Polling commissioned by British Business Bank, the UK government-owned economic development bank, has revealed one in three (33%) smaller business owners want to grow their businesses but are unsure on how best to achieve that growth.

Often, smaller businesses want to grow but just don’t consider, or know of, the alternative finance options available to them. The new polling reveals, for example, that only 5% of businesses have considered angel investment whilst only 7% have considered crowdfunding.

Older business owners are significantly less likely to be aware of or to have used alternative growth finance options than their younger counterparts. One in five (19%) millennials (under-35s), for example, have considered crowdfunding, compared to fewer than one in twenty (3%) over-35s.

Shoosmiths has advised on the sale of specialist IT-provider Taylor Made Computer Solutions (TMCS) to Peach Technologies, creating one of the UK’s biggest IT managed providers as a result.

Benefex Holdings Limited, owner of the market leading employee experience platform OneHub, has announced that Bain Capital Private Equity has signed a definitive agreement for an investment in Benefex. As part of the transaction, BGF, which has backed Benefex since 2011, will exit its minority stake.

BGF is to exit its investment in employee benefits firm Benefex, the first company to receive BGF funding when it launched in 2011. BGF’s minority stake will be acquired by Bain Capital.

The acquisition will enable Benefex to benefit from synergies with Bain Capital’s investments in the HR technology sector as the company moves to the next stage of its growth strategy. Founder Matt Macri-Waller will continue as shareholder and CEO.

UK based e-learning specialist Candle Learning has announced the launch of their latest online tool, designed specifically to help commercial training companies to assess the potential of integrating e-learning into their services.

Paragon Group, the leading provider of customer communications, identification and graphics services, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Imprimus Limited which will become part of Paragon Customer Communications’ business in the UK. Imprimus, formerly known as Stralfors UK, has an annual turnover of around £14m; following the acquisition Paragon Group revenues will exceed €700m during the coming financial year.

Business owners are being supplied with useful advice in order to help them keep the stress of relocating their business to a minimum.

BGF has invested £3m of growth capital into Cardiff-headquartered DevOpsGroup, a UK professional services company specialising in DevOps engineering consultancy and training. This deal represents BGF’s first investment in Wales since it announced the launch of its Cardiff office earlier this year. 

Looking at some of the biggest problems that new businesses face, QuoteMyEnergy has identified the ways entrepreneurs can utilise technology today to overcome them. 

Livingstone’s Media & Technology sector team has advised the shareholders of PEI Media, including LDC, on its sale to Bridgepoint Development Capital.

Bowmark Capital, the mid-market private equity firm, has backed the buy-out of The Instant Group, a global leader in independent flexible workspace solutions.   

Founded in 1999, Instant provides alternative methods of office procurement and management, with specific focus on flexible workspace and medium-term lease solutions, employing 250 people in 11 cities around the world.

Newable, the one-stop shop for growing businesses, has launched a specialist international trade consultancy to help small and medium-sized British companies develop their business in overseas markets.