Business Funding Options
Bank loans, SBA loans, lines of credit, invoice factoring and revenue-based financing — matched to the right business stage.
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.
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.
Reader comments (3)
This finally cleared up something my previous advisor kept hand-waving. Bookmarking.
Would love a follow-up piece on how this changes for self-employed households.
Really appreciate that you cited primary sources — most sites don’t.