Leadership
About our senior staff
Michael Hird
Owner, Consultant and Problem Solver
From a background of building engineering, project management, development and Certification, Michael then mixed his sector knowledge and engaged with Property Finance. Having been a Senior Development Engineer and Executive Structural Engineer within manufacturing and contracting, he was also able to develop key strength and knowledge of business finance.
His quantitative and qualitative knowledge and experience of financial solutions was built upon and has contributed to, significant insight and support for SME’s, Business Owners, Sole Traders, Landlords, Freelancers…. and their families.
A seasoned specialist in business and property finance, with a twist of Independence, he deals with alternative and less well-known, as well as major player finance providers.
Michael has served as both Regional Chair and member of CIOB Professional Practice Board, been a platform speaker at the London Stock Exchange on Data Security within Financial Services, and has worked with the BBC and Radio 4 on finance and mortgage related topics.
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Doesn’t like wasting money
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Doesn’t like wasting time
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Manages
Time allowance
`Risk comes with not knowing what you’re doing’ – Warren Buffet
Innovative Ideas
`Great things in business are never done by one person. They are done by a team of people’ – Steve Jobs
Performance-driven
` Plan, Strategy, Review’ – Step-Up Finance
Clear Communication
`The question isn’t who is going to let me, it’s who is going to stop me’ – Ayn Rand
Recent Blog Posts
Recent thoughts and opinions from Step-Up Finance’s leadership team
Exercise Your Wallet
It’s complicated. I was reminded just how complicated when I was doing an end-of-year office clearance. At the beginning of 2020 money goals were strong across ages. By the third quarter, the year that took more away than it gave, had beaten back goals across all spectrums. Blocking out the wider perception of the years [...]
Progress The New Normal
https://www.stepupfinance.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Progress-the-new-normal.mp3 Download the MP3 here It is not a new normal for `business' to be cautious before execution, nor is it a new normal to prioritize and protect liquidity. Reinforced by emerging Ad campaigns (scaffolded with buzzwords) the new normal is a place of empathy, staying at home, and virtual realities. Hearing ‘going forward remain [...]
Step Up The Tactics Alongside Strategy
https://www.stepupfinance.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Step-up-tactics.mp3 Download the MP3 here When allocating capital, lenders always have a risk-return trade-off measurement in assisting with securing their expectations for profitable lending. At times of a New Normal (translated as a new attitude in how business is done) their preference results in far fewer options offered. So far, and with more [...]
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