The investment should be assessed against the actual business cost, genuine commitment and operating needs, not a desire to maximize a headline figure. E-2 has no universal minimum. Review how working capital and specific expenditures are treated on the facts rather than assuming every dollar must already be spent or every reserve is excluded.
Build a sustainable funding plan
Identify what the enterprise needs to open and operate and what the household needs separately. Keep government and professional expenses visible. Spending money on unnecessary items does not fix nationality, control or nonmarginality problems and can weaken the commercial plan.
For an existing mechanical contractor the total cost includes the asset price, licensing and insurance transfers, vehicle and equipment needs, and the operating reserve required to carry payroll and materials until receivables turn over. Establish the total cost of acquiring this shop or building an equivalent one: purchase price, lifts and diagnostic equipment, tire inventory, tooling, the lease deposit and the working capital needed before receipts arrive. Beyond the investment itself, budget for legal work on the purchase agreement and the note, accounting review of the seller's records, valuation where the price is negotiated, and the application costs applicable to the route chosen.