Getting funded for the first time
See your file before a lender does.
Know your Funding Readiness Score, your estimated range, and the one thing to fix, before you ever submit an application. Walk in prepared instead of hoping.
Lenders read your file in minutes. Find out what's actually blocking your funding.
Answer seven quick questions about your business and get a free Funding Readiness Score, an estimated funding range, and the one thing to fix first.
See where you stand
Who this is for
Two kinds of visitor. One free diagnosis.
Whether you are just getting started or picking up after a denial, the score reads your file the same honest way.
Already applied, denied, or underfunded
Find out what actually happened.
A denial or a small offer almost always comes down to one or two factors. See which ones, and exactly what fixes them before you apply again.
Same business. Only the banking behavior changes.
Thin banking, stacked funding
$0
vs
Clean banking, nothing stacked
$0
Top of the estimated funding range for the same business, before and after banking behavior. An estimate, not an offer of credit.
The process
Three steps.
-
Get your score
Answer seven quick questions and see your Funding Readiness Score, your estimated range, and the one thing to fix first.
-
Join free
Save your score to the Fundability Lab, then work the courses and tools that fix what is holding you back.
-
Book your free review
A free Funding Readiness Review with the team. No credit pull, no obligation.
Free membership
The Fundability Lab.
Your score is the diagnosis. Membership is how you get from where you stand today to a file that gets approved.
FundingPlan.org is a business funding and strategic consulting firm, not a bank or a direct lender. Funding Readiness Scores and estimated ranges are illustrative, not an offer of credit. Funding amounts, terms, and timelines vary by business and by lender. Disclosures.
-
Where you stand
Your saved score, your level from Applicant to Fundable, and badges as you fix what is holding you back.
-
Direct access to the team
Message the team and book your free Funding Readiness Review whenever you are ready, plus a live monthly funding room.
-
Community
Ask the question you are embarrassed to ask, and see what other owners posted once they got funded.
-
8 courses. 19 tools.
Business credit, personal credit, documentation and funding strategy, plus tools that save your numbers.
Join the Fundability Lab free
No card. No fee. Email us and we close the account.
Questions
What business owners actually ask.
Including the ones a nervous agency would rather leave out: how we get paid, what a low score means, and who this is not for.
What is a Funding Readiness Score?
A free 0 to 100 score built from six weighted factors: time in business, revenue, bank balance, overdrafts, existing funding, and personal credit. It comes with an estimated qualifying funding range and the single factor most worth fixing first.
Is this a credit check? Will it hurt my credit?
No. The calculator asks for a self estimated credit range and never pulls your credit or reports a hard inquiry. The free Funding Readiness Review with our team also carries no credit pull.
How is the score actually calculated?
Six factors are weighted and added: time in business up to 25 points, revenue up to 25, bank balance up to 15, overdrafts up to 15, existing funding stacked up to 10, and personal credit up to 10. For example, 2 to 5 years in business, $25,000 a month in revenue, a $10,000 to $25,000 balance, no overdrafts, nothing stacked, and credit of 700 or better scores 81 out of 100, an estimated range of about $18,000 to $52,000.
Is FundingPlan.org a lender?
No. FundingPlan.org is a business funding and strategic consulting firm, not a bank or a direct lender. We diagnose what a file needs, help you fix it, then match you to the right lender or funding source for your situation.
What does it cost to join the Fundability Lab?
Nothing. No card, no trial that turns into a charge, no fee. The dashboard, community, courses, tools, and the free Funding Readiness Review all cost nothing. Applying for and accepting actual funding is a separate decision you make later, in writing.
What happens after I get my score?
Whatever you decide. Save a private link, or join free and your score lands in a dashboard that tracks your progress against the courses and tools that fix each factor. From there you can message our team and book your free Funding Readiness Review. Nobody calls you unless you ask.
Is my information kept private?
Yes. The calculator collects only what you type into it, and joining free collects only what a normal account needs. We do not sell your information. See the full privacy policy for the details.
How do I reach an actual person?
Join free and message the team from your dashboard, email info@the-kg.com, or call 858-281-2567. The free Funding Readiness Review is thirty minutes, no credit pull and no obligation.
What states do you work with?
We work with business owners across the United States. Several states require specific commercial financing disclosures for certain products, such as merchant cash advances, and those disclosures are provided as part of any actual offer, not on this page.
What kinds of funding does FundingPlan.org offer?
Merchant cash advances, term loans, SBA loans, lines of credit, equipment financing, commercial real estate funding, revenue based financing, and specialty funding for medical and dental practices. Which one fits depends on your file, which is exactly what the score and the review are for.
What is the free Funding Readiness Review, and how is it different from the calculator?
The calculator is the free, instant, first pass: a score, a range, and one fix, in about two minutes with no human involved. The Funding Readiness Review is a thirty minute conversation with our team that goes deeper, reviews your actual documents, and matches you to real funding options. Neither one is a credit pull.
I've never applied for business funding before. Where do I start?
Start with your Funding Readiness Score. It shows you what a lender sees before you ever submit an application, so your first real application is an informed one instead of a guess. Most first time applicants are stronger than they think once documentation and banking behavior are cleaned up.
What documents should I have ready before I apply for the first time?
At minimum, your last three to six months of business bank statements, basic entity paperwork, and a recent profit and loss if you have one. The Documents Lenders Actually Want course in the Fundability Lab walks through exactly what to gather and why each piece matters.
