Playbook
How to apply for loans and credit programs
Small-business loans and guaranteed credit programs fund working capital and equipment, often backed by a public guarantee. Lenders decide on documents: financial statements, tax filings and a clear use of funds.
How these are won
- Gather every document the lender lists before you start; incomplete files are a common cause of delay.
- Write a one-page use-of-funds summary that ties the amount to specific costs.
- Compare the guarantee program's published terms with the lender's own offer.
Materials checklist
- Document checklistOnward Scout drafts it from your sourced profile; you approve every line.
- Financial summaryUpload yours, or let Onward Scout draft one from your profile for you to edit.
A preparation timeline
Counted back from the deadline. Each program guide puts real dates on it.
- 21 days before the deadlineUpdate deck and numbersRefresh the deck, key metrics and the one-sentence description of the company.
- 14 days before the deadlineDraft the answersAnswer every question plainly, with numbers you can verify.
- 7 days before the deadlineRecord and reviewRecord the video if one is asked for, and have someone outside the team read the answers.
- 2 days before the deadlineSubmitSubmit early; some programs review applications as they arrive.
Questions you will meet, answered honestly
How will you repay the loan?
Point to current cash flow or signed contracts. Projections are fine if they are labelled as projections.
What is the loan for?
Items and amounts. Round, unexplained numbers invite more questions.
How Onward Scout helps
Onward Scout prepares the document set (statements, checklists, summaries) from your sourced profile, ready to download as PDF or Word.
Let Onward Scout prepare your loans and credit programs applications
Drop in the résumé, deck or portfolio you already have. Onward Scout builds a sourced profile, finds opportunities you can win and prepares each application for you to approve with a tap.
Nothing is submitted without your tap. Logins, CAPTCHAs, payments and interviews stay with you.