Small Business Finance Institute

Make Good Decisions For Yourself

Recognizing your needs, the process, the risks, and the rewards is only half the effort to getting debt financing for your business. At this point, you may be mentally prepared, but now you have to go to work to provide the application. The â€˜physical’ side of the application is to document everything to establish 1) who you are, 2) what you are, 3) what you want, and 3) why they should give it to you.

Judgment day may be anti-climactic, since a large number of decisions are going to be made in the process; many by the business, many by the lender, and many through compromise. Diligence and purpose must be the focus of your efforts for every decision leading ultimately for the money to run your business.

An important attribute to hold onto through these processes is the perspective of your purpose, and the limitations of your business. It is all about money, but money is still only money.

The process of finding business capital is a sales challenge. You establish needs, find prospects, qualify, and try to close. It is one of dozens of challenges any small business faces every day, but it is not the only one. And solving the money problem does not solely insure success.

Money is the currency in which you operate, but there is a greater challenge in establishing a way to making it flow regularly through your business. Money doesn’t end the list of challenges.

You need to establish some limits as to what your business agree to do, agree not to do, and what it will pay for the financing it is seeking. If your lender asks too much, more than your self-established limit, walk away from the deal.

Remind yourself why you established that limit, and keep looking.