Owning and operating your own business is very much a part of the American Dream.  Not everyone is qualified to live this dream but to help qualified buyers, the US Congress through the Small Business Administration (SBA) has put together a third party lending program.  The SBA itself does not lend money direct to would be entrepreneurs, rather they allow qualified banks to manage and execute loan programs that meet criteria set by the SBA who will in return, underwrite a portion of the loan to lessen the risk of the banks.  The rules are complex and change in reaction to the economy.  However, a prospective borrower needs to put their best foot forward or their loan will not be successful.  Here are 10 reasons your request for an SBA loan more than likely will be declined.
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One of the companies I use for SBA 504 loans in Sacramento called GSCDC dba Capital Funding, just sent through a messaging saying:

“SBA has released their guidelines for the “Refinancing Program.” We expect to have an influx of applications. Remember, this is only a two-year program. We have highlighted the guidelines for your review below:

• Federally guaranteed debt is not eligible for refinancing (7A, SBA-504, USDA).
• Existing loan(s) to mature on or before December 31, 2012.
• Project costs up to $18,000,000 are eligible.
• Loan to be refinanced must have been used for SBA-504 eligible fixed assets (real estate and/or equipment).
• Property must be owner occupied (51% or greater).

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The SBA has successfully funded many small business acquisitions over the years. Since August 2008, it had become increasingly difficult to successfully apply for an SBA loan as approval criteria was tightened in response to more loans performing poorly. In recent weeks, however, the SBA has become more “user friendly” in a bid to try and help kick start small businesses which in turn will lower unemployment.

If you are a potential business buyer and applying for an SBA loan to help fund part of your business purchase is one of your strategies, to make your loan application more likely to succeed, consider the following:

1. Management experience is one of the more important criteria for an SBA lender to approve a loan. During 2008, the SBA did some research on the reason loans were failing and one of the consistent reasons was a lack of management experience. The bottom line is that you will need a resume to submit with your loan application. Make sure your resume is up to date and make sure it highlights real managerial experience including industry experience in the same industry you plan to buy your business.

2. Something an SBA lender likes to see on a loan application in addition to management experience is also experience managing a Profit and Loss Statement. A P&L reports the monthly flow of income and expenses of a business. If a borrower shows they have this skill and therefore understands cash flow, this is a great asset.
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Obtaining finance to buy a business is particularly challenging. One of the advantages of buying a business in the United States that very few other countries have to assist with this process is the Small Business Administration or the SBA as it is commonly called. If you have retirement money in a 401(k) plan, this money can be used to move into a corporation and fund the purchase or down payment to buy a business. This option can be combined with an SBA loan. Both of these processes are very formal and deliberate and therefore take time, but if applying for an SBA loan is part of your business acquisition plan, consider the following 5 tips.
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There are two critical things a buyer of a business is looking for and these are cash flow and potential. They may be willing to compromise on almost any other thing but if the cash flow’s not there to provide an income to sustain their family and livelihood, service the debt of the business and include a buffer in case they need time to re-establish upward momentum in the business and the industry the business is in is declining, then it will be a challenge to close the sale.

If the cash flow and potential are good, consider the following 6 questions to help present the business to the market. And a Golden Rule I use when helping buyers and sellers is to put your feet in the shoes of the other party, that is, don’t see things from your perspective, see them from the perspective of the other party.
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On Monday, September 27, 2010 the President will sign into law HR 5297, the small business bill.  This bill has huge ramifications on commercial lending AND the economy.  Most people don’t realize how big this bill is and the ramifications of it on small business lending.

The key SBA provisions of HR 5297 are noted below:

7A SBA loans

• Increase to maximum SBA 7a loan amount to $5,000,000 (permanently)
• 90% guarantee through December 31, 2010
• Fee waiver for the rest of 2010 (subject to available funding)
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Per the Coleman Report – Today the Senate voted 61 to 37 to pass a motion to invoke cloture on Boucus Substitute Amendment to H.R. 5297, the Small Business Lending Bill.

After the vote, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D, NV) said that passing this motion was the most significant thing the Senate has done since the Stimulus Bill was passed to create jobs.
The bill is expected to create between 500,000 and 700,000 new jobs.
“We have community banks now with the ability to compete with big banks, and the ability to loan money to small business,” Reid stated.
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For most owners of a privately held company, when the time is right they want to sell their business for the highest price possible in the quickest time possible and live happily ever after. There is nothing too complicated in that and at a basic level, that’s perfectly fine. However, a question to ask is whether the business owner wants to sell the business or is their preference to transition the business?

The difference between selling the business and transitioning the business is as different as night and day. Selling the business simply means looking for the buyer at that moment in time who will pay the highest price possible. Transitioning the business requires the owner to step back, systematically review all the options available to the business then creating a plan to arrive at that outcome.

For example, the business owner may have other options other than selling the business and taking the highest or best price. If the business owner has immediate family working in the business the preference may be to continue the legacy of the current owner by transitioning the business to the immediate family members. If this is the case, this brings into play a number of actions that need to be carefully and fully researched. Answering questions such as tax implications, legal questions such as what liabilities and responsibilities move from the current owner to the new owner, finance questions such as how any current loans need to be handled and indeed, how much and where is any money coming from to pay the current owner for the value they have created in the business that will fund their retirement or next journey in life.
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The Small Business Administration’s 7(A) Loan Guarantee Program has recently gone through some modifications and changes. These changes include an increase in credit availability for owners of companies with purchase prices between $400,000 and $4,000,000.

