The Real Problem
You Found the Move. Your Bank Funded Part of It — Then Stopped.
The senior position covers about 60–65% of the purpose, and the rest lands back on you — right when the move needs all of it.
A 'rate' from a lender that only funds two-thirds of the purpose isn't a plan — it leaves you covering the gap out of the operation, exactly when the move needs every dollar working.
What you actually need is the whole purpose funded on one structure — the term loan as the major-purpose layer, the rest stacked on top.
Bobby’s Take
I've watched operators get a 'rate' from their bank, then learn it only covers part of the move. The gap doesn't disappear — it just lands on the operation. The fix isn't a better rate; it's a structure that funds the whole purpose and an amortization matched to what it earns back.
Bobby Friel, Founder, Basecamp Funding
Capital Stacking in Action
How a $3.5M Term Loan Anchored a $6M Second-Plant Buildout for a $28M Food Manufacturer
A specialty food manufacturer at $28M revenue outgrew a single plant and signed for a second facility. The buildout was one defined purpose with a clear payback, so the term loan led; operations and the processing line stacked on top.
The second plant came online, and the fixed monthly payment was sized to the new revenue it produced — not to a swing in the operator's cash flow.
The $6M structure, one application
One application · one specialist desk
Funded Scenarios
Term Loans We've Anchored for Operators Like You
Representative scenarios — illustrative figures, not specific client transactions.
What an operator said
“We'd been quoted a 'rate' by our bank for the expansion, but they'd only cover about two-thirds of it and the rest was on us. The specialist desk brought back real term sheets we could actually compare, structured the term to match what the expansion would earn back, and stacked the rest. We stopped shopping a number and started structuring a plan.”
Operator · $24M specialty manufacturer
Start Here
See What Your File Qualifies For — in About 60 Seconds
Move the slider to your loan 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 soft-pull review.
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 Commercial Term Loan Is Actually Structured
A term loan is a lump sum for one defined purpose, repaid on a fixed amortizing schedule — not a revolving line, not a daily-debit advance. Here's the real mechanic at this level.
A term loan is built around one purpose and one payback — not a revolving need. When the purpose is bigger than one product, the term loan becomes the major-purpose layer of a full commercial financing structure.
The Cost of a Mismatch
Funding a Seven-Year Purpose Out of a Twelve-Month Product Is How a Good Expansion Becomes a Cash-Flow Trap
Match the amortization to the return — the purpose pays for itself instead of draining the operation.
See Your Capital Architecture →Compare the Options
A Term Loan vs the Alternatives
| Term Loan | Line of Credit | Equipment Lease | Bank Term Loan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | Lump sum, amortizing, fixed schedule | Draw / repay / redraw | Lease payments on one asset | Lump sum, amortizing |
| Best for | One defined purpose with a clear payback | Recurring or unpredictable gaps | A single financed asset | Operators who fit the box and can wait |
| Rate | Fixed or variable, priced to the file | Used-balance interest | Built into the lease factor | Posted, then underwritten |
| Prepayment | No penalty | N/A | Often penalized | Often penalized |
| Process | Real term sheets compared on your file | Real term sheets | Single lessor | One lender, 60–90 days |
Bobby’s Take
“A term loan is the most misunderstood product an operator shops. People compare it to a mortgage and chase the lowest rate — but there's no Fannie or Freddie for commercial. Every lender reads your file differently and prices it differently. The move isn't the lowest quoted rate; it's the right lender for your purpose, real term sheets you can actually compare, and an amortization that matches the return you're funding.”
Bobby Friel · Founder, Basecamp Funding · 20+ years in banking and finance
Straight Answers
The Straight Answers Operators Ask For
Why a term loan instead of a line of credit?
A line is for recurring gaps; a term loan is for one defined purpose with a clear payback — you match the amortization to the return, not to your cash-flow swings.
My bank already quoted me a rate — can you beat it?
Real comparison needs real funded offers. The specialist desk brings competing term sheets on your file, because a rate from a lender that won't fund is worth nothing until the wire hits your account.
Isn't commercial just like a mortgage — shop the lowest rate?
No. There's no Fannie or Freddie for commercial; every lender prices your file differently, so the right lender beats the best rate.
I don't want to be locked in if rates move.
There's no prepayment penalty — get the capital working now and pay ahead or refinance when it makes sense; the structure doesn't trap you.
My credit isn't perfect.
Cash flow first, credit second. Consistent deposits and a clear use of funds carry a term loan further than a FICO point; challenged credit in the 600–700 range is workable, and your terms reflect the risk.
$5M isn't enough for what I'm building.
A single term loan runs to $5M+, and the specialist desk stacks it with other layers to reach $20M+ on one application.
Get the right structure in place now, optimize later.
Fund the purpose today on real term sheets; as payment history builds, both your terms and your access to additional capital improve. You don't wait for perfect to fund the move.
The Process
How a Term Loan 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.
An advisor reads your cash flow, your purpose, and the payback behind it — then structures the right term for the job, not a one-size quote.
Real term sheets come back.
Lenders return actual, fundable offers — real rate, real term, real structure — to compare side by side, not an estimated range.
You pick the structure and fund.
Choose the term sheet that fits the purpose; amortization is matched to the return the capital produces.
The loan anchors the plan.
