An HVAC contractor in Phoenix called us needing $120,000 for a new fleet vehicle and inventory to bid on a commercial contract. His bank offered him $35,000. Said his credit was "borderline" and his business was "too new" at 18 months.
We placed him with a lender that funded $135,000 in four business days. Same credit. Same business. Different lender with different underwriting criteria.
The difference between $35,000 and $135,000 wasn't his qualifications. It was who he asked.
That's the part most business owners miss. You don't have one funding amount you "qualify for." You have dozens of potential amounts across different lenders, different products, and different underwriting models. The contractor who calls one bank and takes whatever they offer is leaving money on the table almost every time.
Let me break down exactly what determines your funding amount — and how to maximize it.
The Three Numbers That Determine Your Funding
Every lender — whether it's a bank, an SBA lender, or an alternative funder — evaluates three things. The weight they put on each one varies, which is exactly why different lenders give you wildly different offers.
1. Monthly Revenue
This is the single biggest factor for most non-SBA products. Lenders want to see consistent deposits hitting your business bank account. Not projected revenue. Not invoices outstanding. Actual deposited revenue.
Here's roughly what you can access based on monthly revenue:
| Monthly Revenue | Typical Approval Range | Best Product Fit |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000 – $25,000 | $5,000 – $50,000 | Revenue-based financing, short-term working capital |
| $25,000 – $50,000 | $25,000 – $150,000 | Working capital, equipment financing, business line of credit |
| $50,000 – $100,000 | $50,000 – $350,000 | Term loans, SBA Express, equipment financing, LOC |
| $100,000 – $250,000 | $100,000 – $750,000 | SBA 7(a), term loans, large equipment, commercial real estate |
| $250,000+ | $250,000 – $5,000,000+ | SBA 7(a), commercial real estate, franchise financing |
These aren't guarantees — they're realistic ranges I see across our 70+ lending partners every week. Your actual number depends on factors 2 and 3 below.
2. Time in Business
This is the gatekeeper. Not because newer businesses can't get funded — they can — but because the product options change dramatically based on how long you've been operating.
| Time in Business | What's Available | What's Not (Yet) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 – 6 months | Revenue-based financing, merchant cash advance | Term loans, SBA, lines of credit |
| 6 – 12 months | Short-term working capital, equipment financing | SBA loans, large lines of credit |
| 1 – 2 years | Most alternative lending products, some SBA Express | Full SBA 7(a), lowest-rate term loans |
| 2+ years | Everything — SBA, banks, credit unions, alternative | Nothing off the table |
The sweet spot shift happens at 2 years. That's when SBA loans, traditional bank products, and the lowest-rate options open up. If you're at 18 months and need funding now, we can get you funded with an alternative product — and then refinance into an SBA loan once you hit the 2-year mark.
3. Personal Credit Score
Here's what most contractors and business owners don't realize: your personal credit score matters more than your business credit score for most products. Business credit (Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business) helps, but personal credit is what most underwriters look at first.
| Credit Score Range | Available Products | Typical Rate Range |
|---|---|---|
| 720+ | SBA loans, bank term loans, prime LOC, equipment financing | 7% – 15% |
| 680 – 719 | SBA Express, mid-tier term loans, equipment, LOC | 12% – 22% |
| 620 – 679 | Alternative term loans, revenue-based, equipment | 18% – 35% |
| 550 – 619 | Revenue-based financing, MCA, secured products | 25% – 50%+ (factor rates) |
| Below 550 | Limited — MCA, secured, collateral-based | 35%+ (factor rates) |
And before you panic about rates — I'll explain why the rate alone doesn't tell you what funding actually costs. That's a different conversation, and we built a Loan Cost Calculator specifically for it.
Want to see your estimated approval range? Our Qualification Estimator shows you what you could qualify for in 30 seconds. Monthly revenue, time in business, industry. No email, no credit pull.
Check Your Approval Range →Here's What Most People Get Wrong
They compare loan offers by the interest rate. "This one's 12% and that one's 18%, so the 12% is cheaper."
Not necessarily.
A 12% term loan over 5 years on $100,000 costs you $33,467 in total interest. A 18% term loan over 18 months on the same $100,000 costs you $14,640 in total interest. The "more expensive" rate actually costs less than half because you pay it off faster.
This is why factor rates are so confusing. A lender quotes you 1.25 factor rate on $100,000 — that means you pay back $125,000 total. Sounds simple. But if that payback happens over 6 months, the effective APR is roughly 90%. If it happens over 18 months, the effective APR is closer to 30%.
Same factor rate. Completely different cost depending on the term.
This is exactly why we show you the total cost of capital — not just the rate — for every offer. And why we built the Loan Cost Calculator. One lender quotes a factor rate. Another quotes APR. A third says "cost of capital." You need a way to compare them apples to apples.
See what 70+ lenders will offer your business.
