Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) need good products that are backed by specialist advice, according to one expert.
Nigel Owen, a spokesperson for NatWest, said that if SMEs are able to start off with good support they stand a better chance of success.
He added that good financial products are important but that they have to be backed up with good advice and a strong relationship with the customer.
"We believe that operating from and understanding the local market in which your customers operate is the only way to offer relevant, quality advice to help small businesses succeed," he said.
He advised that some financial packages are designed with SMEs in mind, providing a wide range of practical business solutions with all the benefits of personal banking.
Recent figures from the Office of National Statistics revealed that by the end of 2006 there were an estimated 4.5 million business enterprises in the UK.
This, the figures claimed, showed an increase on the previous year of around 2.9 per cent.
