How to Raise Money to Buy a Business (What Banks REALLY Look For)

Raising capital for acquisitions isn’t about luck. It’s about understanding what lenders and investors actually want to see — and structuring your deal accordingly. In this video, I walk you through exactly how I raise debt and equity for business acquisitions, including how to approach lenders, structure deals, and secure funding. 📊 What you’ll learn: How to sense check a sector before doing outreach Why funding strategy starts before finding a deal How to approach banks, ABLs, and investors What lenders actually care about: Cash flow Debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) The people behind the deal What documents you need: Financials (3 years) 5-year forecast Business plan Data room structure How to run a competitive funding process (3+ lenders) The timeline to secure funding (4–6 weeks typical) 💡 Key Insight: Banks don’t fund ideas. They fund: → Cash flow → Credible operators → Structured deals 📈 Real Example: How DSCR works in practice Why a 1–1.3 ratio is critical How lenders stress test your deal 🌍 Bonus: Differences between UK, Australia, and US funding markets Why US funding is more regional How to structure roll-ups geographically 🚀 Want to learn how to structure and fund deals like this? We’re running a FREE M&A training where we break down the full dealmaking process step-by-step. Even if you’ve already acquired a business before, this will sharpen your approach. 👉 Join here: https://paulseabridge.online/free-dea... 💬 Comment below: Have you ever tried to raise funding for a deal? What was the biggest challenge? 👍 Like & Subscribe for more M&A, acquisitions, and dealmaking content. Want to work with me and my team? We are offering a free training right now: ✔️ How to source real acquisition opportunities ✔️ How to value and structure deals ✔️ How to approach sellers the right way ✔️ Common mistakes that kill deals ✔️ The step-by-step path to getting a deal agreed If you want access, join the waiting list here: 👉 https://paulseabridge.online/free-dea... Spots are limited. Once registration opens, the waiting list gets priority. Would you like to join other like-minded Entrepreneurs Buying Businesses? Join our Free Buy Build™ Sell Community here: https://www.skool.com/buy-build-sellt... Link to my Books: Built To Sell: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0FXVBPSVB?t... Buy Build Sell: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Buy-Build-Se... Leveraged Buyouts: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leveraged-Bu... Subscribe for more content :)