Bowline · Standalone SBA acquisition analyzer

The guided path fromaspiring buyer to acquirer.

Bowline is a standalone acquisition analyzer. Type a deal and the financing math appears — loan amount, monthly payment, annual debt service, DSCR, cash flow — alongside a transparent 0–100 Deal Score. We concentrate on operator-light service businesses where buyer equity combined with SBA 7(a) leverage can realistically acquire a $1M–$2M-revenue firm.

Analyze a DealSee how it works
  • 9.5% variable SBA rate with ~10% equity
  • 2–3× SDE on owner-operator service firms
  • Recurring contracts · transferable licenses
  • Deterministic math, plain-English output

Example deal · SBA 7(a)

0–100 Deal Score

01 · Purchase multiple

2–3× SDE

On commercial cleaning, moving, and route-based services in the $1M–$2M band.

02 · Buyer equity

$300k–$500k

Reasonable personal cash at close alongside SBA 7(a) leverage.

03 · SBA envelope

9.5% · 10%

Variable rate · ~10% equity · 2–3% guarantee fee rolled into the loan.

04 · Operating shape

Recurring

Contracts in place, established crew leadership, transferable licensing.

The workflow

Six steps, each a working artifact.

Each stage produces a number you can stress-test — loan amount, monthly payment, DSCR, cash flow, the 0–100 Deal Score. It's a walkthrough of the math that runs alongside a real acquisition.

  1. 01

    Enter the deal

    Type the purchase price, annual revenue, SDE, down payment, interest rate, and loan term. The defaults are a worked example so you can see the math immediately.

  2. 02

    See the financing math

    Loan amount, monthly payment, annual debt service, DSCR, buyer equity, and cash flow recompute on every keystroke. No round-trip, no spinner.

  3. 03

    Score the deal

    A 0–100 Deal Score updates with the math, with the weights visible in the breakdown panel. The score is heuristic — same inputs always reach the same answer.

  4. 04

    Stress-test DSCR & cash flow

    Stretch the deal — bigger purchase price, smaller down payment, longer term, lower revenue. See the DSCR, cash flow, and score fall in real time.

  5. 05

    Save / share

    Saved dashboards and a PDF deal report are on the near-term roadmap. For now, the analyzer is single-use — print or screenshot to share.

  6. 06

    Bring it to a lender

    When the math looks right, take the deal to an SBA 7(a) lender. Their underwriting — credit, experience, collateral, full document package — is the only path to approval.

What the analyzer ships with

The numbers you need to decide.

Live financing math, a transparent 0–100 Deal Score, side-by-side DSCR and cash flow, and a deterministic, auditable model. Every weight is visible, every result re-derives from the same formula.

Live financing math

Standard SBA 7(a) amortization — loan, monthly payment, annual debt service, DSCR, cash flow. Recomputes on every keystroke, no round-trip.

0–100 Deal Score

A transparent, deterministic heuristic across multiple, DSCR, equity cushion, and margin. Weights visible in the breakdown panel — no black box.

DSCR & cash flow

See buyer equity, annual debt service, and projected cash flow side-by-side. Stretch the inputs and watch DSCR fall before you sign.

Heuristic, deterministic, transparent

Every input is named. Every weight is visible. Every result re-derives from the same formula. No hidden assumptions, no opaque scoring.

What Bowline is — and isn't

Math, not advice.

Bowline gives you the math. We are not a lender, a financial advisor, a lawyer, or an accountant. Outputs are estimates — bring them to a real professional before you sign an LOI.

  • Deterministic — same inputs, same outputs. No black box.
  • No SBA-approval promise — lenders run their own underwriting.
  • No deal sourcing, brokerage, or member community. Just math.
  • No data is stored — the analyzer is stateless and per-request.
Disclaimer · read before signing

Estimates only.

Bowline is not a lender, a financial advisor, a lawyer, or an accountant. The financing math and the 0–100 Deal Score are transparent estimates based on the inputs you provide. Estimates do not guarantee SBA approval — SBA 7(a) lenders run their own underwriting, with their own documentation requirements, on the deal you bring them. Use Bowline to pressure-test the math; bring the deal to a real professional before you sign.

The current analyzer slice is intentionally minimal: no login, no saved dashboards, no PDF report. Saved deals and a PDF deal report are planned for the next two slices of the roadmap.

FAQ

The questions we hear first.

Still have a question? Email us — we read every message and reply within five business days.

bowline-djfv8w@polsia.app

Deal Analyzer · no login

Run a deal through Bowline.

Enter the purchase price, revenue, SDE, down payment, rate, and term — see the math and a 0–100 Deal Score in seconds. Nothing is stored. Bring the deal to a lender when the math works.

Analyze a Deal

Estimates only — Bowline is not a lender, advisor, lawyer, or accountant.

Or revisit the workflow