Judy Tomlinson ⋅ Dallas, TX Energy Future Holdings ⋅ 25 years experience

Try the Small Business Administration. You will need a Business Plan and a stellar resume that shows you are qualified to take on this venture.
Good Luck!
Judy Tomlinson

Jamie Critelli ⋅ Suffern, NY ⋅ 22 years experience

Kenneth, it took me a LONG time to get a patriot express loan (in the form of a revolving credit line) to get my business up and running. Almost two years, in fact.

Don't make the mistake I made and exhaust all your working capital before asking for funding. If you kick in 50%, and they kick in 50%, usually many places will bite off on it. In my case, so many of my competitors went under that the banks were gunshy. SBA doesn't lend on its own, so you must find someone who can lend.

James Mingey ⋅ Oregon City, OR Veterans Business Services ⋅ 25 years experience

It of course depends on the kind of capital you need (equity, debt, eligibility for grants, your credit situation and timing of all these requirements.

After a visit with a SCORE counselor as suggested (try to find on with expertise in you proposed line of business) (some of these are SCORE counselors) try your local banker to see what they think of start-ups (probably not much) but then ask whether they'll consider a Patriot Express loan guaranteed by SBA. They're probably tight here as well, but you'll get their perspective which will help you build a financing strategy. It's about building relationships that can meet your needed terms.

If you hit a stone wall there, it might be equity only for you, but at least you'll know.

Then just keep asking questions. You need to know all your options.

Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

score.org might be a good place to start. Please provide feedback and let us know if SCORE is helpful.