Funding ·
Increase Your Odds
Funding is a file, not a personality. Increase the odds by looking like the borrower the desk already knows how to approve.
Lenders do not fund stories. They fund files that match a box. Your odds go up when the entity exists, the site exists, the professional email exists, the score clears the line, and the books can explain last year.
That is why our unsecured desk asks for a 680 and a real idea or operating company — and why we will spend 30 days on the file if that is what maximum funding requires. If you are not there yet, the roadmap is how you get there. We do not like a no. We like a date.
What lenders look for
Every lender has its own criteria, but most funding decisions come back to the same questions. Is this a real business? Can the owner and the company repay? Is there a track record that shows how they handle credit? A file answers those questions before anyone picks up the phone, which is why the pieces matter more than the pitch.
- The entity — a properly formed company with an EIN, a business bank account, and records that match across the state, the bank, and the application.
- A web presence — a working website and a professional email on your own domain show the business exists outside a single conversation.
- Credit — on our unsecured desk, a personal score of 680 or higher is what lets us push for up to $500,000 unsecured when the rest of the file supports it. Business credit in the company’s own name adds options as it grows.
- Books — current bookkeeping and financial statements let you explain last year and show where the money will go.
- A plan — for larger requests, startups, and SBA loans, a business plan with real financials shows a lender how the loan gets repaid.
Common reasons files stall
The files that struggle usually have a gap someone could have closed earlier: a personal score just under the line, an entity with a different name on the bank account, no website, tax returns that were never filed, or bank statements that mix personal and business spending. None of these are permanent. Each one has a fix and a timeline.
Gather the documents early
Lenders move faster when the paperwork is ready before they ask. Depending on the product, expect requests for recent business bank statements, the last year or two of business and personal tax returns, a current profit and loss statement and balance sheet, formation documents, and identification for each owner. For equipment or real estate, add quotes or property details. Keeping these in one folder, current and consistent with each other, stops a good file from stalling while someone hunts for a missing statement.
Timing matters
Preparation takes 7 to 10 days when the file is ready, and about 30 days when the goal is maximum funding. Some files fund in 48 hours. The honest average is about two weeks, and the long ones take about two months. Applying before the file is ready can mean extra credit inquiries and a smaller offer than you could have had with a little more preparation.
If you are not there yet
A no today is not the end of the conversation. If the score needs work, our credit consulting desk builds a plan for the personal file. If the company needs its own history, building business credit sequences the vendor and bureau accounts. If the paperwork is missing, formation, a website, and bookkeeping fill the gaps. Then you come back to the business funding desk with a file that looks like the borrower lenders already know how to approve.
Related desks: Business funding · Building business credit