Five things lenders look for before they ever read your forecast
Approval usually turns on housekeeping, not ambition. A short checklist we run with every small and mid-sized client.
Founders often assume a financing decision rests on the strength of the plan. In practice, a credit committee forms a view long before the forecast page — from how clean and consistent the record-keeping is.
First, reconcile your accounts. Bank statements that match your books remove the single biggest source of doubt. Second, separate owner spending from business spending; blended accounts make margins impossible to read.
Third, document your customer concentration honestly. One client at sixty percent of revenue is not disqualifying, but discovering it late is. Fourth, keep tax and statutory filings current. Fifth, be able to explain your worst month in one paragraph.
Clients who tidy these five items typically move from first conversation to term sheet in a matter of weeks rather than months.
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