Most deals that stall don’t stall because they’re bad deals. They stall because of a gap — the difference between what a business has on hand right now and what it needs to actually close.
That gap shows up in a few recognizable forms:
Manpower gaps — you’ve won the work, but don’t have the staffing in place yet to execute it without straining the team you have.
Equipment gaps — the contract requires equipment or inventory up front, before the revenue from that contract starts coming in.
Working capital timing gaps — your business is fundamentally healthy, but payroll, materials, and vendors are due now while collections are tied to Net 60/90 terms or milestone billing.
None of these are a sign the deal is bad. They’re a sign the timing between cost and revenue doesn’t line up — and that’s a solvable problem, not a disqualifying one.
The key is matching the right instrument to the specific gap. A manpower or equipment gap tied to a single large opportunity often calls for a term loan or equipment financing. A recurring working capital timing gap is usually better suited to a line of credit or cash flow financing. A gap that shows up during an acquisition or expansion, where you already have a primary lender in place, might call for subordinated debt structured behind that existing relationship.
The businesses that move fastest through this process are the ones that can clearly articulate which gap they’re dealing with. If you’re not sure which category your situation falls into, that’s exactly the kind of conversation worth having before you apply for anything specific.