“We need financing to grow” describes an ambition. It does not yet explain a loan request.
A lender needs to know who is borrowing, how much is needed, when the funds will be used and where repayment should come from. A clear first page helps connect those questions with the supporting records.
Your goal in this guide is to draft that page. It will not replace the lender's application, but it can make the financing conversation more focused.
Start with the decision you want assessed
A business loan request is a structured explanation of a borrowing need. It should identify the amount, purpose, timing, proposed repayment source and evidence available.
Business-planning guidance connects a funding request with its intended use and supporting financial projections. [1] The request should therefore make the numbers easy to trace, rather than presenting an attractive story without a budget.
Start with Loan Analysis to understand the obligation you are considering. If more than one structure could work, use Financing Analysis before stating that one product is essential.
Explain the business in operating terms
Identify the legal entity and briefly describe what it sells, who pays it and when cash is collected. Include relevant operating history and management experience without turning the page into a long biography.
A restaurant might explain its sales mix and seasonality. A distributor might explain supplier terms and collection periods. A service business might identify signed contracts and the labour needed to deliver them.
Separate current operations from the project being financed. The lender should be able to see both the existing business and what the proposed borrowing changes.
Build the amount from sources and uses
List project costs and identify what has already been paid. Include relevant fees, installation, delivery, initial operating needs and a reasoned contingency where appropriate.
Then show the funds available from the business or owners and the remaining financing need. Label uncertain amounts as estimates and connect them with quotes or other evidence.
A financing proposal becomes more credible when the business need, management capability, financial information and supporting documents fit together. [2]
Use Loan Documents to organize the evidence and Loan Requirements to check the request against the lender's actual criteria.
Worked example: a service business mobilizing new work
Consider a fictional landscaping company planning to service newly signed commercial contracts. Its project budget uses one consistent currency.
| Uses of funds | Amount |
|---|---|
| Vehicle and equipment | $45,000 |
| Initial payroll and materials before collections | $25,000 |
| Estimated fees and project contingency | $10,000 |
| Total uses | $80,000 |
| Sources of funds | Amount |
|---|---|
| Documented owner contribution | $20,000 |
| Financing requested | $60,000 |
| Total sources | $80,000 |
The $10,000 estimate needs a breakdown before the final assessment. It is not a statement that a lender will finance every cost or that the full contingency will be required.
The vehicle has a longer use period than the initial payroll gap. The owner therefore asks the lender to assess the appropriate structure, potentially separating equipment financing from operating funding. The page explains the need without forcing different cash cycles into one unsupported product assumption.
The owner should also confirm that the $20,000 contribution remains available after the business's ordinary operating needs. Showing a contribution in a table is not evidence that the funds are unrestricted or ready to use.
Make the repayment explanation testable
Describe the primary source of repayment and connect it with the forecast. Signed work helps explain demand; the forecast must still show the costs of delivery, collection timing and existing debt payments.
Suppose the service company's planning forecast shows $12,000 a month available before all debt payments after the operating costs, cash taxes and maintenance spending included in its assumptions. Existing debt payments are $5,000, and management budgets up to $3,000 for proposed financing payments pending actual terms.
That leaves $4,000 in the planning case. It is not an approved payment amount or proof of capacity across every month. The team must test contract start dates, seasonal changes, customer payment delays and other commitments.
The Credit Analysis guide explains the evidence and the distinction between annual coverage and monthly cash timing. State which forecast supports the request and its preparation date.
Identify risks before they become follow-up surprises
Choose the issues that could materially change the request. For the service business, these might include a delayed contract start, higher staffing costs or a vehicle delivery delay.
Explain the action available, its cost and who controls it. “We will grow sales” is not a sufficient response to a near-term payment gap. A staged mobilization, documented customer deposit or revised project scope requires more specific evidence.
The business risk profile guide helps frame this work. The funding readiness guide connects it with the wider application package.
Use credit information with accurate labels
If credit information is relevant, identify the report, date and material issue rather than writing “excellent credit” without context.
The Business Credit guide explains how reports and assessments differ. The business credit report guide helps you investigate an entry and explain any difference from current records.
A pending correction should remain pending in the request. An owner's view of a score is not a lender's approval. Keep the actual supporting evidence available for review.
Draft your one-page business loan request
Use the following structure, supported by attachments where the lender requires them.
| Section | What to write |
|---|---|
| Borrower | Legal entity, operating business and contact |
| Request | Amount, currency, funding date and structure to assess |
| Purpose | Specific expenditure and business reason |
| Sources and uses | Project total, contribution, financing and any gap |
| Repayment | Cash source, forecast and existing obligations |
| Evidence | Financials, quotes, contracts and relevant schedules |
| Risks | Material uncertainty and realistic response |
| Open items | Missing evidence, owner and completion date |
Open the printable one-page loan request template. Ask someone unfamiliar with the project to read it. If they cannot identify the amount, purpose and repayment source, revise the first page before adding more attachments.
Keep the overview concise. Supporting calculations can sit behind it, with clear references so the reader can verify important claims.
Check the request before submitting
Reconcile the funding amount with the project budget and forecast. Check that all documents identify the correct entity and that relevant dates are clear.
Confirm what the lender considers a complete application and how it wants supporting information delivered. Keep a copy of what was sent and record material changes after submission.
The Loan Underwriting guide explains what may happen next, including follow-up questions and conditions that can remain before funding.
Frequently asked questions
Is a one-page request the complete application?
Usually it is an overview. The lender determines its application forms, supporting records and review requirements.
Should I specify the exact product?
Explain the operating need and any preference. If the structure is uncertain, ask for the appropriate options to be assessed rather than presenting an unsupported choice as settled.
Should I include risks that weaken the request?
Include material facts accurately and explain the evidence and response. A request built on omitted assumptions is difficult to assess reliably.
Continue reading
Return to Loan Analysis, then use Financing Analysis, Credit Analysis, Loan Documents, Loan Requirements and Loan Underwriting.
Give your financing request a clearer starting point
Use ALOS Loan Advisor to explore supported loan terms and costs, then connect that view with a concise request and current records. The objective is a borrowing decision the business can explain.
An illustrative payment or benchmark does not establish an available offer, repayment capacity or approval.Sources and methodology
[1] U.S. Small Business Administration: Plan your business, funding request and financial projections. U.S. business-planning guidance on explaining funding needs and supporting forecasts.
[2] BDC: How to prepare a winning business loan proposal. Canadian lender guidance on project explanations and evidence.
Sources checked 21 October 2026. The one-page template and landscaping example are original editorial material. All figures are hypothetical and use one consistent currency. The payment budget is a management assumption pending actual terms, not a calculated loan offer. Cost eligibility, structure and documentation require lender confirmation.