Match the records to the product, size an order from the store's own sales before asking, and put a buyout plan on one page with the payments and the cash left. Filing, advising and county questions go to the public offices listed at the end.
Which records go with which funding product: a Lawrence County, TN auto parts store's file
Each funding product rests on a different kind of proof, so the records worth pulling together depend on what the money is for. Lawrence County, TN had 17 automotive parts, accessories, and tire stores (NAICS 4413) in the 2023 County Business Patterns; one of them weighing several products at once might keep a file like the one below. A funding partner may ask for any of these, or for something else; each partner sets its own list.
| Product | Records a partner may ask for | What the records show |
|---|---|---|
| Working capital loan | Recent business bank statements, a payroll register | The gap between money in and money out |
| Business term loan | Statements, recent tax returns, a written use of funds | That the business can carry a longer payment |
| Business line of credit | Statements, a list of open customer accounts | The rhythm of deposits and bills across recent months |
| Equipment financing | A written quote naming the machine's make, model and year | The machine that secures the financing |
| Inventory financing | Supplier quotes or purchase orders, sales records for the items | How the stock sells through |
| Merchant cash advance | Card-processing statements | The card sales a provider collects from |
The products themselves are explained on the business loans page. A store that keeps these records in one folder can answer a partner's follow-up questions by opening the folder.
Sizing a reorder before a small business loan request at a Lawrence County, TN auto parts store
Before any request, it helps to write down three numbers: what the order costs, how long the stock takes to sell through by the store's own records, and the monthly payment that matches that period. The second number decides the term, and the third shows whether the payment fits.
Illustration only, invented figures. An auto parts store plans a $19,460 order of filters, brake parts and batteries to reach a supplier's volume price. Its own sales records show parts like these selling through over about nine months. Financed over nine months at an annual rate of 12.7%, the order costs $2,278.25 a month, $20,504.25 in all, of which $1,044.25 is interest.
If the same stock sold through in four months, a nine-month schedule would leave payments running after the parts are gone, and a line of credit draw might match better. The inventory financing page covers set schedules for stock. The rate and the term on any real offer are a funding partner's to set, and a partner may decline instead.
A business plan for a loan request: a Lawrenceburg, TN coffee bar buys out a partner and adds an espresso machine
For an operating business, a business plan for a loan request can fit on one page that shows what the money buys, what it costs each month and what is left afterward; those are the first questions a funding partner may have.
Illustration only, invented figures. Two partners own a coffee bar in Lawrenceburg, TN, and one wants out. The partner who stays agrees to pay $58,300 for the other half, and adds a second espresso machine quoted at $11,870. The buyout as a term loan at 10.95% over 60 months comes to $1,266.13 a month; the machine as equipment financing at 12.2% over 36 months comes to $395.39. Together that is $1,661.52 a month.
- What the money buys: the departing partner's half at the agreed price, and the machine from the dealer quote
- The last twelve months of sales and costs, from the books
- Cash left after costs in an average month before the new payments: $4,150 (invented)
- The two new payments in this invented case, $1,266.13 and $395.39, and what remains: $2,488.48
- The month the machine payment ends (month 36), after which only the buyout payment remains
The page does not argue for an offer; it shows the arithmetic a partner would otherwise ask for. Buying out a partner's share is a business purchase on the term loans page; the machine fits equipment financing.
A Tennessee license guide and a payment calculator for Lawrenceburg, TN owners
One record guide on this site covers paperwork that can come up in a funding file. Getting a business license in Tennessee explains where state entity records sit, how local license questions are handled and where those records go in a request.
Enter an amount, an annual rate and a number of months into the small business loan payment calculator and it returns one level monthly payment. It is a planning tool for invented or quoted figures, not an offer.
Questions for a public office, not a funding partner: four official sites for Lawrence County, TN owners
Some questions belong to a public office, not to a funding partner. Each site below is an official page; this site has no tie to any of them.
| Question | Office | Official site |
|---|---|---|
| Registering or looking up a corporation or LLC | Tennessee Secretary of State, Business Services | sos.tn.gov/businesses |
| Advising on a business plan or cash flow | Tennessee Small Business Development Center, centers list | tsbdc.org/centers |
| SBA programs, which this site does not arrange | SBA Tennessee District Office | legacy.sba.gov/district/tennessee |
| County government offices and contacts | Lawrence County, TN government | lawrencecountytn.gov |
By Wrenway Funding ยท Updated
