How to write a business plan for a bank loan, step by step
Not a generic template, the specific sections a Canadian lender looks for, in the order that makes your case.
A loan plan is a persuasion document with a fixed structure. Hit these, in this order:
- Executive summary, the whole case on one page.
- The business. What you do, structure, location.
- Management. Why you can run it (lead with this if it's strong).
- Market, customers, competitors, your edge.
- The ask, amount, use of funds, your contribution.
- Financials. Revenue basis, costs, cash flow, DSCR.
- Assumptions, the reasoning behind every number.
- Risk. What could go wrong and your mitigation.
The one thing most owners skip
The assumptions section. It's the least glamorous and the most important. It's what turns your projections from claims into something a lender can check.
See where your financing file stands
Fifteen questions, four minutes, no documents and no email. You get a readiness stage, the gaps a lender would raise, and the document list for your request.
Check my readiness, freeLenderReady is an educational service, not a lender, broker, or financial advisor. Lending criteria vary by institution and change over time; treat this as a starting point, not a guarantee.