{"ok":true,"canonical_url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/financial-dependence","api_url":"https://dealroom.so/api/public/glossary/financial-dependence","data_freshness":{"sba_records_through":"2026-05-31","fdic_records_through":"2026-03-31","dealroom_last_updated":"2026-06-15","timezone":"America/Chicago"},"source_summary":["Public SBA 7(a) loan records","FDIC institution data","DealRoom lender and franchise enrichment"],"term":{"slug":"financial-dependence","term":"Financial dependence","group":"Reading the business","definition":"This refers to a business relying heavily on one or a few customers or suppliers. As a buyer, high financial dependence is a risk because losing a key relationship could severely impact revenue or operations.","what_it_means":"Lenders scrutinize financial dependence during underwriting as it affects the business's stability and repayment capacity. If you're acquiring a business with significant customer concentration, be prepared to demonstrate a robust plan to diversify revenue or mitigate this risk.","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/financial-dependence","official_sources":[{"slug":"sop-50-10","title":"SOP 50 10 — Lender and Development Company Loan Programs","official_url":"https://www.sba.gov/document/sop-50-10-lender-development-company-loan-programs","official_label":"View on SBA.gov","authority_tier":2,"publisher":"U.S. Small Business Administration","source_guide_url":"https://dealroom.so/sba-7a/sources/sop-50-10"}],"related":[{"slug":"ebitda","term":"EBITDA","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/ebitda"},{"slug":"sde","term":"SDE","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/sde"},{"slug":"credit-underwriting","term":"Credit underwriting","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/credit-underwriting"},{"slug":"repayment-capacity","term":"Repayment capacity","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/repayment-capacity"}],"related_questions":[{"question":"How does a lender determine affiliation for size purposes when evaluating common economic dependence?","url":"https://dealroom.so/for-lenders/questions/how-does-a-lender-determine-affiliation-for-size-purposes-when-evaluating-common-economic-"},{"question":"What if my personal financial statement shows low liquid assets?","url":"https://dealroom.so/sba-loans/basics/what-if-my-personal-financial-statement-shows-low-liquid-assets"},{"question":"Are SBA 7(a) loans exclusively for businesses with financial difficulties?","url":"https://dealroom.so/sba-loans/basics/are-sba-7-a-loans-exclusively-for-businesses-with-financial-difficulties"},{"question":"What if my business is new and has no financial history?","url":"https://dealroom.so/sba-loans/basics/what-if-my-business-is-new-and-has-no-financial-history"},{"question":"Does misrepresenting financial information on the SBA application automatically kill approval?","url":"https://dealroom.so/sba-7a/questions/does-misrepresenting-financial-information-on-the-sba-application-automatically-kill-appro"},{"question":"How does my personal financial history affect SBA 7(a) loan approval?","url":"https://dealroom.so/sba-7a/questions/how-does-my-personal-financial-history-affect-sba-7-a-loan-approval"}]},"caveats":["Definitions represent DealRoom's plain-English interpretation for buyers; verify regulatory terms against the official SBA and eCFR sources listed.","Not legal, tax, or financial advice, and not an SBA eligibility determination."],"citation":{"label":"DealRoom.so Glossary — Financial dependence","url":"https://dealroom.so/glossary/financial-dependence","source_type":"DealRoom Data"}}