When you work with a funding brokerage, the single biggest factor that determines how quickly your deal gets placed is the quality and completeness of your documentation. Clean paperwork means faster placement.

Here is exactly what we look for and what to have ready before you submit your enquiry.

1. Company Documents

Your registration documents establish who you are, who the directors and shareholders are and how the business is structured. We need:

• CIPC registration certificate
• Directors' and shareholders' details
• Memorandum of Incorporation
• Any shareholder agreements or trust deeds if applicable

2. Financial Statements

The last 2 to 3 years of signed financials show the health and trajectory of your business. Audited or reviewed statements are preferred for larger transactions.

• 2 to 3 years of signed financial statements
• Latest management accounts if available
• Current debt schedule

3. Bank Statements

Bank statements reveal the truth of your cash flow and how money actually moves through the business. We typically need 6 to 12 months of business bank statements, unedited and complete.

4. Certified IDs

Certified copies of IDs for all directors and shareholders. These must be current and clearly legible.

5. Purpose and Security

A clear written statement of what the funds will be used for is essential. If security is being offered, provide details of the asset, property or surety arrangement.

Why This Matters

Verification is the core of our placement process. Once your documents are verified, we can move from review to placement with the right funder in days rather than weeks. Every hour spent preparing is an hour saved later.

Bottom line: Clean documents verify quickly. That is the difference between a 5 day placement and a 5 week delay.

Property deals move fast. When a developer finds the right site, the right buyer or the right opportunity, waiting weeks for a traditional bond to be approved can mean losing the deal entirely.

This is where bridging finance and private funding come into their own.

Traditional Bonds: The Conventional Route

Banks and traditional lenders assess risk through a rigid framework. Approval is slow, requires extensive documentation and often depends on credit score thresholds that do not reflect the real strength of your project.

• 4 to 8 weeks to approval in a best case scenario
• Credit score driven
• Heavy documentation and committee approvals
• Limited flexibility on structure

Bridging Finance: Speed and Flexibility

Bridging finance is short term funding used to bridge a gap, typically between buying and selling property or to complete a transaction while a longer term facility is arranged.

• Approval in days, not weeks
• Assessed on the deal itself, not credit score alone
• Security backed and structured to your timeline
• Ideal for auctions, time sensitive deals and quick closings

When Private Funding Beats Traditional Lending

If you are a developer working with tight timelines, buying at auction, completing a renovation before resale or need to move on an opportunity before someone else does, a private funder will almost always be faster and more flexible than a bank.

The Real Question

Traditional bonds are great when you have time. Bridging finance is essential when you do not. Ask yourself what missing this deal actually costs you. That answer usually decides the right funding path.

At Graham Ronald Hart, we facilitate bridging finance, development finance, property purchases and refinancing through our network of private funders.

Most people applying for funding do not realise there are two fundamentally different models in the market and the one you choose dramatically affects your timeline, your cost and your chances of success.

The Brokerage Model

A funding brokerage does not lend money itself. It prepares your file and places it with the lender or private investor most likely to approve it. This is the model we use, and here is what it delivers:

• Your file is prepared professionally and matched to the right funder
• You only approach funders whose criteria actually fit your deal
• Timelines are compressed because we remove the guesswork
• You get a clear, transparent structure from the outset
• If one funder declines, we reposition to another without you starting over

Going Direct To A Bank

Approaching a bank directly can work well for straightforward, well documented deals that match their credit policy. But there are trade offs:

• Rigid criteria that may not reflect the real strength of your deal
• Committee driven decisions with long timelines
• Heavy documentation requirements
• If declined, you start over from scratch
• Limited access to private lenders and alternative structures

Why The Brokerage Model Matters

Speed. When a deal is time sensitive, a property auction, an acquisition, a contract that needs to be executed, going to the wrong funder first can cost you the opportunity. A brokerage gets your file in front of the right party first time.

Clarity. You have one point of contact who understands the funding market and can explain what is realistic for your deal.

Cost. We remove the wasted time and repeated applications that come from approaching the wrong funders.

When Going Direct Still Makes Sense

If you already have a strong banking relationship, well documented financials and plenty of time, going direct to your bank can be the cheapest option. But for speed, range and structure, a funding brokerage wins almost every time.

Bottom line: A good brokerage gets your deal to the right funder faster than you could on your own.