The SBA 7(A) program helps small entrepreneurs start or expand their businesses with loans through bank and non-bank lending institutions. Previously the loans only allowed a maximum of $250,000 in intangibles (including goodwill) to be financed. However, under the revised rules, it is now possible to finance any amount of goodwill (even up to this program’s lending limit of $2,000,000), as long as at least 25 percent equity exists in borrower down payment and/or seller stand-by financing.

There is more good news, in that the SBA has temporarily increased its guarantee from 75 percent to 90 percent of the total loan amount, and currently waives the guarantee fee (2.6 percent of the loan amount) charged to borrowers.
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What are my options if I cannot sell my business?  This current recession is marked by how low the economy has gone, the increase in unemployment, but most frustrating of all, how long it has taken before the “green shoots” appear. If your business is struggling and you think your only option is to close the door and hand the keys back to the landlord, here are some things to consider.

First, it’s rarely as simple as closing the door and handing the key back to the landlord. If your business has a lease you obviously need to discuss the situation with the landlord. If you have a good relationship and feel you can handle it on your own to save hiring help, take care as you handle the issue. Bear in mind the landlord is no different to you. They lease the real estate to make money. If you close the doors, they need to find a replacement for you which may take time to achieve. This can be a talking point with the landlord as you may be able to bring a tenant to replace you. If this is the case, make sure this is correct as the landlord may become frustrated if the person changes their mind. Similarly, the landlord is not required to accept the person you bring so be aware the landlord has options.
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The following article is re-printed from an email sent by Mike McGrane, an SBA lender with Wells Fargo based in Roseville, CA.

The Senate and the House have both passed various versions of the following improvements to the Small Business Admin 7a and 504 loan programs. This is a very good thing for Small Business, Entrepreneurs, Banks and Business Brokers and Developers. There is something for everyone in this Senate Bill outlines below. It still needs to be signed into law and the SBA needs to make their official guidelines public, but this should be what is coming.
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Gilmore Bank in Los Angeles, CA just released the following information about great news on upcoming changes to the SBA:

On October 21, 2009, President Obama announced steps that the administration is taking to expand access to capital for small businesses. Senate Bill 1832 was introduced by Senator Mary Landrieu to implement the administration’s initiatives.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION INCLUDE:
• Increasing maximum 7(a) loan size to $5 million
• Increasing maximum 504 sizes to $5 million (non-mfg) and $5.5 million (mfg)
• Increasing maximum guarantee dollars to one applicant/affiliates to $4.5 million
• Extending 90% maximum 7(a) guarantee percentage through 10/1/2010
• Extending ARC Loan relief to existing SBA loans
• Increasing the maximum microloan loan size from $35,000 to $50,000
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The number one reason most transactions don’t close after a buyer and seller have “negotiated” a deal is that the landlord cannot come to terms with the seller and/or buyer.

The number two reason is that finance is not available.

For obvious reasons, a seller prefers cash. Tom West of Business Brokerage Press is a writer and analyst on small business transactions. According to West, his research has shown that sellers receive a significantly higher purchase price if they decide to accept terms or carry a seller’s note and that, on average, a seller who sells for all cash receives 69.9 percent of the asking price whereas if the seller is willing to carry some of the finance, the selling price will increase by 15.8%. For example, if a business is listed for $150,000, and the seller who is willing to carry some finance, they will receive approximately $24,000 more than the seller who is asking for all cash.

Applying the above but instead of looking at selling price but gross sales, West has found that a seller who asks for cash receives, on average, a purchase price of 36 percent of annual sales; compared to the seller accepting terms, who receives an average of 42 percent of annual sales.
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The following is an article by Chrystal Jarvis of the Birmingham Business Journal about good news for Small Businesses looking for positive news about finance for their business.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is looking to offer more government-backed loans to commercial businesses.

The government agency has proposed increasing the size standards for 71 different types of businesses, two-thirds of them in retail trade sectors. The rest are in accommodations and food services and other services.

If adopted, more small businesses will become eligible for government loans and will have access to the SBA’s financial assistance, contracting and other programs.
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The following article was published in a newsletter to the members of the Calfornia Association of Business Brokers. It was written by Bob Porter, Vice President, Business Development Officer (BDO) Plumas Bank and provides an useful insight into how he sees the current SBA loan market; in the Sacramento region and particularly in Northern California.

Between 2000 and mid-2007, there were more SBA lenders and BDOs than you could shake a stick at. In fact, so many that despite the strong economy, business was tough because each lender’s piece of the pie had shrunk to a relatively unprofitable level. We were tripping over each other, pricing loans at historically low margins, leveraging deals greater than in years past, accepting little or no collateral, poorer than normal credit scores, less than customary industry/business experience, etc.

Similar to the housing market, the SBA industry was lending at an all-time extreme.
Today, however, the pendulum has swung the other direction. Many (I want to say most) SBA lenders have left the business. I estimate that only 20% of us are still active in the market from its heyday. Sure, many lenders might still tout that they offer SBA 7a business acquisition financing but take at look at SBA’s year-to-date production list and they are nowhere to be found.
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