SMB Resources

SMB Resources: Pre-Underwriting Tools, Funding Guides and Borrower Standards.

Free calculators grouped by program, plain-English guides, and a 64-term funding glossary — so you know your numbers and what every term costs you before you sign anything.

See Your Real Options

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Start with the problem in front of you

Holding an unsigned financing offer?See the real cost, holdback and fees in plain English before you sign.Offer Clarity Check™ →Bank said no?Turn the decline reason into plain-English next steps and the structures that may still fit.Translate-IQ™ →Daily or weekly debits squeezing payroll?See how much of your revenue advance payments take, then request a private review.Cash Flow⁺ Control™ →Not ready to apply yet?Run a quick, anonymous fit check. No contact info and no credit pull.Loanability FIT™ →

Free and confidential. Educational estimates only, not an offer or approval.

Free tools by program

Find the tool for your kind of financing

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General Working Capital

Cash flow, payments and offer costs

Equipment & Dealers

Buyers, vendors and point-of-sale dealers

Real Estate & Bridge

Investors, rentals and commercial property

Business Acquisition

Buying a business or valuing one

Receivables & Industry

Invoices, staffing, freight and trades

Underwriting & Regional

Declines, eligibility, states and Canada

Our borrower standard

Borrower Protection Standards

Read the full standards →

One advisor, one lender

Your file is matched to one lender at a time.

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No hard credit pull to explore

No hard credit pull to explore your options.

Commercial only

Business-purpose financing for U.S. and Canadian companies.

Find Your Fit

Which Funding Type Fits Your Situation?

Three questions. No hard credit pull, no contact information required — just a starting point so you know what to ask for.

What do you need the money for?

How fast do you need it?

How much are you looking for?

Likely Best Fit

Working Capital / Term Loan

Payroll gaps, hiring, marketing pushes, general cash flow. Depends on the program and the lender.

For $75,000: 6 to 24 months, fixed weekly or monthly payments.

Apply Now

Educational guidance only, not an offer or approval. One advisor matches your file to one lender at a time, and the initial review requires no hard credit pull.

Compare Options

Compare Two Funding Options Side by Side

Cost, speed, and structure are the three things that actually differ between products. Pick any two and see them next to each other.

Option AOption B

Working Capital / Term Loan

Merchant Cash Advance

What it costs

Fixed factor or interest rate; total cost known up front

Factor rate, commonly 1.2 to 1.5 of the advance

How fast

Depends on the program and the lender

Often the fastest option available

Terms

6 to 24 months, fixed weekly or monthly payments

Daily or weekly holdback on card or bank sales

Best for

Payroll gaps, hiring, marketing pushes, general cash flow

Urgent needs with credit or documentation challenges

Watch for

Fixed payments do not flex when sales slow

Highest cost; best used short term with a clear payoff

Apply Now Learn more about Working Capital / Term Loan Learn more about Merchant Cash Advance

Ranges shown are typical market conditions for educational purposes only. Actual pricing, speed, and terms are set by the funding partner in underwriting.

