Seasonal Business Funding: Apply Before Winter
Short answer: Seasonal businesses should apply in late summer or early fall, while bank statements still show the busy months. Funders size an advance from recent deposits, so a winter application shows the slow months instead.
Cost, credit, speed and stacking
Cost
Credit
Speed
Stacking
Afterfirst MCA works as a broker rather than a funder. Send our team one application, and we take it to the funders whose programs fit.
Which months would a funder see if you apply now?
The months a funder weighs most depend on when you apply.
The table takes the three months before each application month and averages our BLS job index for three summer trades (100 = an ordinary month).
| Apply in | Last three months on the statements | Landscaping (avg index) | Pools and other specialty (avg index) | Roofing (avg index) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | June to August | 110.9 | 107.2 | 103.2 |
| October | July to September | 109.5 | 107.0 | 102.8 |
| November | August to October | 107.6 | 106.4 | 102.4 |
| January | October to December | 99.3 | 101.2 | 101.2 |
| March | December to February | 85.3 | 90.9 | 95.9 |
How to read this table
The index tracks jobs, not sales, but for crews that work outdoors the two tend to move together. The weighting of the last three months is a practitioner view, and funders differ. The averages are our own math on five years of BLS counts.
What changes if you wait until winter?
Firms that apply before winter show busier months; waiting changes which months a funder sees first.
Send it in January and the three freshest months average 99.3 on the index, and in March the average falls to 85.3. The work and the business are the same, but the recent months look slower.
Winter statements and offer size
This is also practitioner view: funders often size offers from recent deposits. If that holds for the funders on your file, a winter application may see a smaller offer, or questions about the slow months. Some funders read a full year to see the pattern; ask our team which ones do.
Holiday timing
Industry voices report that deal flow thins out from Thanksgiving through the holidays; that is opinion, not a measured trend. An early fall request sidesteps the question.
If you don't need cash yet
Funding costs money from the day it lands. Applying early to see what fits is different from taking an advance you don't need. You can ask what funders would look at, then decide, with any offers set out on the Comparison sheet.
Which trades this applies to
The pattern fits trades with a summer peak and a winter low: landscaping, pools, roofing, exterior painting and similar outdoor work. HVAC firms have their own fall timing, covered in the HVAC heating season guide.
What should a summer trade send in the fall?
A fall application needs the same file as any other, plus a few notes that help a funder read a seasonal business.
- One application to our team, with the business name, the amount and the use.
- A list of every open advance, with the payment and schedule.
- A line on how the business covers the winter, such as snow work or maintenance contracts, if any.
- Bank statements, sent after our team replies, by the method we agree.
Fall requests with an advance still running
Your current advance doesn't bar a fall request. It might suit a Second position, a consolidation, or a pause until spring. The Stacking guide explains how funders count positions.
FAQ
What does it cost to apply before winter?
Applying costs you nothing, and Afterfirst MCA charges you no fee. Cost starts only if you accept an offer: the total payback minus the cash you receive, plus fees. Compare every offer side by side before you sign.
Where does credit fit in a fall request?
Before you sign, ask how any credit review works. We can raise the question with each funder that reads your file.
When do offers usually come back?
There is no set date, because every funder keeps its own schedule. A September or October request leaves room for questions before the holidays. Complete statements plus a list of open advances cut down the back and forth.
Can I apply before winter if I already have an advance?
Yes. Name each open advance in the application, since the debits appear on your statements regardless. Fit depends on the share of fall deposits those debits take.
Next step
Summer trade owners can send One application this fall with each open advance listed, or Ask us which months funders would read first. The Winter cash flow guide covers the costs that run through the slow months.
Call 877-FUND-654What does applying in fall instead of winter do to the numbers?
Example: a landscaper deposits about $90,000 a month in summer and $35,000 in January. Applying in October, the last four months might average $80,000, so a payment sized at 10% of that is about $8,000 a month, or $381 each business day. Applying in February, the last four months might average $40,000, which supports about half the advance. The catch runs the other way too: the October payment would take 22.9% of January's deposits, so plan the term around the slow months.
Questions owners ask about this
When should a summer business apply for funding?
In late summer or early fall, before the slow months reach your statements.
Can I apply in the fall with an advance still running?
Yes. Funders will look at whether your deposits can carry both payments through winter.
What should I send?
Your most recent business bank statements, including the busy months, and the current month to date.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics job counts for landscaping, pool and roofing trades (CES, NSA): the monthly jobs averaged in the statement-window table.
- Practitioner commentary: the practitioner claim this guide sets against BLS data; opinion.
- Total Merchant Resources, post on winter delays: practitioner claim of a slowdown after Thanksgiving.
- DeBanked, holiday-season deal timing: practitioner note on holiday dips.
Send one file.
See what fits.
Call 877-FUND-654 with questions.