often late at night and under pressure. Many of those searches land them with someone who isn't equipped, or experienced enough, to help with a really difficult case. The result is predictable: a fee paid up front, weeks of waiting, and a loan that never arrives because the person they hired didn't know where the right lenders were or how to present the file to them. By then the business has lost time it may not have had.

What we did about it

Trevor Scott and the Ownright team have spent decades finding finance for deals that fall outside bank policy. To reach more of the owners who need that experience, and to help keep them away from brokers who take a fee and then can't deliver, we set up Difficult Business Loans, a site built around one question: what can realistically be done for a business the bank has declined?

It explains the options in plain English, covering ATO debt and payment plans, defaults, past insolvency, complex structures and unusual security, for business purposes only. It is general information, and it says plainly when the honest answer is "not yet" and what would change it.

If you're weighing up who to trust with a hard loan

• Be wary of large fees before anything is delivered. Ask exactly what you're paying for, and when.
• Ask about experience with your situation. A broker who has placed ATO-debt or post-default deals before will say how, and will be honest if yours is unlikely to work.
• Expect a straight answer about timing. Valuations, titles and lawyers set the pace, not enthusiasm.
• Check licensing. Credit and finance activities should be licensed or represented by a licensed business, and you can look up ASIC's registers.

If you're not sure where to start, tell us what you're facing and we'll outline what's possible.