Stage 3 · Growth and acquisition finance
A second site or an acquisition, backed by the numbers.
Expansion is where many businesses are under-assessed. We show a lender what the combined business will look like, with the add-backs and projections that support it.
Who it’s for
Owners opening another location, buying a competitor or a franchise, or buying a business for the first time.
What we finance
- Business acquisition finance
- Expansion and fit-out facilities
- Franchise finance
- Vendor finance and earn-out structures
- Refinancing to fund growth
Have the earnings tested before you agree a price. We introduce buyers to Kate Groom for financial due diligence, and arrange the finance alongside.
How we approach it
- A case a credit team can followA business plan and projections that show how the new site or acquisition services the debt.
- Add-backs that belongOwner costs, one-off expenses and rent you are about to stop paying, identified and explained.
- Covenants tested firstEvery covenant in the offer checked against the numbers before you sign.
The numbers behind it
Business plans
The plan a lender actually asks for, tied to the projections so the story and the numbers match.
Questions
How much of a business purchase can be financed?
It depends on the target's earnings, the security available and your experience. Lenders commonly fund part of the price against the business's cash flow and expect a contribution from you; property or other security can lift that. We model it before you make an offer.
Do lenders accept add-backs?
Credit teams accept add-backs that are genuine and evidenced, such as owner wages above market, one-off costs, and rent that stops after settlement. We identify each one and document it the way an assessor needs to see it.
Do I need a business plan to buy a business or a franchise?
For most acquisition and franchise loans, yes. Lenders want to see how the combined business will service the debt, which is exactly what our business plans and projections set out.
- What a lender will ask you for7 min read
- What buyers actually pay up for10 min read
- What DSCR do lenders actually want?8 min read
- How much can a business actually borrow?11 min read
Client stories
The self storage deal the bank said would not service
A going-concern purchase of a storage business together with the freehold it sits on, a little over $3.5m combined. The buyer's bank ran the numbers and said no.An additional $3m in lending approved.Read the story →Food franchise · 2026The franchisee turned away from a bigger site
Operators of a store within a national franchise wanted a second, materially larger site. A major bank knocked the application back on serviceability.The finance approved, fully funded. The larger site secured.Read the story →Food franchise · 2025The buyer from overseas, declined first go
A US-based client wanted to open a store with a growing Australian burger franchise on a prime Melbourne site. A new store with no trading history of its own is a hard file, and the first application was declined.Approved by a major bank, on strong terms.Read the story →Next on the journey
Own the building you trade from