How to write revenue projections a lender will actually believe
This is where most plans quietly fall apart. Not because the numbers are too low — because there's nothing underneath them.
A believable projection shows its work. Not "$31,000/month," but the math that gets you there.
Build it bottom-up
Start from units, price, and frequency: 35 customers a day × $8.60 average ticket × 31 days = $9,331 a month. Now a banker can poke at each input instead of taking a total on faith.
Ramp, don't teleport
New businesses don't hit full revenue in month one. Show a ramp — month 1 lower, building to a steady state — and name what drives it (marketing, word of mouth, a second location maturing).
Be conservative on purpose
Optimistic projections don't impress lenders; they worry them. A plan that clears the bar on modest assumptions is far stronger than one that only works if everything goes right.
See where your plan stands
Paste the plan you have into the free Scanner. It scores you against the eight criteria Canadian lenders use — in about thirty seconds, no account, nothing leaves your device.
Score my plan — 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.