Small business loans give small businesses the capital to invest in growth opportunities and cover day-to-day expenses. Once approved, the lenders provide a lump sum of cash or set up a credit line from which small business owners can draw money. The small business owners then pay interest, expressed as a percentage of the principal loan amount, every week or month, depending on the agreed-upon repayment schedule. 

The business loan proceeds can be used for a variety of purposes. This includes:

• Working capital
• Equipment purchase
• Business acquisition
• Real estate purchase
• Expansion
• Renovations
• Inventory
• Emergency cushion

Generally, small business loans are not hard to get, especially if small businesses have a stellar credit background. However, if you have a less than stellar credit score, poor revenue, and your business isn’t at least a year old, the small business loan application might be more challenging. 

Fortunately, several companies now offer alternative financing solutions to small businesses. Unlike traditional lenders, alternative lenders have an easier small business loan application process and an approval time of at least 24 hours. Many of them offer bad credit business loans to businesses with poor credit scores and shorter business histories. 

A small business loan is a smart option for several reasons. For one, it helps build your credit score (as long as you pay on time), which will eventually qualify you for more comprehensive loans in the future.

Aside from that, here are the top advantages of a small business loan:

• Give you the capital to invest in growth opportunities like expansion, business acquisition, renovations, partnerships, etc. 
• Act as a cash cushion during the slow season or emergencies
• You won’t have to worry about falling short in cash and compromising your day-to-day business operations.
• You can refinance high-interest rate loans

Small business loan applications at SMB Compass are a straightforward process. All you have to do is to fill out our online application form and provide details like the loan amount, name of your small business, city, and zip code. 

Once we receive your application, we’ll get back to you with a list of small business loan options. We’ll also ask for more information, so we can evaluate, and we can narrow down the best small business financing options for your company.

As of 2022, the average small business loan rate was 4.76% for fixed-rate loans and 5.35% for variable-rate loans, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

Generally, the cost of a business loan depends on the size of your business, loan purpose, creditworthiness, loan type, and lender.