Search the glossary

Showing 64 of 64 terms

Advance Rate: The percentage of an invoice's face value a factoring company wires to you up front — typically 80% to 90%. The rest is held in reserve until your customer pays.
Amortization: The schedule that spreads a loan's principal and interest across equal payments so the balance reaches zero at the end of the term. Early payments are interest-heavy; later payments are principal-heavy.
Annual Percentage Rate (APR): The yearly cost of borrowing expressed as a percentage, including interest plus most fees. APR is the fairest way to compare two offers with different fee structures.
Average Daily Balance (ADB): The average amount sitting in your business bank account across each day of a statement period. Lending partners use it to judge whether you can cover a payment without dipping into the negative.
Balloon Payment: A large lump sum due at the end of a loan term after a run of smaller payments. Common on bridge loans and some equipment leases; plan the refinance or exit before it lands.
Bank Statement Loan: Business funding approved mainly on recent business bank statements rather than tax returns. It suits owners whose deposits are strong but whose returns show a low profit after write-offs.
Blanket Lien: A security interest covering all business assets rather than one specific item. Many lenders file a blanket UCC lien on working capital deals.
Bridge Loan: Short-term financing (typically 6 to 24 months) that covers a gap — an acquisition, a renovation, or a lease-up — until permanent financing or a sale closes.
Business Credit Builder (Trade Lines): Vendor or supplier accounts that report your on-time payments to the business credit bureaus. A few active trade lines help build a business credit score separate from your personal credit.
Business Credit Score: A score on your business entity (such as a Dun & Bradstreet PAYDEX or Experian Intelliscore) built from trade payment history, public filings, and firm size — separate from your personal FICO.
Business Debt Consolidation: Replacing several business debts — often short-term advances or high-cost loans — with one longer payment. The goal is a lower total monthly payment; approval and savings are never guaranteed.
Business Line of Credit (Business LOC): A revolving facility you draw from as needed and repay, freeing the limit again. Interest applies only to what you have drawn, which makes a business LOC well suited to payroll gaps, inventory buys, and seasonal swings.
Capital Lease: A lease that acts like a purchase: you build equity and typically own the asset at the end, often for a $1 buyout. Usually shows up on the balance sheet as an asset and a liability.
Cash Flow Analysis: A review of money in and money out — monthly deposits, recurring overhead, average daily balance, and negative days — to work out how much of a payment a business can comfortably carry. It is the first calculation most lending partners run on a file.
Cash Flow Underwriting: An approval method that reads your real bank deposits, average daily balances, and negative days instead of leaning only on a historical credit report.
Collateral: An asset pledged to secure financing — real estate, equipment, inventory, or receivables — that the lender can claim if the loan defaults.
Cost of Capital: The total dollars you pay above the amount you received. On a $30,000 advance repaid at $37,500, the cost of capital is $7,500.
Debanking: When a bank closes, freezes, or declines to renew a business account or credit facility — often over industry type, risk policy, or transaction patterns rather than anything the owner did wrong. It leaves otherwise healthy businesses looking for a new banking and funding path.
Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR): Net operating income divided by total debt payments. A DSCR of 1.25 means the property earns $1.25 for every $1.00 of debt service. Most investor lenders want 1.20 or higher.
Debt-to-Income Ratio (DTI): Total monthly debt payments divided by monthly income. Lenders use it to judge whether another payment is sustainable.
Draw: A withdrawal from an approved line of credit. Interest accrues only on drawn balances, which is why a line is cheaper than a lump-sum loan for irregular needs.
Equipment Sale-Leaseback: You sell owned equipment to a funder for cash, then lease it back and keep using it. A way to unlock trapped equity without stopping operations.
Factor Rate: A multiplier — not an interest rate — that sets total payback on an advance. $50,000 at a 1.35 factor rate means $67,500 repaid, regardless of how quickly you pay it off.
Factoring Fee (Discount Rate): The percentage a factor keeps for advancing funds against your invoices, usually 1% to 4% per 30-day period the invoice stays open.
Fair Market Value (FMV) Lease: An operating lease where, at the end of the term, you can return the equipment, renew, or buy it at its then-current market value. Lower monthly payments, no built-in ownership.
Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): The document a franchisor must give prospective franchisees. Item 19 (financial performance representations) is what lenders read when sizing your loan.
Fundability: How ready your business is to be approved for funding — a clean entity and licensing, consistent deposits, tidy bank statements, no unresolved liens, and documents a lender can verify quickly. Fundability is something you can improve before you ever apply.
Gross vs. Net Revenue: Gross revenue is everything you bring in before costs; net revenue is what remains after returns, discounts, and allowances. Lending partners usually size offers on gross deposits but check net figures for affordability.
Guaranty (Personal Guarantee): Your written promise to repay business debt personally if the company cannot. Standard on most small business financing, including SBA loans.
Hard Credit Pull: A full credit inquiry that is recorded on your report and can shave a few points off your score. Trifecta Business Group does not pull credit to explore your options; any lender inquiry happens only later, with your consent.
Holdback: The fixed percentage of daily or weekly card sales a merchant cash advance funder collects — commonly 10% to 20%. Repayment flexes with your sales volume.
Interest-Only Period: A stretch at the start of a loan where payments cover interest only. It preserves cash while a project ramps up, but no principal is retired.
Inventory Turnover: How many times you sell and replace inventory in a year. Fast turnover supports larger inventory lines because collateral converts to cash quickly.
