From "how much do I really need?" to funded — without choking your cash.
A 7(a) working-capital loan can fuel growth, refinance expensive debt, or buy out a partner — but each use carries its own rules, and working capital is the single hardest thing to justify to a lender. This is the journey, stage by stage: the wall you hit, and the exact tool that removes it. It does not exist as one product anywhere else. We built it.
Built to work in, not write on
The workbook is a live Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) spreadsheet — you type your own numbers and the formulas do the math, instantly. The business plan is a fully editable Microsoft Word (.docx) template you make your own. These are the dynamic foundation you build your deal on — not a paper guide, and nothing to handwrite.
1
Before you borrow · screening
How much do I actually need?
"My instinct is to borrow as much as they'll give me. But what do I actually need — and can the business already carry the payment?"
In the workbook
The Deal Screener takes the loan you need, the cash flow the business already produces, the payments that stay in place, and a rough rate, and tells you in thirty seconds whether it can qualify — before you spend a month on paperwork.
2
What you're using it for
Working capital, refinance, or a buyout?
"Some of this is growth capital, some is paying off an old loan, some is buying out my partner — and I'm told the SBA treats each one differently."
In the workbook
The Loan Request & Use of Proceeds tab itemizes every use, pulls the refinance and buyout figures from their own tabs, computes the guaranty fee, totals the loan, and checks it against the program maximum.
3
Eligibility · the gates
Am I eligible — and are my uses eligible?
"It's not just whether I qualify — it's whether what I want to spend it on even counts."
In the workbook
The Eligibility & Credit Memo Checklist walks every SOP 50 10 8 condition and the full document list, so nothing surprises you in underwriting.
4
If you're refinancing · the 10% test
Can I roll in my old, expensive debt?
"I want to refinance high-rate debt into this loan, but there's a 'benefit test' I don't understand and don't want to fail."
In the workbook
The Debt-Refinance Analysis tab computes the new SBA payment against your current one, shows the monthly savings and the payment-reduction percentage, and flags whether it clears the 10% test, whether the debt is current, and whether it's an eligible type — then flows the qualifying balance into your use of proceeds.
5
If you're buying a partner out · the rules
Does a partner buyout even work here?
"I'm buying out my partner. Does an SBA loan allow that, and how much do I personally have to put in?"
In the workbook
The Partner Buyout tab takes the departing stake and the agreed value, computes the buyout price, runs the 24-month-active and 9:1 debt-to-worth tests that can reduce your injection, and checks the structure — then flows the price into your use of proceeds.
6
The week-three wall · coverage
Prove it repays — and still pays your household.
"Show that the business covers the new payment on top of everything that stays — and still supports me at home."
In the workbook
The Historical DSC tab recasts your three years against the proposed payment; the Recast & DSC tab computes the forward business coverage and the global coverage that folds in your household.
7
The hardest sell · justifying the cash
"Your use of funds is too vague."
"Working capital is the hardest thing to document. The lender keeps calling my use-of-funds 'too vague,' and I don't know how to make it concrete."
In the workbook
The Loan Request & Use of Proceeds tab ties every working-capital dollar to a business reason and a time frame — the concrete narrative lenders accept — and the Collateral & Liquidity tab shows your coverage and the operating cushion you keep after closing.
8
Structure · submit
My rate, the cap, and a complete file.
"What's my rate, is it inside the SBA cap, and how do I hand over a package that doesn't bounce back?"
In the workbook
The Loan Structure tab sets the rate from Prime plus your spread, flags if it exceeds the SBA cap, and builds the amortization; the Credit Summary prints the one page a loan officer can drop straight into your file.
Funded — and still breathing.
Working capital sized to what you actually need, old debt cleaned up or a partner bought out cleanly, a use-of-funds the lender accepts, and coverage that holds. Growth that fuels the loan instead of strangling your cash.