Securing a business loan can unlock growth, but many applications fail for the same avoidable reasons.
A strong loan request reads like a mini business plan: it shows clean numbers, a precise use of funds, credible assumptions, and a repayment path that survives a bad month. If you can tell that story with supporting documents, approval odds rise and pricing improves.
If you cannot, even a good business can be rejected or saddled with expensive terms. Below are the five biggest errors and how to fix them, with practical details you can use before you speak to a lender.
1) Mixing business and personal cash
When personal transfers, family expenses, and business sales appear in the same account, lenders cannot see how your company performs. Ambiguity forces them to assume more risk, and higher risk means “no” or a higher rate.
The cure is simple but non-negotiable: open a dedicated business account, run all sales and supplier payments through it, and keep your personal life out of those statements. Even if your bank does not require audited accounts, six to twelve months of clean, business-only statements instantly improve credibility
2) Vague use of funds
“General expansion” is not a plan. Lenders fund cash-generating steps, not wishes. Replace broad language with a specific project and a measurable outcome.
Buying a new oven to lift capacity by forty percent, restocking a fast-moving SKU with a thirty-day payback, adding a delivery bike to increase daily runs, or financing a POS network in three new locations are all specific because they can be tied to projected revenue, margin, and timing.
A lender’s core question is simple: Does this loan create enough dependable cash to repay itself on time while you still run the business? If your answer is not obvious on the first page of your request, the answer is “no.” Build a short narrative that connects purpose to profit.
3) Poor records and weak collateral prep
Missing tax IDs, expired registrations, and incomplete statements slow approvals and raise red flags. If you are applying for an asset-backed loan, treat your documentation like inventory: complete, current, and neatly labelled.
Title documents, purchase invoices, valuation reports where necessary, insurance certificates, and any permits should be in one folder with consistent names and dates. If equipment serial numbers or vehicle VINs are relevant, have them written exactly as they appear on the asset; typos cause delays.
Where you lack audited accounts, compensate with organised management records: a simple profit-and-loss statement, a rolling cash-flow forecast, and a debtor and creditor list that ties to your bank statements.
4) Over-borrowing and long tenors
Many owners borrow more than their cash cycle can comfortably carry. Long tenors reduce the monthly bite but quietly inflate total interest and keep you in debt through several market cycles. Match tenor to the economic life of the asset and to how your cash actually moves.
Working capital for inventory that turns every thirty to sixty days should be financed with a facility that revolves within that same window, not a multi-year note that drifts into the future.
Equipment that reliably earns for years can be financed over twelve to thirty-six months, but the test is always the same: does monthly cash flow stay healthy after repayment and routine expenses, and does the total interest remain sensible compared to expected gains?
5) Ignoring total cost
A pretty base rate can hide an ugly APR. Processing, legal, valuation, tracker or telematics, stamp duties, VAT, insurance, and commitment fees can change the economics of a deal. Always compare the real annual percentage rate, ask for a full amortisation schedule, and study the cash-flow impact month by month.
If two offers have similar rates but one loads the first month with chunky fees, your working capital may take a hit you did not plan for. Ask whether part-prepayments are allowed without penalty and whether early settlement attracts a fair rebate; flexibility can save you money if business is strong.