A denial letter isn’t the end of the story — it’s just information. What you do in the next 48 hours matters more than the “no” itself.
Your 48-hour action plan:
- Hour 1-4: Ask for the specific reason, in writing if possible. Even a vague answer gives you a starting point. Time in business? Debt-to-income ratio? Industry risk category? Knowing the “why” tells you what to fix — or shows you it wasn’t fixable at that bank in the first place.
- Day 1: Pull your real numbers together. Revenue trends, cash flow, outstanding contracts or purchase orders — the story your P&L doesn’t always tell. This is what a real conversation with a lender actually looks at.
- Day 1-2: Talk to someone who looks past the score. A single bank’s “no” reflects that bank’s narrow criteria — not your business’s fundability. A broader look, with a lender who reviews the full picture, often tells a very different story.
Why speed matters here
The businesses that recover fastest from a rejection are the ones that treat it as a data point, not a verdict — and move immediately instead of sitting with it for weeks.
- Speed: We can often give you a real answer within 24-48 hours of that first conversation.
- Flexibility: A bank denial doesn’t disqualify you with us — we regularly fund businesses banks passed on.
- Transparency: We’ll tell you plainly what’s fundable now and what isn’t, no runaround.
And every deal we fund contributes to Feeding America — so getting back on track helps beyond your own business too.
Got denied recently? Let’s talk today — not next month.