by Admin | Aug 27, 2026 | Becoming Bankable, Credit Readiness, SMB Leadership
An existing relationship is the single biggest reason small businesses choose a lender, cited by 48% of applicants in Federal Reserve survey data weighted across banks, credit unions, online lenders, finance companies, and CDFIs. Speed of decision and the odds of...
by Admin | Aug 6, 2026 | Becoming Bankable, Business Strategy, SMB Leadership, Strategy Planning
The International Trade Loan is a variant of the SBA 7(a) loan. It funds facilities and equipment used in the United States to produce goods or services, working capital, and debt refinancing under existing program rules. It carries a 90% SBA guarantee, compared with...
by Admin | Jul 30, 2026 | Becoming Bankable, Business Strategy, SMB Leadership
We have tracked the decline in small business applicant credit quality across 15 straight quarters through 4Q25, and in 1Q26 it declined again, the 16th in a row. What changed is on the demand side. According to the latest Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Small...
by Admin | Jul 23, 2026 | Becoming Bankable, Business Strategy, SMB Leadership, Strategy Planning
Small business profitability declined further through May 2026, according to the June edition of the Bank of America Institute Small Business Checkpoint. The inflow-to-outflow ratio, a measure of cash flow health, fell across every revenue tier. But the decline has...
by Admin | Jul 16, 2026 | Becoming Bankable, SMB Leadership, Strategy
Opportunity rarely gives advance notice. Most business owners spend real time planning for growth. Far fewer prepare for the opportunities they cannot predict. A major contract. A new location. An acquisition. A partnership that changes the trajectory of the business....
by Admin | Jul 9, 2026 | Becoming Bankable, Business Strategy, SMB Leadership, Strategy Planning
At the start of 2026, most small business owners set their sights on growth. More revenue. New customers. Expanded capacity. If you identified the priorities that mattered most heading into this year, you had a clear sense of where you wanted to go. Six months later,...
