Line size
$250K – $5M+
Funding speed
Days, not the bank's 60–90
To get started
4 months bank statements
Who fits
6+ months operating revenue
A revolving line at this tier starts where the file is real — established revenue, clean cash flow, a clear reason for the capital.
The Real Problem
The Opportunity Showed Up. Your Capital Was Locked in the Last Job.
Every growing operation hits the same wall: the receivables are real but 60–90 days out, payroll is now, and the next contract needs you to mobilize before the last one pays.
A term loan hands you a lump you didn't need all at once and charges you interest on every dollar of it.
What you actually need is a line you can draw against the week the gap opens — and pay back down the week it closes.
Bobby’s Take
I've watched operators turn down good revenue because their cash was stranded in work they'd already delivered. That's not a revenue problem — it's a structure problem. A revolving line is the fix, and most operators don't realize they qualify for one well past what their bank offered.
Bobby Friel, Founder, Basecamp Funding
Capital Stacking in Action
How a $2M Line Anchored a $6.4M Structure for a $45M Contractor
A Northeast commercial contractor — $45M revenue, 165 employees — won two contracts worth $12.5M. The work needed mobilizing now; client terms ran 90 days, and the banks quoted 10–14 weeks just to approve. The structure had to move at the speed of the contracts, with a revolving line as the backbone.
Mobilization started on time — no penalties. Revenue grew 21% quarter over quarter, early material buys saved $180K, and the firm freed up capacity to bid two more contracts worth $8M.
The $6.4M structure, one application
One application · one specialist desk
Funded Scenarios
Lines We've Anchored for Operators Like You
Representative scenarios — illustrative figures, not specific client transactions.
What an Operator Said
“Our bank approved a line less than half what we asked for and wanted property as collateral on top of it. The specialist desk read our bank statements, saw the receivables, and structured a revolving line on the cash flow — no real estate pledged. We draw when a job mobilizes and pay it down when the client pays. It runs the way our business actually runs.”
Operator, $38M specialty contractor · Mountain West
Start Here
See What Your File Qualifies For — in About 60 Seconds
Move the slider to your line amount, tell us a little about the business, and the specialist desk reads your file. No application fee. No credit ding to look. You get real term sheets from real lenders — not a generic pre-qual range.
Soft-pull only · 4 months bank statements · Real term sheets, not estimates
Estimate Your Capital Range
Slide to your annual gross revenue. We size capital off your top line — not your credit score.
Estimated Capital Range
A conservative range based on 10-15% of annual revenue — many businesses qualify for more with strong receivables or assets behind them. Lenders return real term sheets once they see your file.
60 seconds · No obligation · Estimate only
How It Works
How a Revolving Line Is Actually Structured
A line of credit isn't a loan you take all at once — it's a ceiling you draw against. Here's the real mechanic at this tier.
The single-line ceiling is typically $5M+. Operators reaching past that combine the line with other facilities — the specialist desk structures the stack.
Every Week the Line Isn't There, the Opportunity Gets More Expensive
The contract you can't mobilize goes to a competitor who could. The early-material discount expires. The client who waited on your capacity finds someone with capacity now. A revolving line isn't about borrowing — it's about never being the operator who had the revenue in front of them and no structure to reach it.
Compare the Options
Revolving Line vs the Alternatives
| Revolving Line of Credit | Term Loan | Merchant Cash Advance | Bank Line | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | Draw / repay / redraw | Lump sum, fixed schedule | Lump sum, daily/weekly debit | Draw / repay |
| Interest on | Drawn balance only | Full balance from day one | Fixed factor (often punishing) | Drawn balance only |
| Speed to fund | Days | Days | Hours, at a cost | 60–90 days |
| Underwriting basis | Cash flow + receivables | Cash flow + story | Card/deposit volume | Tax returns + collateral |
| Best for | Recurring gaps, opportunistic capital | One fixed-purpose use | Almost never at this tier | Operators who can wait |
Bobby's Take
According to Bobby Friel, founder of Basecamp Funding with 20+ years in commercial lending:
“A line and a term loan aren't competitors — they do different jobs. If you've got one fixed expense with a clear payback, a term loan is cleaner. If your need is recurring — payroll between receivables, inventory ramps, mobilizing the next job — a revolving line costs you less because you only pay for the dollars you actually use. And if anyone's steering a $2M-plus operator toward a merchant cash advance, walk away. The daily-debit math on an MCA quietly chokes the exact cash flow a growing operation needs to protect.”
Bobby Friel, Founder, Basecamp Funding
Need More Than One Line Can Carry?
When a single facility caps out, the answer isn't a bigger line — it's a capital structure. The specialist desk combines a revolving line with equipment, working capital, A/R, or owner-occupied real estate to reach $20M+ on one application. That's where most whale-tier transactions actually come together.
