Your Business Funding Readiness Check-List
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FixMyMoneyMatters
KNOW YOUR BUSINESS
Fix My Money Matters (Pty) Ltd · Reg. 2026/659585/07 · Level 1 B-BBEE
No login · Free · Private · Nothing leaves your device

See where you stand with lenders — before you apply

A free, private tool that shows the exact gaps South African lenders look for — and what to fix first.

Educational only. No sign-up. No data sent to a server. Built for owners who want to walk in prepared, not hopeful.

Try the interactive readiness view How it works
Most early declines are driven by fixable gaps
Trading history · Statements · Request vs turnover · Compliance
This tool surfaces them before you apply
Request A Free Pilot For Your Team For funders, ESD programmes, and institutions
The real problem

Most applications fail for reasons you can fix — if you see them first

Banks and funders don’t reject people. They reject incomplete stories: short trading history, weak or unreadable statements, overdue compliance, or a request that doesn’t match turnover.

Most owners only discover those gaps after they apply. This tool shows them before.

WHAT THIS ISN’T

  • A guarantee of approval
  • A credit score or credit check
  • Advice dressed up as a calculator
  • A product sales funnel

WHAT THIS IS

  • A clear picture of the gaps lenders check first
  • Education and preparation, on your terms
  • A practical sequence of what to fix next
  • Private — nothing leaves your device
What you get

What Know Your Business actually does

It walks an owner through the practical filters that commonly cause early declines — and leaves them with a clearer story, prioritised actions, and the documents funders usually ask for. For a funder, that means fewer incomplete applications and better-prepared SMMEs arriving at the next stage.

01

Business basics & readiness score

Trading history, turnover, CIPC status, Tax Compliance Status, bank-statement quality and request size versus turnover are captured once and scored against the early filters most formal lenders apply. The owner sees a clear readiness band and the exact gaps holding the application back — before any form is submitted.

02

Pricing & true-costing

Three real-world models (product unit cost, hourly rate, and job/trade quoting) force the owner to confront overhead allocation and whether current prices cover true cost. A business that understands its numbers produces a stronger, more credible funding story.

03

Payment terms & late-payment reality

The tool quantifies cash currently tied up beyond stated terms and calculates the interest that can legally be charged under the Prescribed Rate of Interest Act. Owners arrive with a more realistic working-capital picture and fewer surprises for the funder reviewing statements.

04

Good debt vs bad debt

Any proposed loan is stress-tested against the extra income or savings it is expected to generate, using proper amortisation maths. The result helps distinguish productive asset finance from debt that merely patches a structural shortfall.

05

Cash-flow forecast (including seasonal)

A month-by-month forward view, with optional peak/off-season income, shows when the account is projected to go negative. This gives both the owner and the funder a practical runway picture instead of a single static average.

06

Compliance & registration guidance

CIPC, SARS, VAT thresholds, first-employee registrations (UIF/COIDA), B-BBEE Exempted Micro Enterprise affidavits and POPIA basics are explained in the order they actually arise. Owners leave knowing which gates are open or closed and what to fix first.

07

Home-business, first-employee & operations

Home-office tax deduction rules, the distinct triggers and deadlines for UIF and COIDA on first hire, and the practical difference between sole-proprietor and company compliance are covered in plain language. This closes gaps that frequently appear when a home-based or newly employing SMME approaches formal finance.

08

Funding-type guidance

Working capital, growth/equipment, marketing and refinance needs are treated as different products with different evidence requirements. The owner is steered toward the right conversation and away from applying for the wrong facility.

09

Management accounts snapshot

A guided, simple P&L and high-level balance-sheet view that the owner can complete without an accountant. Funders repeatedly ask for recent management accounts; this gives the owner a credible starting point that reconciles to the bank statements they already have.

10

CSD readiness check

Central Supplier Database registration is mandatory for any government, municipal or SOE-linked work and for many purchase-order facilities. The tool checks the practical prerequisites (CIPC, TCS, matching bank account, B-BBEE affidavit) so the owner knows whether the gate is open before a tender or PO opportunity appears.

