Maximise Your Chances: Smart Tips for Getting a Small Business Loan

You may have an organised business running efficiently since its start-up. It might generate healthy profits by selling the products or services well. However, a Business Loan would be an ultimate requirement if you want to take your business to the next level. You can apply for Business Loan and invest it in technology, inventory, equipment, staffing, marketing, or working capital to grow and expand your business.

Today, many loan providers manage their loan applications completely online, providing collateral-free Business Loans to SME owners. However, before applying, the trick is to ensure you are prepared for the application to avoid possible hurdles and delays in approval. Here, you will find a few smart tips to maximise your chances of getting a small Business Loan.

Choose the Right Lender: Before apply for Business Loan, research and compare various lenders based on their interest rates, loan amounts, eligibility conditions, and repayment terms. Also, try to find their processing charges, customer service, online reviews, etc., to get an option that best suits your requirement.

Understand the Lender’s Loan Requirements Before Applying: Eligibility conditions and documentation requirements of modern NBFCs are straightforward and paperless. However, they vary between lending institutions. Therefore, it is essential to check these requirements and ensure you can fulfil them before applying. Doing that will prevent rejection due to non-qualification. Check the lender’s requirements and proceed with the application procedure only if you can easily meet each requirement.

Create a Solid Business Plan: A well-thought-out business plan with all the necessary details will help the lending institution estimate your potential and boost your chances of getting easy loan approval. A detailed business plan will help lenders evaluate your eligibility and more accurately determine your Business Loan interest rate. An ideal business plan should focus on your intended usage for the loan amount and how you plan to repay it with interest.

Apply for an Adequate Loan Amount: Before applying for a Business Loan, decide what you need the loan for, evaluate your planned expenses, and determine an adequate loan amount sufficient to cover the costs. Avoid over-borrowing as it burdens your finances unnecessarily and makes repayment more challenging. Seeking a smaller loan suitable to your monthly budget assures timely repayment, making lenders feel confident about approving your application.

Prepare the Necessary Documents: When you apply for Business Loan, the lender will ask for a few necessary documents to evaluate your eligibility, finances, and repayment capacity. These include PAN cards, identity proof, address proof, signature proof, business continuity proof, income proof, list of directors, and shareholding patterns. Keep these documents ready to accelerate the loan process and get approval faster.

Consider Collateral Requirement: Collateral is a valuable asset you can pledge as security to the lender against the borrowed loan. If you default on the loan repayment, the lender has the legal right to seize and sell the asset to recoup their outstanding balance. Although this type of loan bears the risk of losing an asset you own, it often comes with a lower interest rate and simpler eligibility requirements. Check out the lender’s collateral requirement before applying to determine if you are ready to take the risk or sure of timely repayment.

Improve Your Credit Rating: Your credit rating is crucial to determining your loan eligibility. Pay off your outstanding bills and debts and get any errors in your credit report rectified before applying to improve your chances of approval. Diversifying the credit portfolio, reducing the DTI ratio, minimising credit card usage, and retaining old accounts are efficient ways to improve your credit rating and get easy loan approval. Lending institutions also determine your Business Loan interest rate based on your credit score. The higher your score, the better the loan scheme you can get.

Avoid Getting Multiple Loan Quotes from Different Lenders: Approaching multiple lenders to get different loan quotes sounds like a reasonable plan. You can compare various loan offers and choose one that best suits your loan requirement and repayment capacity. However, multiple loan queries pull several hard enquiries on your credit report, resulting in a reduced credit score.

Each hard enquiry may reduce the credit score by as much as five points, making it harder for you to qualify for loans. The best possible solution is to go through various loan plans on different lenders’ websites, compare their features, benefits, terms and conditions, and opt for the most suitable one.

Demonstrate Your Repayment Plan: Being transparent in your loan application brings you closer to your Business Loan approval. To build trust and confidence in your loan provider, demonstrate your game plan to repay the borrowed amount on time. Draft your repayment plan by choosing an appropriate loan tenure using an online Business Loan EMI calculator. Consider your income and DTI ratio while selecting a loan term with affordable monthly payments. Also, you can communicate your backup plan that makes the lender more confident in approving your loan.

Be Transparent and Honest: Loan providers appreciate transparency and honesty from their applicants. While applying for a Business Loan, be upfront about your challenges and issues and clarify how you plan to tackle them with the borrowed funding. Explain your business financials, expenses, cash flow, and revenue to build confidence in your lending institution.

Lenders may also want to see your track record and financial performance over the last few years. So, prepare the required documents and double-check the application details before submitting. Last but not least, read all the terms and conditions before signing the loan agreement, including all fees and charges. In case of any queries, approach the lender’s customer service centre for clarifications and make informed decisions.

Before you apply for Business Loan, take these crucial steps to maximise your chances of getting loan approval. Researching and demonstrating your business understanding are vital steps to convince loan providers of your sound repayment capacity. However, be honest about your finances, maintain a high credit rating, and include a co-applicant to improve your chances of getting a quick loan. Lastly, decide on the right loan amount, prepare a solid business plan, and opt for an appropriate repayment tenure to manage the EMIs efficiently.