Does my business need to be a certain age to get funded?
No hard cutoff, but time in business is one of six weighted factors and it is the hardest one to fake. A business under six months old can still score well on the other five factors, and time is the one factor that fixes itself on a calendar.
I'm a startup with no revenue history yet. Can I still use this?
Yes, the calculator still runs and shows you where you stand today. A startup with little or no revenue will usually score in the Needs groundwork first band, which is useful information: it tells you which factors to build before you apply, rather than finding out from a denial.
I was just denied. Why does that happen, and can I still get funded?
Almost always it traces back to one or two of the same six factors, most often thin banking, recent overdrafts, or funding already stacked. A denial is information about what to fix, not a permanent verdict. Run your score to see which factor is weakest, then work the course that fixes it.
I was approved for less than I asked for. What does that usually mean?
Usually the lender's model landed on a smaller range than you expected, often because of banking behavior or existing funding rather than the business itself. Your score shows the same range mechanics we believe a lender used, plus what would move it higher.
Will applying again hurt my chances?
Reapplying itself is not the issue, applying with the same weak file is. Fix the factor that caused the denial first, whether that is banking behavior, stacked funding, or documentation, then apply again. That is the whole reason the Fundability Lab exists between attempts.
I have multiple advances I'm paying down right now. Is that a problem?
Yes, stacking is one of the fastest ways to sink an otherwise fundable file, and it is weighted heavily in your score. Consolidating down to one clears room for a better offer. The Stop the Stacking Spiral course walks through how to unwind it in order.
What's the difference between business credit and personal credit, and why do both matter?
Business credit is tied to your EIN and business tax ID, built through vendors, trade lines and business tradelines like PAYDEX. Personal credit is tied to your Social Security number and is still read on most business files, especially younger ones, as a signal of how the owner manages debt. Strong files usually have both working together.
What is stacking, and why is it treated as a red flag?
Stacking is carrying more than one active advance or loan at the same time, each one taking a daily or weekly payment out of the same bank account. Lenders read stacked debt as a sign of cash flow strain, and it is one of the fastest ways an otherwise fundable file gets declined or offered less.
How much does an overdraft or negative balance actually hurt my file?
Overdrafts carry real weight, up to 15 of your 100 points. A single isolated incident is usually forgiven, but a pattern across your last three statements reads as a business that cannot cover its own obligations, which is exactly what a lender is trying to avoid.
What's a good average bank balance to carry for funding purposes?
Generally, the higher and steadier the better, and $10,000 or more starts to score strongly in the calculator. What matters more than any single number is consistency: a balance that swings from empty to flush and back reads as thinner than one that holds steady.
Do I need good personal credit if my business is doing well?
It still helps. Personal credit is only 10 of the 100 points in the score, the smallest single factor, but it is still read on most files. A strong business with weak personal credit can absolutely still get funded, it just leans more heavily on the other five factors.
What's the difference between an MCA, a term loan, and a line of credit?
A merchant cash advance is repaid as a percentage of daily or weekly sales rather than a fixed schedule, and it tends to fund fastest. A term loan is a fixed amount repaid on a fixed schedule at a set rate. A line of credit is a revolving limit you draw against and repay as needed, useful for ongoing cash flow rather than one big expense. Choosing the Right Capital in the Fundability Lab walks through when each one fits.
Is an SBA loan a good fit for me?
SBA loans usually offer the best rates and terms but come with the most paperwork and the longest timeline, and they typically favor more established businesses with stronger documentation. If your score shows a strong time in business and revenue factor, it is worth discussing on your free review.
How fast can a business actually get funded once approved?
Timelines vary by business and by lender and are set at underwriting, but funding often follows within 24 hours of approval once documentation is in order. That is one more reason having your documents ready before you apply matters as much as the number itself.
What is DUNS and PAYDEX, and do I need them?
A DUNS number identifies your business to Dun and Bradstreet, and PAYDEX is the business credit score built from how you pay vendors and trade lines. Neither is required to get funded, but building both is one of the fastest ways to strengthen a thin file, and the Business Credit From Zero course covers exactly how.
Can I improve my Funding Readiness Score, or is it fixed?
It moves as your answers change, because it is recalculated from scratch every time. Every factor in it, time in business, revenue, bank balance, overdrafts, stacking and personal credit, can be improved with the right steps, which is exactly what the Fundability Lab courses and tools are built to do.
Is the estimated funding range a guarantee of what I'll be approved for?
No. It is an estimate built from the answers you gave, not a credit pull or a lender's decision. Actual funding amount, terms and timelines vary by business and by lender and are set at underwriting. Treat it as a planning number, not a promise.
What if my Funding Readiness Score comes back low?
It means there is real room to improve before you apply, not that you cannot get funded. For example, a brand new business with thin revenue, a thin bank balance, recent overdrafts, stacked funding and weak credit can score as low as 11 out of 100. That same file, with its weakest factor fixed, often moves into a meaningfully higher range. The score always names which factor to fix first.
How is FundingPlan.org paid?
The Funding Readiness Score, the Fundability Lab membership, and the free Funding Readiness Review cost you nothing. Like most commercial financing brokerages, FundingPlan.org is compensated by the lender or funding source once a file is placed and funded, not billed to you directly.
Showing 5 of 32 questions
One score stands between you and a funded file.
Get your Funding Readiness Score free, save it in the Fundability Lab, and book a free review when you are ready. No credit pull, no obligation.