Stage 3 of 6 · Finance with confidence
Fund
Borrow smart, on your terms
Compare financing options, understand the true cost of capital, and know what lenders look for before you apply.
Your path through Fund
- 1
The Small-Business Financing Map
Up nextSeven common ways to fund a small business, side by side, so you can match the money to the need.
8 minFoundations - 2
The True Cost of Financing: Interest Rates, Factor Rates, and APR
Learn to translate any offer into total dollars and an annual rate, so you can compare apples to apples.
9 minEstablished Interactive tool - 3
Good Reasons to Borrow (and When to Wait)
A simple return test to tell whether financing will build your business or just postpone a problem.
7 minFoundations - 4
Building Business Credit
How to build a credit profile in your business's own name, and why your personal credit still matters.
7 minFoundations - 5
Getting Funding-Ready: What Lenders Look At
See your business the way a lender or funder does, and get your story and paperwork ready before you apply.
8 minFoundations - 6
How Revenue-Based Financing Works
A clear look at how revenue-based financing is structured, what it costs, when it fits, and what to ask before you sign.
9 minEstablished Interactive tool - 7
Making Repayment Work With Your Cash Flow
Practical ways to fit financing payments into the rhythm of your business and handle a slow month without panic.
8 minEstablished - 8
How Credit Works
You’ve got to go in circles if you want to go places with credit.
5 minFoundations Lightbulb Library - 9
Reading a Credit Report
If you can read credit reports, you’ll know what they’re saying about you.
5 minFoundations Lightbulb Library - 10
Loans: Installment Loans and Lines of Credit
You can arrange to borrow and repay the money you need for specific expenses.
6 minFoundations Lightbulb Library - 11
The Substance of a Loan
When you borrow, you want to know how much, for how long, and at what price.
4 minFoundations Lightbulb Library - 12
Coping With Credit Problems
The key is to act before you find yourself in serious financial trouble.
5 minEstablished Lightbulb Library - 13
Raising Capital
Capital is the lifeblood of businesses, large and small.
6 minAdvanced Lightbulb Library