Capital Advisory: the right capital, on the right terms, from the right lender
Sapere Advisory's flagship service. We prepare your business to be financed, take it to the lenders that fit, and negotiate the facility so it supports your plan for years, not just for closing day.
Every growth plan runs on capital: the second location, the new fleet, the competitor you want to acquire, the building you have been leasing for a decade. But from the borrower's side the Canadian lending market is fragmented and opaque. Each bank, credit union, Crown lender and private credit fund has its own appetite, its own underwriting rules and its own way of reading a financial statement. Walking in unprepared costs time, and it usually costs terms.
Capital Advisory is what Sapere Advisory is best known for. We act only for the borrower. We determine how much capital your business can carry and what kind, build the case a credit committee will approve, run a competitive process among the lenders best matched to your situation, and negotiate the structure, pricing, security and covenants line by line. Then we stay involved through funding and the reporting that follows.
The result is financing that closes faster, on better terms, with fewer surprises, from a lender who understands your business because we explained it to them properly.
The capital stack. Sapere Capital Advisory arranges every tier and structures them together so total cost of capital fits the plan.
Source: Sapere Advisory
What sets Sapere Capital Advisory apart
We think like the credit committee
Every package is built around the questions an underwriter will ask: cash flow coverage, collateral, capacity, character and conditions. Files arrive ready to approve, not ready to question.
Independent and borrower-side
We are not a lender and we act only for you. Our advice on which offer to accept is driven by your interests alone.
Lender-grade financial modeling
Full three-statement forecasts built to Canadian underwriting standards, tested at the 1.25x debt service coverage threshold most lenders apply, with documented assumptions and downside sensitivities.
Canadian lender coverage
Working relationships and current knowledge across the Schedule I banks, credit unions, BDC, EDC, Farm Credit Canada, CSBFL-participating lenders, equipment financiers and the private credit funds active in the Canadian mid-market.
Accounting under the same roof
When the lender wants ASPE-compliant compilations, reviewed statements, interim numbers or tax filings, Sapere Accounting produces them without delay.
Senior-led, start to finish
The advisor who scopes your mandate runs it, sits in the lender meetings and negotiates the terms.
Financing we arrange
Capital Advisory covers the full range of debt and structured capital an owner-managed or mid-market business will use over its life. Most mandates combine two or more of the following.
Term loans
Fixed and floating rate term debt for expansion, acquisitions, partner buy-outs and refinancing, with amortization matched to the purpose and the asset.
Operating lines of credit
Revolving facilities sized to your working capital cycle, with borrowing bases and margining terms your team can actually operate within.
Equipment, vehicle and fleet financing
Loans and leases for trucks and trailers, machinery, restaurant fit-outs, medical and aesthetic equipment and technology, through banks, captive lenders and equipment finance companies.
Commercial real estate financing
Owner-occupied purchase mortgages, construction and renovation loans, and refinancing of existing property to release equity, modeled together with the operating business so both facilities are approved on the same numbers.
Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFL)
Government-guaranteed loans of up to $1.15 million for equipment, leasehold improvements, real property, and more recently working capital and intangible assets. We prepare CSBFL-compliant business plans and manage the application with participating lenders from start to funding.
BDC, EDC and Farm Credit Canada
Development and Crown lender programs for growth, technology, exporting, succession and agriculture, used alongside or instead of conventional bank debt.
Acquisition financing
The senior debt, government-backed loans, vendor take-back notes and, where needed, subordinated capital behind a business purchase or franchise resale, arranged in parallel with due diligence so the deal does not wait on the money.
Growth and expansion capital
Financing for new locations, plant expansion, fleet growth and large contracts, sized from a unit-level model of the expansion rather than a rule of thumb.
Refinancing and renewals
Replacing an expensive or restrictive facility, consolidating lenders, extending amortization or reducing personal guarantees as the business matures.
Asset-based and private credit
Receivables and inventory financing, private credit and bridge facilities when speed, flexibility or a non-standard situation matters more than the lowest rate.
Owner liquidity and recapitalization
Taking capital out of the business, buying out a partner or funding a succession without weakening the company's balance sheet.