11

Customer concentration & debtor quality

Simple capture of the top customers as a percentage of turnover and average days to collect. High concentration is one of the first qualitative risks underwriters flag on working-capital and invoice facilities — seeing it early lets the owner address or explain it.

12

Owner contribution / skin-in-the-game

Shows the percentage the owner is putting in (cash, assets or retained earnings) versus the facility requested. Many DFIs and banks prefer to see genuine owner commitment; this module makes the contribution visible and frames why it strengthens the application.

13

Use of funds & repayment narrative

Guided questions turn “what is the money for and how will you pay it back?” into a clear, copy-ready narrative. Funders read this before long plans — a specific answer builds trust and reduces vague, high-risk applications.

14

Prioritised action plan + application pack

Open gaps are sequenced into a 30 / 60 / 90-day plan and paired with a practical document checklist. The owner walks away with both the sequence and the pack — exactly the preparation that lets a funder move a file forward with fewer rounds of “please supply…”.

Experience it

See how one change shifts the readiness picture

This is a limited interactive preview. Change the answers and move the slider. Watch the picture update live. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Your current position (simplified)

Answer a few practical questions. The readiness view and main gaps update as you go.

Used to compare your request against annual turnover. Enter rand, not thousands.
R80,000
R20kR400k
Early gaps present
Several items would typically stop an application early

The picture shows gaps that commonly prevent an application from progressing. Addressing the highest-impact items first usually changes the quality of the conversation.

    Move the request slider and change the answers above. Notice how the picture shifts. That is the core value of the approach: seeing the impact before you apply.
    Educational preview only. This is a simplified demonstration. It is not a credit assessment, not a prediction of approval, and not personal financial advice. The full tool covers more factors and produces a structured action plan plus document checklist. Nothing you enter is transmitted.
    Why early declines happen

    The gaps that stop applications early are usually fixable

    Many applications never reach full underwriting because basic readiness issues appear first. These are the same issues owners can address — if they see them in time.

    Know Your Business is built to surface these gaps privately, on the owner’s device, before an application is submitted. That is the practical value for the owner — and the operational value for any funder who wants better-prepared clients reaching the next stage.

    Framed from common early-decline patterns reported across South African SME funding analyses.
    Simple path

    Four steps. One honest picture.

    Answer a few questions about your business

    Trading history, turnover band, compliance status, and the size of the request you have in mind.

    See the readiness view and the gaps behind it

    A practical picture of what commonly gets checked first — and where you currently stand.

    Get a practical 30 / 60 / 90-day plan

    Prioritised actions so you know what to tackle this month, next quarter, and beyond.

    Download your report and application pack checklist

    Leave with a clear sequence and the documents most funders will ask for.

    Privacy

    Your numbers never leave your device

    No sign-up. No upload. No account. Everything you enter runs in your browser, and nothing you type is ever sent to us. Progress is saved only if you choose — and only on that device.

    One honest note: the page loads its typefaces from Google Fonts, which sees your IP address when the page loads. Nothing you enter is visible to Google. If you'd prefer zero third-party requests, you can ask us for the self-hosted version.

    We built it this way because business owners should not have to hand over their figures just to understand them.

    Who it’s for

    Built for owners who are serious about funding — not just hopeful

    Not for: people looking for a guarantee of approval. This is preparation, not a promise.

    FAQ

    Three questions people ask first

    Is this a credit check?

    No. Know Your Business does not pull any credit bureau data. It is an educational self-assessment based on the answers you provide. Nothing is transmitted.

    Will this get me funded?

    No tool can guarantee funding. This tool helps you see the gaps that commonly cause early declines so you can address them before you apply. Lenders still make their own decisions.

    Can banks and funders licence this as a white-label readiness step?

    Yes. Know Your Business can be licensed so clients already in a funder’s pipeline arrive better prepared. For a white-label conversation, email frank@fixmymoneymatters.com.

    Walk in prepared. Not hopeful.

    Use the interactive view above to see how the approach works. Then decide whether the full tool belongs in front of your clients or in your own preparation.

    Return to the interactive view

    No sign-up · Nothing transmitted · Educational only

    Request A Free Pilot For Your Team For funders, ESD programmes, and institutions