Business Loan Bellingham, Minnesota

Local Bellingham Lenders

To help you learn more about local small business lenders, here's our list of small business banks in Bellingham.

Tips for Getting a Business Loan in Bellingham

As a prerequisite to reaching out to banks to discuss getting a bank loan, you will need to develop the specifics of your loan request.

You need to be able to clearly introduce your business to the banker, explain how much you want to borrow, define how the money will be used, and show your ability to pay the money back to the bank.

A well-defined business plan is an important prerequisite. If the capital is to for a company that is already doing business, you should also have financial statements covering the last three years. Bankers will also want to know what collateral you have available to secure the loan. Collateral is relevant because banks always want to be prepared for a worst-case scenario in which you cannot repay the loan.

If the business has few assets, you will likely be asked to to guarantee the loan with your personal assets, such as your individual retirement account or pension plan. The banks will look at your personal credit report in any case, so hopefully you have good credit history -- you may want to get a copy of your credit history prior to meeting with the banker.

Many of the banks in our list participate in the financial assistance programs available through the SBA. Before you sit down to talk with a small business banker, you may want to get up to speed on SBA loans programs to see if you qualify. SBA 7(a) loans, SBA 504 loans and SBA disaster assistance loans may be available to you.

Gaebler.com Advice on Raising Money

Gaebler.com is a site that is dedicated to aiding entrepreneurs, and we have a lot of useful articles about to Raising Money. For example, one article that might be of interest to you is 504 Loans.