A funding proposal is not just a request for money. It is the story of your deal and like any good story it needs to make sense from the very first paragraph.

Here is how to structure a proposal that clears verification and moves to placement.

1. Executive Summary

One page. One clear ask. Who you are, what you need, what it is for, how much and what security you can offer. If a funder cannot understand your deal from this one page, the rest of the proposal will not save it.

2. The Business or Project

What does your business actually do? How long has it been operating? What are its revenue, margins and trajectory? For property projects, describe the site, the plan, the approvals and the exit.

3. The Funding Requirement

• How much you need
• What it is specifically for, itemised not vague
• Over what period
• How it will be repaid or exited

4. Financials

2 to 3 years of signed financials plus current management accounts. For property projects, include a detailed development budget and projected returns. Every number should be traceable.

5. Security

What assets, property or surety back the funding? Provide clear descriptions, estimated values and ownership details. Vague security kills deals.

6. The Team

Who is running this? Funders back people as much as they back businesses. A one page team summary builds confidence.

7. Supporting Documentation

Contracts, purchase orders, valuations, title deeds and permits. Attach everything that proves what you have stated. The more you can verify upfront, the faster we can place your deal.

The Golden Rule

Every claim in your proposal should be verifiable. If you state revenue, it should match your bank statements. If you state a property value, it should match a valuation. Funders verify, and a proposal that survives verification is one that gets placed.

Working capital is the lifeblood of any business. It funds stock, pays suppliers, covers payroll and bridges the gap between delivering work and getting paid for it. When it dries up, operations stall, sometimes within days.

The problem is that banks are often the slowest and least flexible source of working capital at exactly the moment you need it most.

Why Banks Decline Working Capital

• Short trading history or recent losses
• Seasonal revenue patterns that do not fit their scoring models
• Lack of hard security such as property or fixed assets
• Tight cash flow ratios even with strong future contracts
• Long approval processes that miss the timing window entirely

How Private Funders Approach It Differently

A private funder assesses the deal, not just the balance sheet. We look at contracts, order books, trading patterns and the specific purpose of the funding. If the numbers make sense and the documents verify, we can move quickly through the placement process.

• Approval in days, not months
• Short and medium term structures
• Funding sized to the specific gap, not a generic product
• Real business context considered, not just a credit score

When to Use Working Capital Funding

Working capital is appropriate for bridging a large order before payment, funding seasonal stock purchases, covering a short term cash flow gap while a big debtor pays, or scaling up to execute on a new contract.

When It Is Not Appropriate

Working capital should not be used to plug a structural loss, fund long term growth or paper over fundamentals. If the underlying business is not sound, short term funding just delays the problem.

Bottom line: Working capital is about timing and timing is about speed. If a bank cannot move fast enough, a funding brokerage can connect you with a private funder who can.

Refinancing is one of the most powerful financial moves available to a business but it is also one of the most commonly misunderstood. Doing it for the right reasons can save you millions. Doing it for the wrong ones can compound your problems.

When Refinancing Makes Sense

Refinancing works when you are replacing existing debt with something demonstrably better:

• Lower interest rate reducing your cost of capital
• Better repayment terms improving monthly cash flow
• Consolidation combining multiple facilities into one
• Release of security freeing up assets for other uses
• Release of cash accessing equity built up in an asset
• Change of structure replacing unsuitable short term debt with long term funding

When It Doesn't

Refinancing does not fix underlying problems. It is the wrong move if:

• You are just chasing a slightly lower rate while the business itself is struggling
• The new facility has hidden costs that outweigh the benefit
• You are extending the term simply to reduce monthly payments while paying more in total
• You have not fixed the reason the existing debt became a problem

What to Ask Before Refinancing

• What is the total cost of the new facility versus the old one?
• What fees apply, including origination, exit, legal and valuation?
• What security is required and is it worth giving up?
• Does the new structure actually fit the cash flow of the business?
• What is the exit? Do you have a clear plan to repay?

How a Funding Brokerage Fits In

A funding brokerage can often place refinancing deals that banks have declined by matching them with private lenders and specialist funders whose terms reflect the actual strength of the business rather than a rigid scoring model. At Graham Ronald Hart, we facilitate refinancing through our network of private funders.

Bottom line: Refinance when the outcome is genuinely better and sustainable. Do not refinance just to delay an inevitable conversation.