FINANCING OPTIONS
A "New Venture Guide", available in the Consulting section of the web site at http://asbdc.ualr.edu/start, offers guidance in handling new business operations and finances. The ASBDC neither lends money nor administers grants. However, business consultants can assist small business owners in meeting their operating challenges.
ASBDC Research & Information Services
Our Research Center, located in Little Rock, contains various research materials to help in preparing business plans and loan proposals. Some of the resources include sample business plans, industry financial ratios, books on financing businesses, Internet access, and CD-ROM databases. The Research Center provides these resources, at no cost, on a non-lending basis. Complimentary photocopying is available.
ASBDC Professional Consulting Services
The ASBDC provides, at no cost, one-to-one professional consulting for business owners and entrepreneurs. Help available includes: advice on operating challenges in existing businesses, review of business plans and strategies, guidance in starting new businesses, preparation of loan requests, financial analysis and budget development. Because the ASBDC is a statewide organization, consulting needs can be met even for those who reside outside of Little Rock.
Determiners of Loan Qualification
BizFacts Document #509, What Do Lenders Really Need To Grant Small-Business Loans?, contains three short articles describing what commercial lenders and banks expect when making a small business loan.
Want to estimate how much of a loan you can afford or estimate what the payments are on a particular loan and/or interest rate? Then, try our AffordaBilly and VeryInteresting loan calculators.
BizFacts Document #509, SBA Loan Programs, describes some of the most popular SBA loan programs. Loan programs described include the 7(a) Loan Guaranty program, SBALowDoc program, Prequalification Pilot Loan program, MicroLoan program, and the SBAExpress program.
SBIR and STTR are highly competitive three-phase programs that reserve a specific percentage of Federal research and development funding for award to small businesses. SBIR and STTR Phase I awards are in amounts up to $100,000 for periods of up to six months and one year respectively.
Loan proposals tell: how much financing a business needs, how the money will be spent, and how the loan will be repaid. BizFacts Document #515, The Loan Proposal, provides an easy-to-follow outline for developing a loan proposal.
Congress created the 8(a) program so that the Small Business Administration (SBA) could assist small companies owned and operated by socially and economically disadvantaged persons to develop their businesses. BizFacts Document #4009, The Most Frequently Asked Questions About The SBA 8(a) Program, provides background information on the 8(a) program.
Venture Capital & Angel Investors
Looking for a financial "angel" or venture capitalist to finance your business start-up or expansion? BizFacts Document #501, The Reality of Venture Capital, provides background information on the six types of venture capiltalists, how venture capitlists work, and how to survive the process.