What's one thing you kicked yourself for not having ready sooner?

searcher profile

October 31, 2025

by a searcher from Harvard University - Harvard Business School in Washington, DC, USA

I'm about a month into a self-funded search. The basics are in place, and I know plenty of work lies ahead before I find a deal worth pulling the trigger on. I'm not chasing perfection, but my working assumption is that even good-enough deals are rare, and that edge comes from being bale to move fast when one appears. Forget podcasts and book lists - that's covered. I'm after the stuff that only experience teaches: the "wish I'd done that one quiet Thursday afternoon in month 2 or 3" kind of prep that would've saved you a ton of stress - or even a lost deal - once things got serious and you had to move fast. What's one thing you kicked yourself for not having ready sooner?
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commentor profile
Reply by a searcher
from University of California, Berkeley in Los Angeles, CA, USA
If you own a home, get a HELOC. Every loan broker shared that advice and takes some time.
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Reply by a lender
from Cornell University in Los Angeles, CA, USA
Great question, ^redacted‌ this one hits close to home. From what we see across dozens of financed acquisitions, the biggest “wish I’d done that sooner” moment tends to be not getting a bank-ready underwriting checklist in place early. Things like: Validating seller add-backs (especially wages, one-time expenses, and rent adjustments) to get that DSCR to cash flow Building a normalized P&L with a nominal owner salary baked in Knowing in advance whether a professional license is required (in trades, medical, or accounting sectors) and what the plan is to meet that requirement Having that clarity upfront makes diligence, lender conversations, and valuation discussions move 5x faster when the right deal lands in your inbox. We have a lot experience financing different types of companies via the SBA. If you ever need help talking through a deal, I am happy to help. We work with all the major SBA lenders. The bank pays us after your loan closes, so this is a 100% free service for you. You can email me directly at redacted or schedule a meeting with me: https://cal.com/francodeguzman/30min. Look forward to chatting!
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