Small business grant practice interview
Business understanding, trading record, use of funds, growth and record keeping. Practise the 6 questions selection panels ask with follow-ups. Paid plans add scored feedback on every answer.
Free with an Intaviu account: 320 credits a month, at 10 credits a minute of practice. Private: interview creators never see them.
- 15 minutes
- 6 questions
- Scored feedback on paid plans
About the award
A small business grant interview helps a funder decide which businesses will put a grant to good use. The panel wants to see that you understand your business, that you have been trading and keeping records, that you know exactly how you will spend the money and how it will help the business grow.
How to prepare
- Know your monthly sales, costs and profit in naira and how they have changed over the past year.
- Prepare a clear list of what the grant will buy and how each item will increase sales or cut costs.
- Think of how you have handled tough periods, such as rising prices or power cuts.
- Be ready to describe your customers and why they buy from you rather than others.
- Tidy up your records before the interview so you can answer from facts.
Common mistakes
- Asking for money to cover personal needs instead of business growth.
- Having no records and guessing at figures.
- Listing items to buy without explaining how they will grow the business.
What to expect
A real selection interview
6 questions the way selection panels ask, with follow-ups when an answer needs more.
Spoken, like the real thing
Speak your answers in your browser or the free desktop app, with live captions. You can ask the interviewer to repeat anything.
Scored on 5 areas
The things this interview weighs most. With a paid plan, your report shows how you did on each one.
A private report
On Plus, Pro and Premium: every answer scored, your strongest lines quoted and what to say differently next time. Interview creators never see it.
More grants and accelerators practice
Social enterprise grant
Social problem and impact, business model, evidence of results, use of funds and team.
Grants and acceleratorsGovernment youth enterprise grant interview
A public enterprise grant interview on business viability, youth employment, use of funds, records and delivery within programme rules.
Grants and acceleratorsResearch grant
Significance, methodology, feasibility and budget, team and how findings will be used.