Use the term loan as the major-purpose layer, keep the line free for operations, and stack additional layers as the structure grows toward $20M+.
Self-Qualify
Who a Term Loan Fits — and Who It Doesn't
Deal-Breakers
What Kills a Term-Loan Application
Straight talk on what stops a term loan before it starts — so you fix it before you submit.
By Industry
Term Loans by Industry
A term loan funds the defined move in each industry — the expansion, the acquisition, the buildout. Explore the fit for yours.
Manufacturing
Fund a second plant or a major line as the defined purpose, amortized to the ROI timeline it produces.
Healthcare
Fund a practice acquisition's goodwill component on a 10-year term, underwritten on the acquiring group's cash flow.
Distribution & Wholesale
Bridge to permanent financing or fund a facility move as a fixed-purpose term, retired early with no penalty.
Trucking & Logistics
Replace a fleet on a fixed-rate term amortized to the trucks' useful life, with no prepayment penalty.
Restaurants & Franchise
Fund a commissary or major buildout with fixed payments matched to the efficiency it creates.
Professional Services
Fund a one-time systems overhaul or expansion as a fixed obligation, keeping the operating line open.
FAQs
Term Loans — Questions Operators Actually Ask
A commercial term loan is a lump sum repaid on a fixed, amortizing schedule over a set term, built around one defined purpose with a clear payback — an expansion, an acquisition component, major equipment, or a systems overhaul. At the corporate level it typically runs $250K–$5M+, up to 10 years, fixed or variable, with no prepayment penalty, and it's underwritten on cash flow and the use-of-funds story rather than a posted rate.
A line of credit is for recurring or unpredictable gaps — you draw, repay, and redraw as cash timing shifts. A term loan is for one defined purpose with a clear payback, where you want a predictable fixed payment matched to the return the capital produces. If the need recurs, that's a line of credit or working capital; if it's a single move with a payback timeline, that's a term loan.
The page floor is 600+, with cash flow first and credit second. Consistent deposits, a clear use of funds, and a payback that holds up matter more than a FICO point. Challenged credit in the 600–700 range is workable; your terms reflect the risk.
A single term loan typically runs $250K–$5M+, with larger funding available when revenue qualifies. Past one product's ceiling, the term loan becomes the major-purpose layer of a capital stack — combined with working capital, equipment, or A/R — that reaches $20M+ on one application.
Both fixed and variable structures are available, priced to your file rather than a posted rate. There's no prepayment penalty — you can pay ahead in strong quarters or refinance when it makes sense, so the structure never traps you.
Up to 10 years, with predictable monthly payments. The right term is matched to the return the capital produces — a longer amortization for a long-payback purpose, a shorter one when the asset or contract is shorter-lived.
Yes — a term loan is often the major-purpose layer of an acquisition structure, funding the business-value or goodwill component while a working-capital layer carries the transition. The acquiring business's cash flow underwrites the loan, and the amortization is sized to the combined operation's return. For a purchase that's the whole transaction, see business acquisition.
Unitranche, mezzanine, and subordinated debt are institutional structures built for $100M+ companies with a private-equity sponsor. A commercial term loan delivers the same idea — patient, structured capital for one purpose — to the independently-owned $2M–$45M operator, without needing a sponsor. The specialist desk is your access to those structures, translated to your scale.
A signed application and 4 months of business bank statements, with 2+ years operating. Soft-pull only, no application fee. If the file moves forward, the advisor identifies what else strengthens it before anything goes to a lender.
The Operator's Guide
The Operator's Guide to Commercial Term Loans
The gap between the fintech product and the institutional desk
Search “commercial term loan” and you'll find two worlds that don't fit you. One is built for $100M companies with a private-equity sponsor — unitranche, mezzanine, syndicated debt, written for institutional CFOs. The other caps out around $300K at a factor rate, built for a business a tenth your size. The independently-owned operator running $2M to $45M lives in the gap between them: too big for the fintech product, too small and unsponsored for the institutional desk. That gap is exactly where a real amortizing term loan belongs.
What a commercial term loan actually is
A commercial term loan is a lump sum for one defined purpose, repaid on a fixed schedule over a set term — up to 10 years, fixed or variable, with no prepayment penalty. It's underwritten on cash flow and the story behind the use of funds, not on a posted rate. The advisor reads the purpose, the payback, and the file, then structures the term to fit the job: a seven-year purpose gets a seven-year amortization; a contract-length build gets a term that runs with the contract.
Don't shop a term loan like a mortgage
The most expensive mistake operators make is shopping a term loan like a mortgage. There's no Fannie or Freddie for commercial — no posted rate every lender honors. Each one reads your file differently and prices it differently, which means the lowest quoted number often comes from the lender least likely to fund. Real comparison means competing term sheets on your actual file, not a quote from a banker who may walk at underwriting. The right lender for your purpose beats the best rate on a screen.
The term loan is the major-purpose layer
And a bank's senior position usually covers only about 60–65% of the purpose, handing the rest back to you. The term loan is the major-purpose layer — it funds the defined move — and the balance stacks: working capital for the ramp, equipment for the line, A/R for cash flow. One application, one specialist desk, a structure that reaches $20M+ — the institutional outcome, without the institutional sponsor.
Financing the Growth? Cover the Risk That Comes With It.
A new facility, 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.
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