Business Funding

What Business Funding Can Pay For and When to Hold Off

Business credit can cover almost any legitimate business expense, within each lender's terms. For example, owners use it for marketing, equipment, software, inventory, new hires or a cash cushion for slow months.

Still, borrowed money needs a job. Before you draw a dollar, know what it's for and how it will pay itself back. Picture a landscaping company in Morris County that funds a spring ad push. If each new customer brings in more than the ads and interest cost, the plan works. If not, the balance just grows. Our guide to funding marketing with a test budget and clear payback rules shows how to run that math.

Sometimes the honest advice is to wait. For instance, if your credit needs work or your books are behind, a few months of cleanup may lead to better offers. In that case, we'll show you what to fix first.

No Upfront Fee, and No Surprises

You pay us nothing to review your situation or to apply. Instead, we earn our fee only after your funding comes through, and we explain exactly how it works before you start. That fee can also go toward our marketing services, such as a new website or an ad campaign. That way, part of what you pay comes back as work that helps the money earn its keep.

This matters, because business funding attracts its share of bad actors. The Federal Trade Commission says the FTC Act protects small businesses, and its reach covers funding brokers and lead generators too. So be wary of anyone who promises approval or wants a large fee before you see an offer. Also, read any merchant cash advance closely, since these deals often take daily payments straight from your bank account.