Business Finance By Daniel Ochoa · 10 min read · Published Aug 15, 2024 · ⟳ Updated February 20, 2026

Business Funding Options

Bank loans, SBA loans, lines of credit, invoice factoring and revenue-based financing — matched to the right business stage.

Business Funding Options
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Match the tool to the need

Working capital gaps: line of credit or invoice factoring. Equipment: term loans or equipment financing. Expansion: SBA 7(a) or 504 loan. Growth capital: revenue-based financing or equity.

SBA loans in one paragraph

SBA 7(a) loans allow $5M in financing at competitive rates with 10–25 year terms. They require personal guarantees and take 45–90 days to close. Best for owners with strong credit and 2+ years of financials.

📊 Reader poll · What's your biggest small-business finance challenge?
Cash flow
42%
Funding
22%
Taxes
19%
Bookkeeping
17%
1,319 votes so far · we'll cover the results in an upcoming article

Frequently asked questions

What credit score do I need for a business loan?

680+ is typical for bank and SBA loans; 600+ works for many online lenders at higher rates.

Bottom line

Understanding business funding options is one of the highest-leverage things you can do for your financial future. Bookmark this guide, share it with a friend, and use the calculators linked below to run the math on your own numbers. Money decisions are rarely urgent, but they compound — so a good decision today easily becomes an outsized win a decade from now.

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Daniel Ochoa
Small business finance journalist. Former SBA-affiliated lender covering business credit and cash flow.

Reader comments (3)

Alicia H. · 2 weeks ago

This finally cleared up something my previous advisor kept hand-waving. Bookmarking.

Ken M. · 1 month ago

Would love a follow-up piece on how this changes for self-employed households.

Priya S. · 1 month ago

Really appreciate that you cited primary sources — most sites don’t.

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