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Free NPMCA course · 11 lessons

Business Finance 102: Bank-Ready

Free lessons on seasonal cash flow, business credit, what banks look for, the Bank-Ready path, equipment financing, the cash advance trap, SBA loans and collections.

A printed sheet of charts and graphs lying on a laptop

Photo: Lukas Blazek / Pexels, Pexels License

Lessons

  1. B102.1
    Seasonal cash flow: the 13-week forecast

    5-minute read

  2. B102.2
    Business credit: build a file lenders can see

    4-minute read

  3. B102.3
    What banks look for in a small business loan

    8-minute read

  4. B102.4
    The Bank-Ready path: what to do now for a yes later

    6-minute read

  5. B102.5
    Equipment: rent, buy used, buy new or finance

    5-minute read

  6. B102.6
    Equipment financing: what lenders check and how to read the deal

    7-minute read

  7. B102.7
    Lines of credit, factoring and the cash advance trap

    5-minute read

  8. B102.8
    SBA loans, CDFIs and when the bank says no

    5-minute read

  9. B102.9
    Collections that work

    5-minute read

  10. B102.10
    Payments and fraud controls

    5-minute read

  11. B102.11
    Where to borrow: bank, credit union, CDFI or an SBA 504 loan

    6-minute read

Course final

Take the course final

Up to 20 questions from this course's lesson checks, scored when you finish. Pass with 80% to earn the course badge and a certificate of completion. Retakes are unlimited. It needs a free NPMCA account.

Go to the course final →

Course wrap-up

Your capstone Move

Build one folder, on paper or a secure drive, called "My lender-ready file and Bank-Ready plan." It holds the ten-item lender-ready file from B102.4 and a one-page plan: where you are on the 24-month path, the next three things you'll do and by when, and the date of your next no-ask meeting with a banker. Check it against this list:

  • My 13-week cash forecast is current, has a minimum cash level, and gets updated every Monday.
  • I know my debt service coverage ratio and how it compares with my own 1.25 floor.
  • I have a D-U-N-S number, and at least two supplier accounts that report are paid before the due date.
  • My lender-ready file has all ten items, or a list of what's missing and who will produce it.
  • Any financing offer on my desk has its APR, total of payments and a five-Borrowing-Rules check written on it.
  • My collections calendar is set, and positive pay or ACH filters and a call-back rule are in place.

What's next

Business Finance 201: Grow Without Breaking. Growth uses cash before it brings cash in, and the habits from this course are what let you grow without running short.

Listen next

SBA Today for SBA loan rules, Equipment Finance Matters for how equipment lenders think, and Construction Legal Made Easy for collections and liens.