You may have heard it said that “you can’t read the label from inside the jar.”
In other words, when trying to get a big picture view of your business, you’re often too close to see it clearly. You know the effort you’ve put in, the sacrifices you’ve made and the story you believe about how things are going. But from inside the jar, you can’t see how the label appears to the rest of the world—complete with faulty reporting mechanisms, neglected KPIs and the blind spots that a lender or investor will spot instantly.
That’s why self-evaluation is a trap. If you want to prove your business is truly fundable, you need someone outside the jar to read the label back to you.
Why Flying Solo Fails
If you were running a public company, you’d have a board of directors reviewing performance, auditors digging through your books and dashboards tracking every key metric. But most small and mid-sized businesses don’t have these systems. They simply don’t know what they don’t know.
Instead, owners rely on gut instinct and fragmented reports. That works—until you need outside financing. Lenders and investors don’t care about your instincts. They care about verifiable numbers, systems and controls. If you can’t produce those, you risk leaving money on the table and slowing your growth.
Who Should Read the Label for You
In the past, the default answer was to call your CPA. And yes, a CPA can still be a great ally, especially for financial reporting and profitability analysis. But in today’s financing environment, you often need more than that.
Depending on your stage and situation, your inspection might involve:
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Fractional CFOs—to prepare lender-ready financials, forecast cash flow and benchmark your numbers against industry standards without the cost of a full-time hire
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Business consultants or turnaround advisors—to assess operations, systems and scalability
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Legal advisors—to identify structural risks that could spook lenders
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Restructuring specialists—to clean up your balance sheet and determine if it’s truly fundable
The goal isn’t to overcomplicate things. It’s to get an unfiltered view of where you actually stand—so you can fix what’s broken before a lender points it out.
How Often to Inspect Your Business
Quarterly inspections sound nice in theory, but for most businesses, they’re unrealistic. Think of it like a medical exam: once a year is fine if you’re healthy, but if you’re preparing for financing—or fighting off distress—you’ll need more frequent check-ins.
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Healthy business: An annual inspection is enough to stay aligned
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Preparing for financing: A deep inspection 3–6 months before applying gives you time to fix issues
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In distress: More frequent reviews are essential to keep you on track and credible with stakeholders
What You Gain From Inspection
An outside inspection isn’t just about catching mistakes. It’s about proving that your business can stand up to scrutiny.
For a fraction of what one bad loan or missed deal could cost you, you gain:
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Credibility—lenders see a business that’s prepared and serious
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Clarity—you trade assumptions for facts and know exactly where you stand
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Confidence—you step into financing conversations knowing your numbers will hold up
But inspection is only the first step. If your balance sheet is cluttered with predatory debt or liabilities that make you unfundable, no amount of reporting will change the outcome. That’s where Rise comes in.
We restructure distressed businesses so they don’t just survive, they have the chance to thrive. Rise cleans up unsupportable balance sheets, protects cash flow and preserves operations—keeping employees working, customers served and the business intact. Once stability is restored, there’s room for growth again. And with our network of lenders, we can help facilitate the next stage—connecting businesses that have come through restructuring with capital partners who understand their renewed potential.
Because in the end, you can’t read the label from inside the jar. But with the right partners—whether it’s an inspector, a restructuring specialist or a lender who believes in your renewed potential—you can make sure the story on that label is one for the books.
