FastUpFront Small Business Blog

1) You don’t have to worry about the loan shark taking the risk. If you think your friends or/and family might lend you money, even though traditional bankers are saying no, then you probably have a pretty good relationship with them. You believe they care about you, and you probably feel the same way about [...]

In the world of small business finance, business loans and bad credit do not usually go together. Even though federal interest rates have been dropping, which is good news for borrowers, the current credit crisis engulfing America, has caused the banks and lending institutions to be wary about approving loans on bad credit.The result is [...]

You’ll find a lot of articles with the top seven, but most ignore alternative financing options like number 8. Commercial bank loans. – Key to remember:  Because one bank says no, doesn’t mean others won’t say yes.  If you are looking into this option, be prepared to apply at multiple banks. SBA loans. – With [...]

From the New Yorker:  “When I mortgaged my soul, you didn’t tell me it had an adjustable rate.” (Man talking to devil in office.) As the old adage goes:  The large print giveth, the small print taketh away.  More and more individuals and small businesses are learning this the hard way now that interest rates [...]

Okay, I admit it.  If you can’t tell already from my more recent posts, I am a bit of a cynic when it comes to the ease and even the possibility of most small businesses qualifying for a traditional bank loan.  However, I came across a more optimistic writer, and decided to share this CNN [...]

 Article Name: Show Me The Money: Funding Your Small Business  In an article I read from MShale (The African Community Newspaper), Ongeri does a case study on a minority-owned small business in seek of financing.  He lays down two options: debt or equity. Equity is partnership, debt is a loan. It is a good article, and has [...]

I wanted to summarize a recent article directed at small businesses looking to get a bank loan secured by the SBA. Here’s a summary: Pros: “…the interest rate is right around 6 percent and it’s locked in at a fixed rate, in some cases for 20 years.” “Some small business owners have found the SBA [...]

I found this cartoon on cartoonbank.com .  It reads:  “Here, perhaps you’d like one of our brochures on how we don’t give loans to people like you.” (Loan officer to man.)” I like this cartoon because it reminds me why I love being able to provide small businesses with alternative financing options. To see what [...]

Here is a  common fraud scam: You need money, so you get a loan.  However, to get the loan, you have to pay money up front.  In the end, you never get your money. More and more people and businesses are getting roped into fraud situations, where they pre-pay to get their loan – and then [...]

I just read an article examining pros and cons of unsecured loans vs secured loans.  I wanted to point out a third alternative for businesses which accept credit cards: credit card factoring.  Credit card factoring is also known as business cash advance, or merchant cash advance.  To learn more about it, go to our business cash advance [...]