understand the fine print.
Credit agreements are really long. Borrowers should understand the breadth of terms they agree to, with disproportionate attention on those most directly affecting how they execute their vision.
Consider how a tennis player evaluates a new court. Some important white lines define the bounds within which they will operate. There is also a lot of filler that varies in form - sometimes asphalt, grass, or clay - but to the player, it's accepted as-is upfront and of low value to spend much time dwelling on.
Borrowers are like tennis players with the credit agreement as their court. The fine print contains language that will dictate your capacity to do things and how you do things - with spelled-out, intentionally-worded definitions. There will be particularly relevant conditions based on your vision and the levers you plan to pull to execute, and others that are unlikely to come up or are potentially standard no matter where you go. Borrowers should spend disproportionate time/attention/focus on the terms that will meaningfully impact how they operate their business - or the "white lines" they agree to operate within.
The Uncommon Borrower understands the fine print - they 1) evaluate the full range of terms, 2) spend disproportionate attention/focus on vision-defining boundaries (the "white lines"), 3) run "stress-tests" to ensure flexibility within the "white lines" (scenario planning/forecasting) and 4) get coaching (knowledgeable perspective/guidance on terms that will matter and their implications).