CMA Report · 2026
Half of small businesses that ask for financing don’t get all of it — and half of new businesses don’t reach year five. Drawing on the Federal Reserve’s most recent Small Business Credit Survey and federal business-survival data, here’s what separates the businesses that get funded and endure — and what to fix before you apply.
37%1
of small firms applied for financing in the past year
≈48%1
of applicants did not receive the full amount they requested
41%1
of denials were tied to carrying too much debt — up from 22% in 2021
≈50%2
of new U.S. businesses survive to year five
01
More than a third of small firms sought financing last year — and roughly half of applicants walked away without the full amount. The gap is rarely the idea. It is the readiness: a plan a lender can underwrite and a model they can interrogate.
The CMA read
A lender- and investor-ready business plan with a real three-statement model changes the conversation from “we hope” to “here is the case.”
Business Plans & Funding →02
In the most recent survey, 41% of denied applicants were told they already carried too much debt — nearly double the 2021 share. Lenders are scrutinizing unit economics and coverage, not just revenue.
The CMA read
Know your numbers cold. Clean unit economics and a defensible model are now table stakes — and the single highest-leverage thing to fix before applying.
How we pressure-test the numbers →03
About half of new businesses don’t reach year five. Capital buys time; it doesn’t fix a business that runs on heroics. The ones that endure install systems — documented processes, a real operating cadence, visibility into the numbers — early.
The CMA read
Funding gets you to the start line. Operating discipline is what keeps you in the race.
Fractional COO & Operations →04
Across the data and across our own engagements, the businesses that get funded and stay funded share a trait — they replace assumption with evidence before they bet capital on it. Their plans surface their own weaknesses before a lender does.
Our free diagnostic scores your readiness across funding, operations, and growth — and names the highest-leverage move to make next.
This report synthesizes publicly available federal data with Coleman Management Advisors’ engagement experience. Figures are attributed to their sources and reflect the most recent surveys available at publication. It is provided for general informational purposes only and is not financial, investment, or lending advice; outcomes vary.
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