See What You Qualify For →The Product Breakdown: Which Loan Type Fits Your Situation
Working Capital / Short-Term Loans
Best for: Covering payroll gaps, seasonal inventory, bridge financing between projects Amount: $5,000 – $500,000 Term: 3 – 18 months Speed: 1 – 3 business days Who qualifies: 6+ months in business, $10K+ monthly revenue, 550+ credit Learn more about working capital →
Business Line of Credit
Best for: Ongoing access to capital, managing cash flow, repeat draws Amount: $10,000 – $250,000 Term: Revolving (12 – 24 month renewal) Speed: 3 – 7 business days Who qualifies: 12+ months in business, $15K+ monthly revenue, 620+ credit Learn more about lines of credit →
Equipment Financing
Best for: Trucks, trailers, excavators, commercial kitchen equipment, medical equipment Amount: $10,000 – $2,000,000+ Term: 2 – 7 years Speed: 3 – 10 business days Who qualifies: 6+ months in business, equipment serves as collateral, 580+ credit Learn more about equipment financing →
SBA 7(a) Loans
Best for: Long-term growth, real estate, large equipment, business acquisition Amount: Up to $5,000,000 Term: 10 – 25 years Speed: 30 – 90 days Who qualifies: 2+ years in business, $100K+ annual revenue, 680+ credit, solid financials Learn more about SBA loans →
Term Loans
Best for: Specific purchases, expansion, hiring, large one-time investments Amount: $25,000 – $1,000,000 Term: 1 – 5 years Speed: 3 – 14 business days Who qualifies: 12+ months in business, $20K+ monthly revenue, 620+ credit Learn more about term loans →
Revenue-Based Financing
Best for: Businesses with strong revenue but lower credit scores Amount: $5,000 – $400,000 Term: 3 – 18 months (repayment adjusts with revenue) Speed: 1 – 3 business days Who qualifies: 4+ months in business, $10K+ monthly revenue, 500+ credit Learn more about revenue-based financing →
Industry Matters More Than You Think
A restaurant doing $80,000/month in revenue gets underwritten differently than a trucking company doing $80,000/month. The restaurant has higher overhead, thinner margins, and more volatility. The trucking company has contracted routes and predictable income.
Same revenue. Different risk profile. Different funding amounts.
Here's a rough guide by industry:
| Industry | Typical Funding Multiple (of Monthly Revenue) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Construction / Contracting | 1x – 2x | Project-based income, seasonal swings |
| Trucking / Transportation | 1.5x – 2.5x | Contracted revenue, hard asset collateral |
| Healthcare / Medical | 2x – 3x | Insurance reimbursement = predictable revenue |
| Restaurants | 0.75x – 1.5x | High overhead, thin margins, high failure rate |
| Manufacturing | 1.5x – 2.5x | Equipment collateral, recurring orders |
| Professional Services / Attorneys | 1.5x – 3x | High margins, recurring client revenue |
A contractor doing $50,000/month might qualify for $50K – $100K. A healthcare practice doing $50,000/month might qualify for $100K – $150K. Same revenue, different ceiling.
The Funding Timeline: How Fast Can You Get Money
| Product | Application to Funding |
|---|---|
| Revenue-based financing | 1 – 3 days |
| Working capital loan | 1 – 5 days |
| Equipment financing | 3 – 10 days |
| Business line of credit | 3 – 14 days |
| Term loan | 5 – 14 days |
| SBA Express | 14 – 30 days |
| SBA 7(a) | 30 – 90 days |
If you need money this week, you're not getting an SBA loan. But you might get a working capital advance funded in 48 hours — and then refinance into an SBA product once you have time to go through the full process.
We do this all the time. Fast money now, better terms later.
How to Maximize Your Funding Amount
Five things you can do right now to increase what you qualify for:
1. Clean up your bank statements. Lenders look at 3–6 months of deposits. Consistent revenue matters more than one big month. If you're depositing cash and checks inconsistently, switch to electronic payments where possible.
2. Separate personal and business finances. If your business revenue runs through a personal checking account, some lenders won't even consider you. Get a dedicated business account.
3. Know your numbers before you apply. Monthly revenue, average daily balance, time in business, credit score. When you know these, you can target the right product from the start. Our Qualification Estimator does this in 30 seconds.
4. Apply to multiple lenders simultaneously. This is exactly what we do. One application from you goes to 70+ lending partners. You see multiple offers side by side and pick the best one. The contractor who applies to one bank is limiting himself to one underwriting model.
5. Don't take the first offer without comparing. One lender might offer $50,000 at 24%. Another offers $75,000 at 16%. A third offers $60,000 at 12% but with a 2-year term. Without comparing total cost, you'll never know which one actually saves you money.
Read our full Pre-Application Checklist to make sure you're set up for the strongest offer.
FAQ
What's the minimum credit score to get business funding? It depends on the product. SBA loans typically need 680+. Bank term loans want 700+. But revenue-based financing and working capital products can work with scores as low as 500–550. Lower credit = higher cost, but funding is still possible.
Can I get funded with less than a year in business? Yes. Revenue-based financing, merchant cash advances, and some equipment financing products work with businesses as young as 4–6 months. The amounts are usually smaller and the rates higher, but it's real funding that gets you to the next stage.
How much does it cost to apply? Through Basecamp Funding? Nothing. No application fee. No credit pull until you accept an offer. You see options first, then decide. There's no cost to find out what you qualify for.
Can I have multiple business loans at once? Yes — this is called stacking, and it's common. Many business owners have an equipment loan, a line of credit, and a term loan simultaneously. The key is that your total debt service doesn't exceed what your revenue can support. We model this before recommending additional products.
What documents do I need? For most alternative lending: 3–6 months of business bank statements. That's it. For SBA loans: tax returns, financial statements, business plan, and more. We'll tell you exactly what's needed based on the product that fits.
Bobby Friel is a business lending specialist at Basecamp Funding, based in Edwards, Colorado. He connects business owners across all industries with 70+ lending partners to find the best funding match — not just the first bank that says yes.
