How it works
What happens after you hit submit.
Most lending sites keep this part vague. Here is the actual sequence, who touches your file, how long each step takes, and what can slow it down.
You apply. Eight minutes, thirteen questions.
The application covers every program we offer, so you never fill it out twice. Nothing is required beyond basic business details. Bank statements are optional at this stage, but files that include them typically get offers about a week sooner.
Submitting does not trigger a credit pull. It also doesn't obligate you to anything.
Day 0An advisor reads the file. A person, the same day.
Your application is assigned to one advisor who owns it from here. They read your deposits and time in business, run your state and industry against active government partnership programs, and call you. That first call is usually 15 minutes: what the money is for, what you qualify for today, and what the realistic timeline is.
If the honest answer is "not yet," they'll say that, and tell you what would change it.
Day 1–2We package and negotiate. You compare.
Your advisor pursues the two or three structures that fit, in parallel, with lenders who actually close in your industry. When term sheets come back, you get them side by side on one page: rate, payment, total cost, prepayment language, covenants, and anything unusual flagged in plain English.
We're paid the same by every lender on the sheet, so we have no reason to steer.
Day 3–11 for most filesYou pick. We close. The wire lands.
Choose the offer you want, sign, and funds disburse. Term loans and equipment deals usually fund within a day or two of signing. SBA and partnership loans go through an agency review step first.
Your advisor checks in at 90 days. About 94% of funded clients come back for a second facility, which we consider the only statistic that matters.
Days for term loans, 3–6 weeks for SBATimelines by loan type
| Program | Application to offer | Offer to funding |
|---|---|---|
| Term loan | 1–3 business days | 1–2 days |
| Equipment financing | 1–3 business days | 2–4 days (title/serial verification) |
| SBA 7(a) | 5–10 business days | 2–4 weeks (agency + closing docs) |
| Government partnership | 3–7 business days | 1–3 weeks (program administrator sign-off) |
| Equity-backed | 3–7 business days | 1–3 weeks (appraisal or valuation) |
The single biggest variable in every row is document turnaround. When owners return requests within a day, real timelines land at the front of these ranges.
What underwriters actually look at
In rough order of weight:
- Business bank statements. Deposit volume, average balance, negative days. This outweighs everything else for most programs. (We wrote a full guide on it.)
- Time in business. Two years opens most doors. Under two, equipment financing and certain term programs still work.
- Existing debt. Visible daily or weekly debits get summed into your obligations. Disclose everything; they see it anyway.
- Owner credit. A factor, not a verdict. Several programs lean on the asset or the cash flow instead of the FICO.
- The story. A one-line use of funds that makes sense ("second reefer truck for a contracted route") moves files faster than owners expect.
What can slow a file down
- Bank statements arriving one month at a time instead of all three at once.
- Mismatched names: the application says "Acme LLC," the bank account says "Acme Holdings LLC." Tell us up front.
- Undisclosed existing advances or liens. These surface in underwriting and reset the clock.
- Seasonal revenue with no explanation. One sentence about your slow season prevents a week of back-and-forth.