How to Wow! Your Business Banker

As an entrepreneur, cultivating a relationship with a business banker is essential to your long-term success. Bank loans are often a key component of opening or expanding your coffee business. Bankers can also become trusted advisors and connect you to other members of the community who can help your business grow.

So how do you cultivate a relationship with a business banker? Begin by understanding their role in the business community. Crimson Cup Founder and President Greg Ubert explored building banking relationships in this article for CoffeeTalk magazine:

In some ways, bankers are much like entrepreneurs. They’re always seeking new clients and would not stay in business if they did not lend money. Your job is to make it easy for them to lend money to you.

Stand Out with a Solid Business Plan

A lot goes into a great cup of coffee, and the same is true for a great coffee shop. To succeed, you need to stand out. This requires doing your homework and channeling everything you learn into a solid coffee shop business plan.

Because most coffee house owners require financing of some kind, let’s start with what you’ll need to impress your banker to obtain a loan. You’ll need the same kind of information for approaching other investors, even family and friends.

Build a Relationship with Your Banker

Get to know your banker before you need to ask for a loan. Set up accounts for personal savings, checking, business credit cards, merchant processing, etc., as long as the rates are competitive.

It’s often best to choose a bank that targets entrepreneurs. Even if a business bank can’t issue a loan, its lending officers might be able to connect you with investors, grant opportunities and funding programs sponsored by universities, private foundations and government.

Toot Your Horn

Your banker wants to see that you have the gravitas to run a successful business. Now is not the time to be modest.

Collect information about your career successes, educational attainments, and coffee industry experience (if you have any).

Be prepared to explain that you have the skills, determination and self-confidence needed to succeed. Work this information into your business plan and have few anecdotes to share in conversation.

Illustrate How You’ll Succeed

Make sure you know how your coffee house will stand out from the competition and how you’ll cater to your local audience. Don’t approach the banker until you can demonstrate that you’ve thought of everything and that you have a contingency plan.

This means you’ve nailed down everything from your location and how much it will cost to purchase equipment to your suppliers and how you’ll reach potential customers. Be prepared to prove or qualify every assumption in your plan.

Explain the Coffee Industry

Coffee houses occupy a unique niche in the restaurant industry, and in most cases you’ll need to educate your banker.

When one of my clients applied for financing, her banker proceeded to tell her that she could not run a successful business just by selling coffee. Because she understood industry fundamentals, she was able to explain why a coffee house would survive – and thrive – without also becoming a restaurant serving sandwiches, soups, salads, etc.

In the end, she received the financing she requested.

Demonstrate Financial Strength

Bankers will want to know your personal and business net worth to judge your ability to meet your financial obligations.

They will also look at your past credit history – and use it as an indicator for the future. Make sure you have explanations for any blemishes.

They also will ask for some investment on your part as proof of commitment. This consists of an injection of capital and/or collateral as security for the loan.

Show Them the Money

Banks are averse to risk; they loan money only when they’re fairly certain it will be repaid. As a result, it is very important for you to demonstrate how your coffee house will make a profit.

Submitting detailed financial projections also helps the bank understand your business and how you’ll use the funds.

How important are financials? Extremely! Most bankers tell me they skim through the business plan, and then flip directly to the financials if they’re interested.

The financial section of your business plan requires three documents: a cash flow statement, an income statement (also known as a profit & loss statement or P&L), and a balance sheet. Make sure these paint an accurate and comprehensive picture of projected investment, income, expenses and cash flow.

Get Backup from Coffee Professionals

If you don’t have coffee industry experience, you can significantly increase your odds of success by working with established coffee roasters and business consultants. Adding their expertise to your own helps reassure the banker that you know what you’re doing.

Questions about opening a coffee shop? We’re here to help! Give us a call at 888-800-9224 or submit our contact us form and we’ll be in touch within one business day.