Assemble ownership and formation records, the complete funding history, the purchase or formation agreement, and any loan or escrow documents governing the transaction, along with evidence describing what the business will actually do.
Read the fine print before it becomes binding
Identify who controls the funds at each stage and what happens if a financing or immigration condition is not met. Distinguish secured from unsecured borrowing and confirm what collateral is pledged. Coordinate legal and immigration review before signing, since a document's label, such as escrow, does not itself establish that its terms meet the applicable standard.
Historic financial statements, tax returns and payroll from the business, supported by utility and service records, together with a hiring plan whose revenue assumptions follow from the equipment being bought. The purchase and sale agreement, the final closing or settlement statement, the mortgage payoff letter, and the lawyer's or agent's trust account statement together account for deductions. Compare formation records, contracts, payroll, invoices, leases, bank material and project plans for consistent names, dates, amounts and responsibilities. Bring the schedules as well, since the operative restrictions usually live there rather than in the body of the agreement, and bring any side letter or email in which the licensor has agreed something the signed document does not say.