By Peter Cromarty, Founder and Non-Executive Chairman at CCBS
What World Cup football can teach us about taking action at the right time
For many businesses, summer presents a familiar tension.
On one hand, it’s a period where businesses need to keep moving forward, whether that’s completing transactions, securing opportunities or simply maintaining momentum in day-today operations. On the other, it’s a time when decision-making can slow, as stakeholders take leave, processes stretch, and momentum becomes harder to maintain.
It’s in that tension that outcomes are often decided.
Remember the 2010 World Cup final? Spain and the Netherlands were still goalless deep into extra time, with penalties looming, when Andrés Iniesta struck in the 116th minute. In one moment, he secured Spain’s first ever World Cup, deciding the outcome of an otherwise finely balanced game and defining an entire era for the team.
That is the nature of decisive moments. Long periods where little seems to change, followed by a narrow window where the right action makes all the difference. Hesitation, in those moments, can be the difference between progressing and missing out.
In business, the same dynamic plays out through timing pressure.
The summer slowdown effect
In practice, July and August tend to compress timelines.
Businesses are often working to complete transactions ahead of August disruption, meet tax or funding deadlines and act on opportunities that will not wait until September. At the same time credit processes don’t accelerate, key decision-makers are less available and transactions can lose pace at critical stages.
The result is a growing number of situations where timing, not viability, becomes the constraint. In many cases, those opportunities do not come around twice.
When timing becomes the real risk
In these situations, the instinct is often to pursue a single long-term funding solution.
But waiting for the right facility can introduce risk of its own:
deals stall while approvals are finalised
negotiating positions weaken
opportunities fall away altogether
It is often the case that the delay itself creates the problem. In business, missing the right moment can carry a real cost.
Where short-term funding fits
Short-term secured lending is designed for these circumstances.
Not as a replacement for long-term finance, but as a tool that allows businesses to:
act within the required timeframe
complete transactions with certainty
separate immediate decisions from longerterm funding structures
In simple terms, it allows the deal to move at the pace required, rather than waiting for funding to catch up.
From fallback option to planned strategy
There is still a perception that short-term lending is something to consider only when options are limited.
In reality, it is often most effective when used as part of a planned approach. Introducing short-term funding at the right point can help businesses maintain control over timing, protect value in negotiations, and avoid unnecessary pressure to commit to long-term structures too early.
Keeping business moving
Summer doesn’t reduce the number of opportunities available to businesses. If anything, it just increases the pressure to act on them quickly.
In any competitive environment, outcomes are often shaped by how well those moments are recognised and acted upon.
Short-term secured lending provides a practical way to do that, ensuring that timing supports the deal rather than holding it back.
Peter Cromarty is a commercial finance expert and founder of CCBS, with more than 35 years’ experience supporting SMEs and mid-corporate businesses. He specialises in structuring tailored funding solutions and advising on cash flow, refinancing and growth, helping clients navigate complex funding situations and deliver practical, time-sensitive outcomes.
www.ccbsg.co.uk | 0191 211 1471 Peter Cromart