Your Business Won't Sell If a Buyer Can't Finance It.
90% of buyers under $5M need an SBA loan. If your financials, lease, or deal structure can't survive SBA underwriting — your deal dies 60 days in and you start over. We make sure that doesn't happen.
The Problem Nobody Tells Sellers About.
You've spent years building this business. You hired a broker. You found a buyer. The LOI is signed.
Then the buyer applies for an SBA loan — and the deal falls apart.
Not because the business isn't good. Because it isn't structured in a way that SBA underwriting can approve. The financials mix personal and business. The lease doesn't have an assignment clause. The seller note the buyer offered doesn't meet SBA standby requirements. The revenue is too concentrated in one customer. The entity structure won't transfer cleanly.
Your broker didn't catch it. The buyer's bank didn't catch it until week six. And now you're back to square one — relisting, re-marketing, burning another 90 days.
This is the #1 reason businesses in the $500K–$5M range fail to close. Not valuation. Not the buyer. The financing.
We fix it before you ever list.
What We Do for Sellers
Three engagements — sometimes one, sometimes all three — depending on where you are in the process.
SBA Financing Readiness Assessment
We review your business through the lens of an SBA underwriter — not a broker, not an accountant. We identify every issue that would cause a buyer's loan to get declined and tell you exactly how to fix each one before you go to market. Financial statements, tax returns, entity structure, lease terms, customer concentration, licensing, real estate — all of it.
Deal Structure Advisory
We help you and your broker structure the sale so it's SBA-compatible from day one. Asset sale vs. stock sale. Seller note terms that actually meet SOP 50 10 8 standby requirements (full standby, entire loan term, capped at 50% of equity injection). Earnout provisions that won't trigger SBA ineligibility. Transition employment agreements that satisfy the "management experience" requirement for the buyer.
Buyer Financing — Already Handled
When your buyer shows up, the SBA package is already half-built. We step in as the loan packager, structure the 7(a) application, connect with the right lenders, and shepherd your deal to close. Your broker doesn't need to scramble for a financing source. The deal was designed to close from the start.
The Seven Things That Kill SBA Deals After the LOI Is Signed
Every one of these has been on a real deal that died. Every one is fixable — usually months before you list.
- 01
Messy Financials
The business runs personal expenses through the P&L — cars, travel, family payroll, one-time expenses not backed out. The underwriter can't determine true cash flow, so they can't determine if the buyer can service the debt. We show you exactly what to clean up and how to present adjusted EBITDA / Seller's Discretionary Earnings in a way underwriters accept.
- 02
No Lease Assignment Clause
The buyer needs to assume the lease or get a new one. If the landlord hasn't agreed to assignment — or the lease expires within 2 years of closing — SBA will decline the deal. We flag this before listing so your broker can negotiate the landlord amendment upfront.
- 03
Seller Note That Doesn't Meet SBA Rules
Under SOP 50 10 8 (effective June 2025), a seller note can count toward the buyer's 10% equity injection only if it's on full standby for the entire term of the SBA loan and doesn't exceed 50% of the total injection. Most sellers and brokers don't know this. We structure the note correctly from the start.
- 04
Revenue Concentration
If more than 20% of revenue comes from a single customer, SBA underwriters treat it as a concentration risk. If that customer isn't under contract, the deal gets declined or requires additional mitigation. We identify this early and advise on contract documentation or deal structure adjustments.
- 05
Entity Structure or Licensing Issues
Professional licenses (medical, dental, legal, trade) often can't transfer to a buyer. Some states require new entity formation. SBA needs the operating entity to be the borrower — if the entity structure doesn't align, the application is rejected. We map the transfer path before you go to market.
- 06
Undisclosed Debt or Liens
SBA requires a full debt schedule and UCC search. Surprises at closing — forgotten equipment liens, state tax liens, unfiled judgments — kill more deals than bad credit. We run through the same checklist lenders will use.
- 07
Unrealistic Valuation Relative to Cash Flow
SBA requires debt service coverage of at least 1.15x–1.25x on the buyer's projected income. If your asking price produces a payment the business cash flow can't cover, no lender will approve it — regardless of how much the business is "worth." We run the debt service math before you price the listing so you know the maximum SBA-financeable price.
How It Works for You
Three steps. No long engagement, no retainer required to start.
Send Us the Basics
Before you list — or even before you hire a broker — send us your last 3 years of tax returns, a current P&L, a copy of your lease, and your target price range. We'll tell you within a week whether a buyer can get SBA financing at that price and what needs to change.
We Deliver the Readiness Report
We run your tax returns, financials, lease, and entity docs through the same review an SBA underwriter would do at the lender — adjusting EBITDA, stress-testing debt service coverage at your target price, checking lease term and assignment, screening for customer concentration, and verifying the entity and licensing transfer path. The output is a written assessment covering every SBA underwriting checkpoint plus a recommended deal structure. Share it with your business broker. Use it in your listing package. It becomes a selling tool: "This business has been pre-qualified for SBA financing."
When the Buyer Arrives, We Close the Loan
We're already attached to the deal. We package the buyer's 7(a) application, match it to 2–4 lenders, bring back term sheets, and coordinate to closing. Your broker's close rate goes up. Your timeline compresses. You get paid.
What Sellers Say
"I was six months into listing with no offers. HelmPoint reviewed my financials and found three issues that were scaring off every buyer's lender. We fixed them in two weeks. I had an LOI within 30 days and closed in 75."
"My broker had never heard of the seller note standby rule. If we'd structured it the way we originally planned, the buyer's SBA loan would have been declined. HelmPoint caught it before we even signed the LOI."
Questions Sellers Ask
Do I pay for this?
The Financing Readiness Assessment is [FREE / $1,500–$3,000 — OWNER TO DECIDE]. Our primary compensation comes from the buyer's side — we earn a packaging fee when the buyer's SBA loan closes. So our incentive is fully aligned with yours: get the deal done.
I already have a business broker. Does this replace them?
No. We work alongside your business broker, not instead of them. Your business broker handles marketing, buyer qualification, and negotiation. We handle SBA financing readiness and the buyer's loan. Most business brokers love this because it removes their biggest headache — deals dying over financing.
When should I contact you — before or after I list?
Before. Ideally 3–6 months before you go to market. That gives you time to clean up financials, fix the lease, and restructure anything that would block SBA financing. If you're already listed, we can still help — but the earlier the better.
What if my business is too small or too large for SBA?
SBA 7(a) caps at $5M. If your business will sell for more than that, the buyer likely needs conventional or structured financing — and we can help with that too. On the small end, deals under $350K are often better served by SBA Express or seller financing. We'll tell you what fits.
Does the buyer have to use you as their loan packager?
No. But because we've already reviewed the business through an SBA underwriting lens, we can package the deal faster and more accurately than someone starting from scratch. Most buyers appreciate having a packager who already knows the business inside out.
Ready to Make Your Business SBA-Ready?
Send us your tax returns, P&L, and asking price. We'll tell you within a week whether a buyer can finance it — and what to fix if they can't. No listing required. No commitment.