Test your acquisition before you speak to a lender.
Enter the proposed price, equity, vendor finance and commercial borrowing. The calculator automatically balances the funding structure and shows whether the resulting repayments are affordable.
- Automatic funding balance
- Annual debt service
- Minimum DSCR
- Indicative affordable price
Test whether your acquisition funding works — before you speak to the bank.
Start with our free calculator. See how purchase price, equity, vendor finance and commercial debt affect annual repayments and lender-relevant DSCR.
Most businesses approach funding blind.
They do not know how much they can borrow, whether repayments are affordable, or how lenders will assess the deal. That is where applications are declined and acquisitions fail.
- Borrowing decisions based on profit instead of available cashflow
- Forecasts that ignore seasonality and underlying trading trends
- No monthly testing of debt serviceability or covenant compliance
- Too much upfront debt and not enough deal structuring
What the model gives you
A clear, lender-relevant view of what the business can support now and over time.
- Borrowing capacity based on real cashflow
- AI-assisted detection of growth trends and seasonality
- 60-month integrated forecasts
- Combined entity modelling for acquisitions
- Free cashflow and debt affordability analysis
- Deferred consideration planning where needed
A simple process. Premium output.
Turn accounting data into lender-ready insight without relying on generic templates, unrealistic assumptions, or guesswork.
Send your data
Export a simple report of 24 months profit and loss data from your accounting system. Our AI will do the rest. For acquisitions, provide data for both the buyer and the target company.
We build the model
The model detects seasonality, underlying growth, industry trends, and performance patterns, then creates 60-month integrated monthly forecasts.
You get clear answers
See what can be borrowed, whether the debt is serviceable, and how the deal should be structured to work in practice.
Built for funding events and acquisitions
Whether you are raising finance or buying a business, the goal is the same: understand the numbers before you commit.
Raising Finance
Find out how much your business can realistically borrow and prove that repayments remain affordable.
- Lender-ready forecasts
- Debt affordability testing
- Covenant compliance checks
- Clear borrowing limits
Buying a Business
Model the combined business, identify maximum safe borrowing, and structure the deal properly.
- Combined monthly forecasts
- Free cashflow analysis
- Maximum debt capacity
- Deferred consideration planning
Illustrative Decision Reports
What would your lender advance?
Most buyers decide how much they would like to borrow. Lenders decide how much the business can safely repay. Our lender-ready financial model calculates borrowing capacity under both expected and stressed trading conditions.
Our lender-ready financial model calculates that figure before you approach the bank, helping you negotiate with confidence and avoid funding surprises.
Annual Repayment Capacity
This worked example shows how the Deal Calculator compares cash available for debt service with maximum permitted and actual repayments over the funding period.
| Year | Cash | Max allowed repayments | Repayments | Headroom to target | DSCR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | £500,000 | £400,000 | £394,197 | £5,803 | 1.27x |
| Year 2 | £500,000 | £400,000 | £394,197 | £5,803 | 1.27x |
| Year 3 | £500,000 | £400,000 | £394,197 | £5,803 | 1.27x |
| Year 4 | £500,000 | £400,000 | £394,197 | £5,803 | 1.27x |
| Year 5 | £500,000 | £400,000 | £144,197 | £255,803 | 3.47x |
Cash Available, Max Allowed, and Actual Repayments
Illustrative output: This is a sample from the Deal Calculator using its current worked-example figures. Replace the blue figures in the calculator with your proposed transaction details to produce your own assessment.
Why this report matters
Most financial forecasts assume everything goes according to plan. Lenders don't. They want to know whether a business can continue to service its debt if trading conditions deteriorate.
Our lender-ready financial model analyses historic performance together with detailed assumptions covering revenue, costs, taxation, working capital, funding structure, debt repayments and other interrelated factors to determine the maximum level of borrowing that can be supported.
The Deal Calculator provides an initial standalone assessment. A transaction-specific financial model goes further by testing borrowing capacity under expected and stressed trading conditions, helping buyers, borrowers and professional advisers make better-informed decisions before committing to a transaction.
The sample calculator output above is illustrative. Detailed client conclusions are produced from a comprehensive financial model built specifically for the transaction, using the information and assumptions supplied.
Built to answer the only question that matters: will the bank lend?
Our model analyses historic performance, identifies underlying growth and seasonality, and produces a 60-month forecast. It then calculates borrowing capacity, tests lender covenants, and structures the deal to ensure it is financeable.
What the model is designed to show
- Maximum safe borrowing based on real cashflow
- Forecast cashflow over 60 months
- Interest cover and covenant compliance
- Debt and deferred consideration structure
- Combined forecasts for buyer and target company
Why this matters
Before approaching a lender or committing to an acquisition, you need to know whether the business can support the debt in practice — not just on paper. This model is built to give that answer clearly, early, and with lender-relevant outputs.
Practical experience behind every model
Acquisitions Advisory was founded by Jeff Smith, who has more than 40 years of hands-on experience in founding, funding, managing, buying and selling financial-services businesses.
Jeff has raised over £24 million of equity and £300 million of debt for his own ventures, spent approximately 30 years as a lending-business CEO, and advised banks and private-equity investors on substantial acquisition, refinancing and asset-finance transactions.
That experience informs every model we prepare: practical analysis designed to show what a buyer can afford, how the transaction could be funded and whether the business can realistically service the debt.
Meet Jeff SmithSimple pricing with premium positioning
Start with a one-off model for a live funding or acquisition event, or choose an evergreen version for ongoing planning and lender readiness.
Funding or Acquisition Model
One-off engagement tailored to your transaction.
- Tailored financial model
- Borrowing capacity analysis
- Repayment and covenant testing
- Deal structuring support
Evergreen Model
+ £750 setup
- Monthly API-driven updates from accounting software
- Rolling forecasts
- Live borrowing capacity tracking
- Always lender-ready
Why I Started Acquisitions Advisory
After nearly 40 years in lending, acquisitions, private equity-backed transactions and financial services leadership, I kept seeing the same problem.
Many good acquisition opportunities failed—not because the businesses were poor—but because buyers could not present a credible financial case to lenders and investors.
Too often, decisions were driven by generic forecasts and business plans that were never designed to survive lender scrutiny or transaction diligence.
By the time weaknesses became visible, buyers had already spent significant time and money on negotiation, due diligence and legal costs.
I created Acquisitions Advisory to change that.
Drawing on decades of transaction experience, I developed a structured acquisition modelling approach that helps buyers understand affordability, prepare lender-ready acquisition cases and make better decisions before significant cost is committed.
This is not about producing spreadsheets. It is about helping good acquisitions succeed through better preparation.
Frequently asked questions
Practical answers to common questions about acquisition finance, lender-ready forecasts and borrowing capacity.
Who is this for?
Small businesses seeking bank funding, buyers considering an acquisition, and advisors supporting those transactions.
What data do you need?
Usually 24 months of profit and loss data exported from your accounting system, plus transaction details for acquisitions.
Can this be updated monthly?
Yes. The evergreen model connects to your accounting system and refreshes your rolling forecast each month.
Do not go to a lender unprepared.
Know your numbers first. Use a model that shows what you can borrow, what you can afford, and whether the deal really works.