See Your Capital ArchitectureStraight Answers
The Straight Answers Operators Ask For
“My bank already gave me a line — why would I move?”
Keep it. The question is whether it's sized to your business. Most operators come to the specialist desk because the bank line capped well below the need and asked for collateral the cash flow didn't require. A second, larger revolving facility on your receivables can sit alongside the bank relationship you value.
“Isn't an unsecured line more expensive?”
Rate reflects credit, revenue, structure, and lender appetite — not a sticker number. On a revolving line you only pay interest on what you draw, so the real cost depends on usage, not the ceiling. A quoted rate from a lender that won't fund is worth nothing until the wire hits your account.
“I don't want to pledge my building or equipment.”
At this tier you usually don't. Lines are commonly structured against cash flow and receivables, and a personal guarantee is the exception, not the baseline — the opposite of how banks default.
“What if I only need it sometimes?”
That's exactly the use case. Undrawn capacity costs nothing to hold. The line sits ready; you pay only when you draw, then pay down to free it back up.
“My credit isn't perfect.”
Cash flow first, credit second. Consistent deposits, clean liquidity, and no NSF pattern matter more than your FICO at this tier. Challenged credit in the 600–700 range is workable; your terms reflect the risk.
“What if the terms aren't ideal right now?”
Get the line in place now on terms that work, then optimize. Rate, limit, and structure are reviewable at 6–12 months as payment history builds — the relationship expands with the file, it doesn't contract.
Get funded now, optimize later. Lines opened today get reviewed at 6–12 months — as your payment history builds, both your terms and your access to additional capital improve. You don't wait for perfect to get funded.
The Process
How the Line Comes Together
Submit your file.
Signed application + 4 months of business bank statements. No application fee, soft-pull only — looking doesn't ding your credit.
A specialist reads the file.
Not a model, not a queue — an advisor reads your cash flow, receivables, and the story behind the numbers, and structures the right line for your business.
Real term sheets come back.
Lenders in the marketplace return actual, fundable offers — real ceilings, real terms — not an estimated range.
You pick the structure and fund.
Choose the line that fits. Funds are there on draw; you pay interest only on what you use.
The line grows with you.
Pay down to free up capacity, build payment history, and review terms and limit at 6–12 months as the relationship expands.
Picture the Next Opportunity With the Line Already in Place
The contract lands and you mobilize the same week. The early-material discount is yours because the capital was ready. You stop sizing the business to what's in the account today and start sizing it to what you can win. That's what a revolving line does — it turns “we can't right now” into “we already can.”
Structure Your Capital Plan →Self-Qualify
Who a Revolving Line Fits — and Who It Doesn't
It fits operators who:
- Do $2M+ in annual revenue with 6+ months of operating history
- Have recurring cash-flow gaps — payroll between receivables, inventory ramps, contract mobilization
- Want capital ready without paying to hold it
- Run B2B with receivables, or seasonal/cyclical revenue
- Value flexibility over a fixed lump sum
It's the wrong tool if you:
- Need one fixed-purpose lump with a clear payback → look at a term loan
- Are funding a specific equipment purchase → equipment financing prices that asset better
- Have most of your capital stuck in slow invoices → invoice factoring / A/R financing advances against those directly
- Are buying a business or your building → business acquisition or owner-occupied CRE
- Are pre-revenue or under 6 months operating → a line isn't the fit yet
Deal-Breakers
What Kills a Line Application
Straight talk on what stops a revolving line before it starts — so you fix it before you submit:
- NSF / overdraft pattern in the bank statements. A revolving line is underwritten on cash-flow discipline. Frequent NSFs signal the line can't be serviced.
- Deposits that don't match the revenue story. If the statements don't show the revenue the application claims, the file stalls.
- Stacked short-term debt / existing daily debits. Multiple advances already draining the account read as distress and crowd out a healthy line.
- Under 6 months operating, or pre-revenue. Below the operating-history floor, a line isn't the right structure yet.
- Sub-600 credit with no offsetting cash-flow strength. 600–700 is workable; below 600 falls outside this underwriting layer.
- No clear use of funds. “We might need it” is fine for a line — but the advisor still needs the story behind the cash flow to structure it right.
By Industry
Revolving Lines by Industry
A line flexes to how each industry's cash actually moves. Explore the fit for yours:
FAQs
Business Line of Credit — Questions Operators Actually Ask
What is an unsecured business line of credit?
A revolving credit facility your business draws against as needed, up to a set ceiling. You pay interest only on the drawn balance, and as you pay down, the capacity frees back up to use again. “Unsecured” means it is structured against your cash flow and receivables rather than pledged hard collateral. At the commercial tier, lines typically run $250K to $5M+, with larger lines available when revenue, cash flow, and story qualify.
How is a line of credit different from a term loan?
