A Word with James Williamson

1. James, you’ve been at the helm of grenke Invoice Finance. Can you tell us how the business has evolved since its early days?

The business is always evolving, but the biggest change has been the size of facilities we can now offer. We started out targeting clients with requirements up to £200,000, and today we provide facilities up to £4 million. Despite that growth, we’ve stayed true to our original ethos: a simple, transparent product, backed by excellent customer service. That remains at the heart of our culture.

2. What have been some of your proudest milestones in building grenke Invoice Finance into what it is today?

There have been many proud moments over the years. We’ve supported more than 450 SMEs since we began offering factoring, and watching those clients grow and thrive with our support is incredibly rewarding. Some of my proudest moments have also come from within the team, seeing staff step up, support each other, and deliver for our customers even under difficult circumstances. I’m particularly proud that we’ve increased the volume of invoices funded every single year since we started—even during the COVID lockdowns, when we continued to back our customers.

3. The acquisition by Teylor AG marks a new chapter. What does this mean for the business, and what excites you most about it?

It’s an exciting move for us. We bring the invoice finance experience, and Teylor brings the digital capabilities to streamline our processes and help us make faster credit decisions. That means more time focused on customers and better experiences for them, quicker decisions and simplified facility management. We’re also planning enhancements for our introducer network, which I’m looking forward to sharing more about after the launch.

4. Many of your customers and partners have stayed with you for years. What’s been key to building that kind of trust and loyalty?

We’ve been supporting some clients since 2013 and they’re still with us today. The key has been strong service and open communication. Our clients have direct phone numbers, email addresses, and mobiles for their account managers. People who know their account inside and out and can help them with anything they need.

5. The factoring landscape has changed over the past decade. What trends have shaped how you support customers—and how are you preparing for what’s next?

The invoice finance sector is full of innovation, and we’ve seen two major trends: digitisation and flexibility. Digitisation is making onboarding and facility management quicker and simpler for customers. Flexibility is about tailoring the product to fit. That’s been one of our key pillars. Our modular offering lets clients choose whether to factor all customers or just a few (even sole or concentrated debtors), whether to handle their own credit control or let us do it, and whether to take on credit risk themselves or leave that with us.

6. Culture plays a big role in any transition. How are you ensuring continuity for your team and your clients?

While we’ve enjoyed being part of a listed company under grenke, our invoice finance operation has always run more like a small enterprise or start-up. Everyone has a clear role and a direct impact on our success. We regularly share strategy with the team and their input helps shape our products and processes. They’ve always embraced change and shown resilience and I’m confident we’ll align really well with the Teylor culture.

7. What message would you give to SMEs exploring invoice finance for the first time—or returning to it in today’s economic climate?

Invoice finance is a fantastic product that’s helped thousands of businesses grow faster than they could with other funding options. But for first-time users, it can feel a little complex. There are lots of options and things to consider. I always say: there’s a funder for everyone, but it’s important to find the right one. That means looking beyond the headline rate or facility size. We’ve designed our product to be as simple as possible, and I’m always encouraging the team to avoid jargon and acronyms. It’s a bit of a pet hate of mine!

8. And finally, what should we be watching for from the new Teylor AG-backed team in the coming months?

We’re aiming to roll out quick wins that improve speed—particularly for larger deals—and make onboarding even simpler. Longer term, we’ll be integrating Teylor’s technology to digitalise our entire process and deliver an industry-leading experience. We also plan to introduce additional invoice finance products, and even other financial solutions, through the Teylor platform that could benefit our clients.