Small business funding planner

How the planner works

Most small-business owners don't wake up wanting "a loan". They want a new combi oven, a shopfront that looks the part, a container of stock before the busy season, or the keys to the business down the road. The planner starts there — with the move — and works backwards to the money.

Each goal has finance types that suit it naturally. Equipment can often secure its own finance, because the lender can register an interest over the asset. A fit-out is mostly labour and fixtures that can't be repossessed in any useful way, so it leans on business cash flow or property. Stock turns over, so flexible limits tend to beat a lump-sum loan. Buying a business usually involves goodwill, which is hard to lend against without other security.

Your answers then narrow the list. Trading history and turnover decide whether unsecured options are realistic, because those are sized on what your bank statements show. Owning property — yours or a director's — opens the property-secured route, which covers $20,000 to $5,000,000 and suits owners who are new, have had credit hiccups or need a larger amount. Your timeframe changes the advice on what to prepare first.

Reading your result

• Finance types are listed best-fit first, with a line on why each one suits (or where it may struggle). Follow the links to the full explainer for each.
• Documents are the ones lenders typically ask for in your situation. Having them ready is the single biggest thing you control.
• Timeline shows the stages from enquiry to funds. Quick turnarounds are possible on some routes — for example, $20k to $250k possible same day (property-secured), and same-day funding possible for smaller unsecured amounts — but they rely on clean paperwork and a clear purpose.

What the planner can't see

It doesn't know about the supplier who'll give you 60-day terms, the landlord offering a fit-out contribution, the ATO payment plan you set up last year or the big contract you just signed. Those details can change the answer for the better — which is why a real person reads every enquiry. If your situation is unusual, say so in the form. Accurate answers help us match you properly the first time, rather than after three phone calls.

Before you commit to a big purchase, it's also worth running your numbers through a simple cash flow forecast. Our guide to cash flow forecasting for small business walks through one, and the fit-out budget builder helps you cost a premises project line by line.

Next step

If the planner points somewhere useful, the quickest way to find out what's actually possible is the 60-second enquiry. You'll talk to someone who works on small-business milestones every day, your details stay with us rather than going out to a crowd of lenders, and there's no credit check just for asking.