Short answer: business bankers find new clients through referrals, networking, and outbound calls, and the outbound calls that work best go to companies that don't have a business banker yet. The earliest public list of those is the state's new business filings. Florida registers about 10,513 new businesses a week. A banker who calls the owner in the first weeks, while the operating account, the first card, and the first loan are still undecided, is building a relationship nobody else has claimed.
Where do business bankers find new clients?
- CPA and attorney referrals. Still the best source. The accountant setting up the entity is often asked, "Which bank should I use?"
- Your own retail customers. Branch staff see personal customers start businesses before anyone else does, if someone asks them to pass it on.
- Centers of influence. Commercial real estate brokers, insurance agents, and SBA lenders all meet owners at the moment they need a bank.
- Networking. Chambers, trade groups, and local business events. Slow, but it builds the referral network.
- Purchased business databases. Good for established companies, which usually means a banker is already in place.
- New business filings. Every company that registered this week, with the owner's name and address on the filing. The only list of owners who haven't had time to pick anyone.
Why the first 90 days matter
In its first months a new company opens an operating account, gets a debit or credit card, sets up a way to get paid, and often starts payroll. Many owners open that first account wherever they bank personally, because nobody has offered anything better. Many banks prefer to hold the deposit relationship when they make a loan, so the bank with the operating account is usually first in line when the owner needs equipment, a vehicle, a building, or a line of credit.
That makes the first conversation the cheapest one you will ever have with that business. Later, you are asking the owner to move accounts, cards, and autopays. Now, you are just helping them set things up.
Which new businesses should you call first?
| New business | What they need early | New Florida filings a week* |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate companies | Commercial mortgages, operating and escrow accounts | 564 |
| Construction and trades | Equipment, truck, and trailer loans; a line of credit for jobs | 429 |
| Trucking and transportation | Truck and trailer financing, fuel cards, fast funding | 404 |
| Medical and dental practices | Build-out and equipment loans, larger operating balances | 309 |
| Auto repair and dealers | Equipment and inventory financing | 204 |
| Restaurants and retail | Build-out financing, deposits, merchant services | 164 restaurants, 300 retail |
*Average between August 17 and October 9, 2026, counted from business names that say what the business does. Many new companies have names that don't, so the real numbers are higher.
Two more patterns are worth a closer look. An owner who files several companies at once usually runs a bigger operation with more accounts. And a buyer purchasing an existing business usually forms a new company to do it, often financed with an SBA 7(a) loan.
What to say on the first call
Don't lead with rates or products. Lead with the setup the owner is in the middle of, and offer to make it easier. For example:
"Hi, is this Marcus? This is Dana with First Coast Bank here in Jacksonville. I saw Marcus Hauling registered with the state last week, congratulations. I work with a lot of new trucking companies in Duval on their business accounts and their first equipment loans. Have you set up your business banking yet, or is that still on the list?"
If they haven't opened an account, a practical offer works well: tell them what to bring so it takes one visit. That is usually the EIN letter from the IRS, the articles from Sunbiz, an operating agreement or resolution naming who can sign, and ID for each owner of 25% or more plus one person who controls the company. If they already have an account, ask what they will need in the next year: a truck, a lease build-out, a line of credit. That is the real conversation.
New owners also need a bookkeeper, an insurance agent, and often payroll. A banker who can make good introductions becomes the person owners call first, and the professionals you refer to tend to refer back. The same new-business list is used by commercial insurance agents, bookkeepers and accountants, and payroll providers, so it is easy to build that circle in your county.
Follow your bank's own outreach policies, and read the calling rules that apply in Florida before you dial.
Doing it yourself vs. a daily list
The state publishes every new filing in a daily file, about 2,527 a day statewide. It has no phone numbers and no industry, and it includes filing services, out-of-state companies, and companies far outside your branches. Sorting it and researching a phone number for each owner takes 5 to 10 minutes a record, which is time a banker would rather spend on calls and meetings.
FiledToday's business banking leads do that work. Each weekday you get your county's new businesses with the owner's name, phone number, and full mailing address, so the same list works for calls and direct mail. Plans are $99 to $249 a month per county, and you can get a free county sample first.
Common questions
How do business bankers get new clients?
Mostly through referrals from CPAs, attorneys, and existing customers, plus networking and outbound prospecting. The outbound part works best on businesses that don't have a business banker yet, and new business filings are the earliest public list of those.
What is the best source of business banking leads?
Referrals, when you can get them. For outbound, new business filings are the best source of owners who haven't chosen a business bank: Florida registers about 10,513 new businesses a week, and each filing names the owner and the business address.
Should I call a new business that already has a bank account?
Yes. Many new owners open the account at their personal bank because it's convenient. That still leaves the line of credit, equipment and real estate loans, cards, merchant services, payroll, and treasury, and many have never met a business banker.
What does a new LLC need to open a business bank account?
Usually the EIN from the IRS, the articles of organization or incorporation from the state, an operating agreement or resolution showing who can sign, and ID for each owner of 25% or more plus one person who controls the company. Requirements vary by bank.
How many new businesses open in Florida each week?
About 10,513 new LLCs, corporations, and partnerships a week between August 17 and October 9, 2026. Miami-Dade County alone averaged about 374.0 new filings per business day.
Updated October 12, 2026 · By Ben Thalmann, founder of FiledToday