Becoming Bankable, The Basics
Becoming Bankable, The Basics

The process of a small business "Becoming Bankable" is not difficult, but it is complicated. The issue is that ninety nine percent (99%) of small business owners simply do not know what is involved. For example, ask small business owners what is their "Bank Rating"? They have no clue, when it is the single most important item determining their ability to service a debt. Ask them about their UCC filings and again no clue. Most likely they do not know what "UCC" stands for. Ask them if their "Lender Compliance Items" are completed? No clue. Ask them what is their FICO business credit score? Again, no idea. Their Inteliscore or Paydex socre? How many reporting tradelines do they have? Ask them to show you their accounts aging? Ask if they have checked their NAP validation? By now you get the point. It is simply what they don't know that is keeping them from "Becoming Bankable".

The Difference Between Bankable and Fundable
The Difference Between Bankable and Fundable

We hear it all the time "My client is Fundable". Of course your "Non-Bankable client is "Fundable", but they are fundable with funding programs such as; credit cards, revenue based loans, merchant account advances, invoice factoring, purchase order financing, asset based lending and the many more non-bankable alternative business funding programs. The problem with that is that these funding programs are all expensive (35% interest and higher), short terms (24 months or less repayment periods) and smaller amounts (difficult to string together more than $250,000). Compare that to Bankable business financing which goes up to $5 million, out as long as 20 years and averages 12% to 15% interest.

It Takes Four To Six Months To Get There
It Takes Four To Six Months To Get There

The process of Becoming Bankable has a time factor where the minimum time is four (4) months if your clients do exactly what they are told to do and do it when they are told to do it. For example, creating a Low Five (L5) Bank Rating takes three bank statement reporting cycles where your client must maintain a minimum $10,000 average daily balance for the prior three reporting bank statements. The account balance cannot drop below that and there can be no NSF returns during that period. Go below that or have NSFs and the clock starts over. They will need at least three business credit tradeline reporting cycles which again pushes things out to the four (4) month timeline. During these cycles your clients must pay all their business bills on time or early. Business credit reports late payments to the day, so even one (1) day late and the cycle can start over.