The Future of SME Finance in Any Language...

When John Bowman and Lorna Leahy decided to expand their successful bilingual early learning centre, they chose a hassle-free facility from Linked Finance to support the project.

With over 25 years experience in education, John Bowman and Lorna Leahy are the driving force behind BEL Childcare. Their unique early learning centre in Cork offers children an opportunity to flourish in the English language while being introduced to secondary languages.

Research shows that children who learn two languages from an early age are more likely to succeed academically, have higher earnings, and have better mental health outcomes as they grow older. 

BEL teachers incorporate Irish, Spanish, Polish, French, and any other language spoken by staff, into their lessons with a curriculum of songs, games, flashcards, classroom labels, and group time discussions. Supported by early childhood education assessors Aistear and Siolta, the centre has established a learning environment founded on trust and excellence. 

A major part of BEL Childcare's success to date flows from the wonderful team of qualified, experienced childcare professionals that John and Lorna assembled. The calibre of the staff and their passion for early education has led to rave reviews from parents.

In 2018, with this burgeoning reputation and demand for places steadily on the rise, BEL Childcare recognised that there was an opportunity to expand.

 

“Applying to the Linked Finance platform was born of necessity from increasing demand. We needed finance, and quickly. The P2P service they offered, provided us with fast application assessment and immediate drawdown.”

John Bowman
Bilingual Learning Centre

 

Setting up a new bilingual creche and preschool would take the business to the next level and allow them to satisfy the demand from families in the area. 

With the ideal location identified and the space secured, John and Lorna began evaluating options for the capital needed to fit out the new premises to the high standards for which BEL Childcare had become renowned.

They were immediately drawn to Linked Finance. The easy applications, quick decisions and fast access to funds all meant that they could arrange the finance and finalise their plans without delay.

Once approved, the loan request was published on LinkedFinance.com and the €47,000 facility was funded within an hour. 

Taking advantage of Linked Finance’s hassle-free, flexible finance, means that unique and successful businesses like BEL Childcare can quickly raise the funding required to capitalise on business opportunities.

With financing from Linked Finance, BEL Childcare have not only moved to a new location but have continued to grow their unique and much sought-after educational business.

“It was so straightforward. Once approved, we were able to draw down the funds within 24 hours. Linked Finance offers exactly the type of fast and responsive service that Irish SMEs need.”

John Bowman
Bilingual Learning Centre

 

If you work with Irish SMEs and require a flexible financing solution for your unique business, talk to Linked Finance today. Call now on 01 906 0300.