Free guide · Written by a commercial banker
Business financing, explained from the banker’s side of the desk.
A free, banker-written guide to business financing: what qualifies you, what it really costs, and what to do if your bank says no.
- 10 chapters
- 3 calculators
- $0 to read
Will a bank say yes?
1.50×Excellent debt service coverage ratio
Strong coverage. At 1.50× and up, you’re in line for better pricing and more flexibility.
Start with your question
What brought you here today?
Will I qualify?
See what a lender actually checks, and get your own number in under a minute.
Chapter 3 + DSCR meterWhat will financing cost?
Turn confusing rates into one number you can actually compare.
Chapter 6 + cost comparatorBank said no?
Find out what went wrong, and what to do next.
Chapter 8 + the five fixesBanks lend on cash flow, not on hope.
Debt service coverage, not your pitch, decides most approvals.
Profit is an opinion. Cash is a fact.
A profitable company can still run out of cash. Chapter 4 helps you see it coming.
You have two credit files, not one.
Your personal score and your company’s file are scored separately, and lenders check both.
The real cost of capital is rarely the sticker rate.
Factor rates and daily payments are hard to compare until you turn them into one number.
A “no” is information, not a verdict.
Most declines trace back to one of five fixable reasons.
The full guide
Ten chapters. Read in order, or jump to what you need.
Every chapter is free to read. No sign-up, no paywall.
- Introduction to Business Financing: Why This MattersWhy smart owners treat capital as a production tool, how to tell good debt from bad, and the hidden cost of waiting too long to borrow.
- Understanding Your Business Financial StatementsRead your income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement the way your banker does, and learn which statement quality level your borrowing requires.
- Key Financial Ratios: What Banks Look AtThe five ratios that decide your borrowing capacity: DSCR, current ratio, debt-to-equity, gross margin, and FCCR, plus four moves that improve them in 90 days.
- Cash Flow Management: Why Profit Doesn’t Equal CashWhy profitable companies run short of cash, how to shorten your cash conversion cycle, and how a 13-week forecast keeps surprises from reaching your banker.
- Understanding Credit and Building Business CreditHow business credit is built and scored separately from your personal credit, and what a lender is really checking before they say yes.
- The Financing Menu: Loan Types, Lenders, and How Pricing WorksLines of credit, term loans, SBA 7(a) and 504, equipment and AR financing, the lender landscape, merchant cash advance warnings, and how loan pricing really works.
- Understanding Collateral and Loan StructuresWhat lenders accept as collateral, advance rates and LTV, guarantees and recourse, term vs. maturity vs. amortization, and how to negotiate covenants before you sign.
- The Application Process: From Request to FundingWhat lenders ask for, what underwriting does with it, realistic timelines, how to read a term sheet, the five common decline reasons, and what to do next.
- Working With Your Banker: Building a Strong RelationshipHow to build a relationship with your banker that pays off before you need a loan, not just when you're applying for one.
- Conclusion: Your Path ForwardDaniel and Maria five years on, the four stages of financial maturity, a 30/90/365-day action plan, and the questions that shape your next phase of growth.
Free calculators
Run the numbers a credit committee runs.
DSCR Calculator
Will your cash flow cover the payments? The first number every lender runs.
Open the calculatorLoan Payment Calculator
Monthly payment and total cost, with side-by-side comparison of two offers.
Open the calculatorCash Conversion Cycle
How many days your cash is trapped between paying suppliers and getting paid.
Open the calculatorFree download
Take the whole guide with you.
The book as a PDF, plus the 13-week cash forecast spreadsheet: the one document that most changes how a bank sees you.
We won’t sell or share your email. No sales calls. Unsubscribe any time.