Answer: Undercapitalization
Step-by-step explanation:
The cause of small-business failure that is described here is undercapitalization.
Undercapitalization is a term that is used to describe a situation whereby an organization or company has insufficient funding which are required for operational activities. Lack of enough capital by a company can hinder the growth of such company.
This can be seen in the question as we are told that this lead to the difficulty for Gerald to operate the business normally.