Invoice Verification: The factor's confirmation with your customer that goods or services were delivered and the invoice is valid before funding it.
Loan-to-Cost (LTC): Loan amount divided by total project cost, including purchase and construction. Construction lenders often cap LTC around 80% to 85%.
Loan-to-Value (LTV): Loan amount divided by the property's appraised value. Lower LTV means more equity in the deal, better pricing, and a faster approval.
Merchant Cash Advance (MCA): A purchase of your future receivables, not a loan. You receive a lump sum and repay through a set percentage of daily card sales until the payback amount is satisfied.
Merchant Processing Statement: The monthly report from your card processor showing card sales volume, fees, and chargebacks. Card-heavy businesses often include several months of these with an application.
Negative Days (NSFs): Days your business account closed below zero, or items returned for non-sufficient funds. Several in a month is one of the most common reasons a file is declined or priced higher.
Net Operating Income (NOI): Rental income minus operating expenses, before debt payments. NOI drives both property valuation and DSCR.
No-Doc Business Loan (Low-Doc): There is no such thing as truly no-document commercial financing — every lending partner verifies the business. What owners usually mean is low-doc: approved on 3–6 months of business bank statements, with no tax returns, profit-and-loss statements, or business plan required. Decisions often come within a day or two. Approval is never guaranteed, and lighter documentation usually means a higher cost of capital.
Operating Cash Flow: The cash your day-to-day operations actually generate in a period — revenue collected minus operating costs paid. Lending partners weigh it above paper net income because it shows the real money available to carry a payment.
Origination Fee: A one-time fee for setting up the financing, often 1% to 5% of the funded amount, sometimes netted out of your disbursement.
Prepayment Penalty: A charge for paying a loan off early, protecting the lender's expected yield. Ask whether early payoff earns a discount instead — many term loans offer one.
Prime Rate: The benchmark rate banks quote to their strongest customers. Variable-rate business loans and SBA loans are commonly priced as prime plus a spread.
Purchase Order (PO) Funding: Financing that pays your supplier directly so you can fulfill a confirmed customer order you could not otherwise afford to produce.
Real Estate Sale-Leaseback: Selling the commercial property your business occupies and leasing it back, turning equity into working capital while you stay in the building.
Recourse vs. Non-Recourse Factoring: With recourse, you buy back invoices your customer never pays. With non-recourse, the factor absorbs certain credit losses — for a higher fee.
Reserve: The portion of an invoice the factor holds back (typically 10% to 20%) and rebates to you, minus fees, once your customer pays in full.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Revenue generated for every dollar of advertising. A 3.0 ROAS means $3 back for each $1 spent — the metric that decides whether borrowing for ad spend makes sense.
Revenue-Based Financing (RBF): Capital repaid as a fixed share of monthly revenue rather than a fixed installment, so payments shrink in slow months and rise in strong ones.
Revolving Credit: A credit facility that replenishes as you repay, so the same limit can be used repeatedly without reapplying.
SBA 504 Loan: Long-term, fixed-rate financing for owner-occupied commercial real estate and heavy equipment, structured between a bank, a Certified Development Company, and your down payment.
SBA 7(a) Loan: The SBA's flagship program for working capital, acquisitions, and refinancing, with government guarantees that let lenders offer longer terms and lower payments.
Seasonality: Predictable revenue swings across the year. Lenders average seasonal months so a slow quarter does not sink an otherwise healthy file.
Soft Credit Pull: A credit check that does not affect your score and is not visible to other lenders. Some lenders use one later in the process. Trifecta itself does not pull credit to review your options.
Stacking: Taking multiple advances or loans at once from different funders. It usually breaches your agreements, strains cash flow, and blocks future approvals.
Term Loan (Business Term Loan): A fixed amount borrowed once and repaid over a set schedule — the classic structure for expansion, buildouts, and one-time investments. Business term loans run from a few months to several years depending on the program.
Time in Business (TIB): How long your entity has been operating. Six months is a common floor; two years or more unlocks bank-quality pricing.
UCC-1 Financing Statement: The public filing that records a lender's security interest in your business assets. Existing filings must often be released or subordinated before new funding.
Underwriting: The lender's review of your revenue, credit, collateral, and industry to set approval, amount, rate, and term.
Unsecured Financing: Funding approved without pledging specific collateral. Pricing is higher because the lender leans on cash flow, credit, and a personal guarantee instead.
Working Capital: Current assets minus current liabilities — the cash cushion that covers payroll, rent, and inventory between the money going out and the revenue coming in.
Working Capital Ratio: Current assets divided by current liabilities. A ratio above 1.0 means short-term assets cover short-term bills; lenders read it as a quick sign of liquidity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions, Answered

An interest rate accrues over time, so paying early costs you less. A factor rate is a flat multiplier that fixes your total payback the moment you sign, so paying early does not reduce the cost unless your agreement includes an early-payoff discount. Factor rate vs APR, explained →

Compare total cost of capital in dollars and the APR side by side. Two offers can show the same monthly payment while one costs thousands more once fees and term length are included. Compare funding types →

No. We do not pull credit to review your options. A lender may run a credit check later, only with your consent, if you choose to move forward with a specific offer.

Match the product to the cash flow gap. Uneven, recurring needs suit a revolving line of credit; a one-time investment suits a term loan; slow-paying B2B customers suit factoring; card-heavy retail suits revenue-based financing. Call 1.877.977.3015 and we will map it with you. Invoice factoring →

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