1. Decide what type of loan you need to fund your business
Which type of business loan is right for you depends on what you’re hoping to accomplish. In general:
If you want to finance a large purchase or business expansion: Traditional term loans are lump sums that you pay back over time with interest and often have high borrowing maximums — SBA loans can reach $5.5 million, for example. Many lenders also offer specific products to fit a growing company’s needs, such as loans for equipment or vehicle purchases.See a list of SBA loan types
If you need funds for day-to-day expenses:Business lines of credit are a flexible kind of funding that lets you tap into financing as you need it to cover expenses such as payroll or unexpected repairs, offering a useful safety net.
If you’re looking to fund a startup: It can be tougher for entrepreneurs to get a traditional business loan, but business credit cards and personal business loans can be good options if you haven’t been in business long enough to qualify for a line of credit or term loan.
2. Determine if you qualify for a business loan
You can get a business loan from a number of places, including banks, online lenders and microlenders. Answer these questions to help determine at which type of lender you’ll meet the eligibility requirements to qualify for a small-business loan:
What’s your credit score?
You can get your credit report for free from each of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You can also get your credit score for free from several credit card issuers and personal finance websites, including NerdWallet.
Banks prefer to offer their low-rate business loans to borrowers with credit scores in the good and excellent ranges, or 690 and above.
If your credit score falls below that threshold, consider nonbank lenders. Online business loans can be a little easier to qualify for. You may also want to consider small-business loans for borrowers with bad credit or microloans.
How long have you been in business?
You need to have been in business at least one year to qualify for most online small-business loans and at least two years to qualify for most bank loans.
Do you make enough money?
Many lenders require a minimum annual revenue, which can range anywhere from $50,000 to $250,000, for business loans and lines of credit.
If your revenue isn’t high enough to qualify for those loan products, consider looking into business credit cards or SBA microloans.
» MORE: How to get funding for a business idea
3. Determine what payments you can afford
Look carefully at your business’s financials — especially cash flow — and evaluate how much you can afford to apply toward loan repayments each month.
Your total income should be at least 1.25 times your total expenses, including your new repayment amount, says Suzanne Darden, a finance specialist at the Alabama Small Business Development Center.
For example, say your business’s income is $10,000 per month. That’s 1.25 times $8,000 of expenses. If you already pay $7,000 in rent, payroll and other costs, you should be able to afford a $1,000 monthly loan payment.
Some online lenders require daily or weekly repayments, so make sure to factor that in — you’ll need enough cash flow to make payments at the time they’re due.
4. Decide whether and how you want to collateralize the loan
Business loans can be secured or unsecured. A secured loan requires business collateral, such as property or equipment, that the lender can seize if you fail to repay the loan. Putting up collateral is risky, but it can increase the amount lenders let you borrow and get you a lower interest rate.
Lenders may also require a personal guarantee — even for unsecured loans. This means you’ll personally repay the loan if your business can’t, and it may let a lender come after things like your house or car in instances of nonpayment.
5. Compare small-business lenders
You’ll typically want to get the business loan that offers you the best terms. But other factors, like funding speed, may matter to your business and different funding sources may be better in certain instances than others.
When to get a business loan from online lenders:
- You lack collateral.
- You lack time in business.
- You need funding quickly.
Online lenders generally provide small-business loans and lines of credit of up to $500,000. The average annual percentage rate on these loans ranges from 6% to 99%, depending on the lender, the type and size of the loan, the length of the repayment term, the borrower’s credit history and whether collateral is required.
These lenders rarely have APRs as low as what traditional banks offer, but approval rates are higher and funding is faster than with banks — as fast as the same day in some instances.
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