Starting a small business? Having troubling finding financing? If you answered yes to the preceding questions don’t get frustrated. You are not alone. Fortunately, there is hope for finding financing. You just have to look in the right place.
In 1953 the Small Business Administration was officially established to serve small businesses. This government backed institution was formed to offer financial support to companies that cannot receive financing through the traditional channels. By lending to small businesses the government is able to encourage innovation and competition in the capital market, thereby providing a valuable service to both the benefactors of the loans as well as to end consumers. Thanks to the business loans served through the SBA loan process, more then 20 million small businesses have been afforded the opportunity to compete with their respective market leaders since the SBA’s inception.
Today, the Small Business administration is as strong as ever. In addition to directly securing financing for small businesses, the SBA provides loan guarantees, contracts, and counseling services to ensure your business venture is successful. Many people are under the impression that the SBA only provides direct financing to small businesses but in fact, this is not at all true. The Small Business Administration also can serve as a guarantor on your small business loan, whereby you secure funding for your small business directly through a commercial lender and the SBA backs this commercial loan . In other words, should your small business fail and become unable to meet the payment schedule on the commercial loan, the SBA steps in and pays off the loan. In this fashion the SBA acts as insurance for your business venture. By guaranteeing business loans, SBA - with its limited loanable funds - is able to assist more small business obtain financing through other channels, such as commercial lenders.
The SBA has also moved to open up more services and products to everybody. They have developed programs to assist those involved in seeking minority small business ownership and obtaining microloans. The SBA has also been involved in producing Spanish language informational materials.
A small business loan can be used for a variety of purposes. Some past uses of small business loans include the following:
1. Buying real estate property to house the business
2. Construction, renovation or leasehold improvements
3. Buying furniture, fixtures, machinery, or other necessary equipment
4. For housing inventory and financing working capital
There are a variety of different loan types that can be obtained for your small business needs. For those interested in relatively small amounts of funds, one could apply for a microloan. A microloan can be issued for $5000 - $35,000 depending on the need of your business. These loans can be used for any legitimate business purpose. For many small startups not expecting to grow very fast, a microloan is a great choice.
Another option, offering higher loan amounts, involves dealing with your commercial lender and obtaining an SBA commercial loan directly through them that is backed by the Small Business Administration. SBA commercial loans offer the ability to obtain more financing for your small business, and the commercial lender is comforted by the fact that their risk on the loan is minimized thanks to the backing of the loan by the government.
These are just a few of your small business loan options. Now that you are empowered with knowledge on how to secure financing for your small business, continue your investigation into small business loans. You will find the small business loan service or product that meets all your needs.
Adam Smith is an informational author for 10X Marketing. For more information regarding an SBA Loan, please visit SNCLoans.com
This article is free for republishing
