Take advice on the strength of the case first, then lease and equip in a sequence that keeps as much optionality as possible, then apply once the enterprise is genuinely operating. Do not liquidate everything before the plan is reviewed.
Reduce what you cannot undo
Hypothetical example: a Hampton couple sign a five-year lease and order the machines in the same week, then start thinking about the application. A better sequence keeps the irreversible steps as late as it can. Have the plan and the nationality, substantiality and marginality analysis reviewed before the largest commitments.
Negotiate a lease with an early break or a conditional commencement if the landlord will accept one. Order equipment with a delivery schedule rather than paying everything up front. Then complete the set-up, open the accounts, and apply on facts that are already true.
That sequence still requires real money to be spent before any decision, which is the nature of the category, but it limits how much of it is unrecoverable if the answer is no.