Small Business Credit and financing has always been a painful topic for a cash strapped entrepreneur. While we would all love to have access to a secured or unsecured line of credit, lenders need to see a number of important signals and signs before they are comfortable in approving a loan. And this was when times were good. In the tight credit environment of today loan approvals are dependent on a number of factors. Some specific to a business and its ability to repay the loan, other related to the ability of the small business owner to understand the credit approval process at his local bank and speak the language of credit and finance.
In addition to the paperwork, the loan applicant must be able to furnish and present the right information in the right format, answer some basic questions in a satisfactory way and document the historical performance and growth of his business. All this takes time and practice. The right time to start thinking about a lending application is not when you need the loan but when you start the business. The right accounting systems, reporting processes, documentation and smart financing decisions are all factors that can impact the final credit approval decision on part of the lender.
Here is a list of resources put together for small business owners that would help them better understand the language of credit as well as the credit approval and analysis process at their local bank. Just like taking any standardized exam, credit approval is a function of practicing to answer the right question at the right time with the right level of detail. We hope that the resources below will help you find the right answers for your business and your loan application.
Small Business
- Small Business Credit Training: Getting a grip on Finance and Ratio analysis with case studies
- Small Business Credit Training: Ratio Analysis, Finance, Accounting and Credit Process
- Small Business Credit Training – Understanding Credit Process and Loan Approval basics
- Small business Credit Training – credit and small business loan processing and approval basics
- Small business Credit Training: Cases in Finance: Valuation, Ratio analysis and Credit
- Small business Credit Training: Free Online finance and accounting training courses
- Small business Credit Training – Accounting to ratio analysis
- Basic accounting short course: Accounting training for small businesses – Preparing the T-account
- Basic accounting short course: Accounting training for small businesses – Introducing Debit & Credit
- Basic Accounting short course: Accounting training for small businesses
- Small Business Credit Training: Teaching small business the language of credit and finance
- Small Business Credit Training: Small Business Association (SBA) non-direct Loans
- SME Financing: Regional financial initiatives
- SME Financing: Financing programs for small businesses
- SME Financing Basics: Operating Cycle, Books of Accounts and Forms of doing business
Small Business – Accounting
- Accounting short course – Small business accounting training – Reviewing the Trial balance example
- Basic Accounting Short Course for small business – Course Guide
- Accounting short course – Small Business accounting training – The Trial Balance and accounting control
- Basic accounting Crash Course- Small business accounting training – General Ledger example
- Basic Accounting Crash Course: Small Business Accounting Training: Cash Book Example
- Basic Accounting Crash Course: Accounting Training for small businesses- Cash Book and recording cash discounts
- Basic Accounting Short Course- Small Business Accounting Training- Integrating Sales, Purchases & Returns
- Accounting Crash Crouse-Small Business Accounting Training – Purchases Journal and Purchases Ledger
- Accounting crash course: Small Business Accounting Training – Sales Journal, Sales Ledger and Trade discounts
- Accounting Crash Course: Small Business Accounting Training – Sales Journal and Sales Ledgers
- Accounting short course: Small business accounting training – Books of Original Entry – Journals and Ledgers
Small Business – Credit Process & Analysis
- Credit Process
- Credit Analysis – First Course
- Small Business Credit Training: Credit Process: Baldwin Piano
- Small Business Credit Training: Credit Process: Course Guide
- Small Business Credit Training: Analyzing Cash flow Statements: Examples
- Small Business Credit Training: Credit Process: Credit Decision – factors
- Small Business Credit Training: Credit Process: The Credit Decision
- Small Business Credit Training: Credit Process: Credit memo: information gathering and processing
- Small Business Credit Training: Credit Process: Credit Culture and Information Gathering Foundations
- Small Business Credit Training: Credit Process: Review
- Small Business Credit Training: Credit Process: Lending products
- Small Business Credit Training: Credit Process: Why do businesses borrow money?
- Small Business Credit Training: Credit Process: Understanding the language ii
- Small Business Credit Training: Credit Process: Understanding the language – I
- Small Business Credit Training: Credit Process: Mindset
- Small Business Credit Training: Course Guide
- Small Business Credit Training: Financial Leverage
- Small Business Credit Training: Fixed Costs and Operating leverage
- Small Business Credit Training: Breakeven and leverage
- Small Business Credit Training: Leverage: Introduction – I
- Small Business Credit Training: Investor Due Diligence and Pre Investment Audits
- Small Business Credit Training: Analyzing Cash Flows for Credit: Numerical Example
- Small Business Credit Training: Analyzing Cash Flows for Credit: Operating Cash
- Small Business Credit Training: Analyzing Cash Flows for Credit: Trading Cash
- Small Business Credit Training: Analyzing Cash Flows for Credit: Cash from Sales