A term loan hands you one lump sum and charges interest on the full balance from day one, on a fixed repayment schedule. A revolving line lets you draw only what you need, when you need it, and pay interest only on that. For recurring or unpredictable needs — payroll between receivables, inventory ramps, contract mobilization — a line almost always costs less because you are not paying to hold capital you are not using.
What credit score do I need for a commercial line of credit?
Cash flow first, credit second. Consistent deposits, clean liquidity, and no NSF pattern matter more than your FICO at this tier. Challenged credit in the 600–700 range is workable, and your terms reflect the risk. Below 600 generally falls outside this underwriting layer.
How much can I get on a business line of credit?
Single-facility lines typically run $250K to $5M+. Operators who need more combine the line with other facilities — equipment, working capital, A/R, or owner-occupied real estate — and the specialist desk structures that capital stack to reach $20M+ on one application.
What documents do I need to get a line of credit?
To get started: a signed application and 4 months of business bank statements. There is no application fee and looking is a soft pull — it will not ding your credit. If a line moves forward, the advisor may request a current receivables aging or a short use-of-funds story to structure the facility correctly.
How fast can a business line of credit fund?
Speed of the file. A prepared operator with clean bank statements and a clear picture of the business funds in days. The bottleneck is rarely the lender — it is how ready the file is. Banks take 60–90 days regardless of how prepared you are; the specialist desk moves at the speed of your file.
Do I have to pledge collateral or sign a personal guarantee?
Often not at this tier. Commercial lines are commonly structured against cash flow and receivables, and a personal guarantee is the exception rather than the baseline — the reverse of how banks default. The exact structure depends on the file and the lender's appetite.
What can I use a business line of credit for?
Anything the business needs working capital for — payroll between receivable cycles, seasonal inventory, mobilizing a new contract, bridging the gap before a large invoice lands, or simply holding capital ready for an opportunity. A line is the flexible layer of a capital structure; there are no fixed use-of-funds restrictions the way a purpose-built loan has.
The Operator's Guide
The Operator's Guide to a Commercial Line of Credit
An unsecured business line of credit is the most flexible piece of capital a growing commercial operator can hold. Unlike a term loan, which delivers a fixed lump sum on a set schedule, a revolving credit facility gives you a ceiling to draw against — you take what you need, pay interest only on the drawn balance, and pay it down to free the capacity back up. For operators doing $2M to $45M+ in revenue, that flexibility is the difference between sizing the business to what's in the account today and sizing it to what you can win.
The operators who benefit most from a revolving line share a pattern: their capital is real but timing-bound. Receivables run 60–90 days while payroll is weekly. Inventory has to be bought ahead of the season that sells it. A new contract needs mobilizing before the last one pays. A middle-market revolving credit facility closes that gap without the cost of carrying a term loan you don't fully use. As an enterprise revolving credit line, it sits ready — undrawn capacity costs nothing to hold — and flexes with the business cycle.
The biggest misconception is that a line of credit is gated by credit score. At the commercial tier, that's backwards. Underwriting reads cash flow first and credit second: consistent deposits, clean liquidity, and the absence of an NSF pattern tell a lender far more about whether a business can service a line than a FICO number does. This is also why an unsecured structure is achievable — a line built on receivables and cash flow often needs no hard-asset pledge, and a personal guarantee becomes the exception rather than the default a bank starts from.
When a single line caps out — typically around the $5M+ mark for one facility — the path forward isn't a bigger line, it's a capital stack. A revolving line becomes the backbone, and equipment financing, working capital, A/R financing, or owner-occupied real estate stack on top, each priced by a specialist lender at its own wheelhouse cost of capital. That's how a $2M line can anchor a $6.4M structure, and how commercial transactions reach $20M+ on a single application.
According to Bobby Friel, founder of Basecamp Funding with 20+ years in commercial lending:
“A revolving line is the most underused tool at this tier. Most operators were handed a small, collateral-heavy line by their bank and assumed that was the market. It isn't. When you structure the line on cash flow, size it to the real business, and keep it ready, it stops being debt you carry and starts being capacity you control.”
Financing the Growth? Cover the Risk That Comes With It.
A new contract, more equipment, and a bigger crew change your risk profile the moment the capital lands. Our sister company, Insurance Service 365, handles commercial coverage for operators scaling exactly like this — so the growth you just financed is protected.
Explore commercial insuranceSee What Your Line Could Anchor
A revolving facility sized to your real business — drawn when you need it, paid down when you don't, ready for the next opportunity before it shows up. The specialist desk reads your file and brings back real term sheets.
~60 seconds · Soft-pull only · 4 months bank statements · No collateral required
Estimate Your Capital Range
Slide to your annual gross revenue. We size capital off your top line — not your credit score.
Estimated Capital Range
A conservative range based on 10-15% of annual revenue — many businesses qualify for more with strong receivables or assets behind them. Lenders return real term sheets once they see your file.
60 seconds · No obligation · Estimate only