Identify actual amounts and their purpose, and review their qualifying treatment separately.
Keep the capital account interpretable
Service charges and funds committed toward the enterprise may serve different functions. A larger combined figure does not remove the need to establish investment risk and the full E-2 conditions.
Due diligence, legal work on both sides of the border, escrow costs, state and municipal licensing for arboriculture and pesticide application, insurance, and the working capital the business needs after closing. Keep household expenses separate and review whether the revised funding plan still supports a credible enterprise rather than assuming the purchase price covers everything. Where the marginality analysis depends on adding attended services, contracts or equipment, that additional capital is part of the plan and part of the investment, and it should be budgeted rather than hoped for from first-year profits. The investment must be substantial in relation to the total cost of purchasing or establishing this particular enterprise, so a modest business requires a proportionally high commitment rather than a large absolute sum. A clear paper trail can reveal that some spending is still revocable or personal; classify it accurately instead of forcing every transfer into the qualifying investment total. A rights payment gets quoted, invoiced and paid, so it feels like the investment, while the working capital that keeps the business alive is estimated, unbilled and correspondingly easy to leave out of the total.