Situations we are built for
First institutional facility
You have outgrown personal borrowing, credit cards and supplier credit, and need a proper banking relationship with a facility sized for the next three years.
Buying a business or a franchise
You have found the target, the vendor wants certainty and the financing needs to be structured and approved before their patience runs out.
A major capital project
A new site, a plant expansion, a fleet purchase or the building you occupy, needing term debt matched to the asset and to your cash flow.
Growth that is straining cash
Sales are climbing, receivables are stretching and the operating line is always near its limit.
Renewal or covenant pressure
The bank has asked hard questions at renewal, or a covenant has been breached, and you need a credible package and a plan.
A decline from your bank
Your existing lender said no. In most cases that reflects a mismatch between the file and that lender's appetite, not a business that cannot be financed.
Owner liquidity or succession
You want to take capital out, buy out a partner or reduce personal guarantees without hurting the business.
Our process
A well-run financing follows a sequence. We manage every step so that you can keep running the business.
Capital diagnostic
We review historical financials, current facilities, security, guarantees and covenants, and what you want the capital for. Within days you have a clear, realistic view of how much, in what form, from which kind of lender, and at roughly what cost.
Financial model
A three-year, three-statement forecast with lender-grade assumptions, debt schedules, DSCR and leverage tests, and downside scenarios. If the numbers do not support the ask, we tell you first and reshape the structure.
Credit package
Executive summary, business and ownership overview, use of funds, management profile, historical and projected financials, security and collateral schedule and supporting documents, assembled in the format credit teams expect.
Lender selection and outreach
We shortlist the lenders whose programs and appetite match your profile, present the opportunity on your behalf and create competition where the file supports it.
Term sheet negotiation
Offers are compared on a like-for-like basis. We negotiate pricing, fees, security, guarantees, financial covenants, reporting and prepayment terms, and advise on which to accept.
Closing and funding
We coordinate appraisals, lender due diligence, legal documentation and conditions precedent so the timeline holds.
Post-closing support
Covenant tracking, lender reporting templates and a review of the structure as the business grows, so the next financing is easier than the first.
What you receive
Capital diagnostic report
Borrowing capacity, recommended structure, likely lenders and indicative terms, before any lender is approached.
Lender-grade financial model
A maintained Excel model you keep and can update for future financings, budgets and lender reporting.
Complete credit package
Ready to submit, and reusable across lenders and programs.
Term sheet comparison
A side-by-side analysis of every offer, translated into total cost, flexibility and risk.
Negotiated facility
Terms you understand and can live with, documented and closed.
Covenant and reporting toolkit
So the relationship with your lender stays strong after funding.
Who we work with
Our Capital Advisory clients are owner-managed and mid-market businesses across Canada, typically with revenues between $2 million and $100 million and financing needs from $250,000 to $25 million. Many come to us for a first significant facility and stay through every financing that follows.
Sectors we work in extensively:
- Quick-service restaurants
- Full-service restaurants
- Franchise systems
- Logistics & transportation
- Wholesale distribution
- Retail
- Automotive & tire services
- Medical & aesthetic clinics
- Manufacturing
- Professional services
- Owner-occupied commercial real estate
Common questions.
Quick answers about capital advisory, based on current Canadian tax and accounting rules.
How much financing can my business qualify for?
How long does a financing take?
Will I still need a personal guarantee?
My bank already declined us. Can you still help?
Can you help a business that is less than two years old?
Are you a mortgage broker or a loan broker?
Do you work with businesses outside Ontario?
What information do you need to get started?
Find out what your business can borrow, and on what terms
Book a capital diagnostic with Sapere Advisory. In one conversation we will give you a realistic view of your borrowing capacity, the structures available to you and the lenders most likely to say yes.
Related advisory services
All advisory servicesWorking Capital & Liquidity
13-week cash flow forecasting, receivables, inventory and payables discipline, and the operating changes that release cash already sitting in your business.
Deal Advisory
Buy-side and sell-side support for owner-managed businesses: target assessment, financial due diligence, deal structuring, acquisition financing and closing.
Valuations & Financial Modelling
Business valuations for transactions, shareholder matters and planning, together with bank-ready business plans and three-statement forecasts built to lender standards.