Small Business Lenders in Benton, Louisiana

Local Benton Lenders

Without further adieu, here's our list of small business banks in Benton.

Other Lending Resources for Benton Businesses

This is a list of banks outside of Benton, Louisiana that have provided SBA loans to Benton businesses. Some of these may be national banks with local branch locations.

Business Loan Advice for Benton Businesses

As a prerequisite to contacting banks for a loan, you will need to develop the specifics of your loan request.

You need to be able to clearly explain your business, explain how much you want to borrow, walk the banker through the planned use of proceeds, and show your ability to pay the loan back to the bank.

Being able to present a well-written business plan is essential. If the money is to for an existing business, you should also have financial statements covering the last three years. Bankers will also want to know what collateral you have available to guarantee the loan. Collateral is relevant because banks always want to be prepared for a worst-case scenario in which cash flow from the business does not meet your projections.

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 check on your personal credit history 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 meeting with the 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 devoted to supporting entrepreneurs, and we have a lot of useful articles about to Raising Money. For example, we would suggest you read Business Credit Evaluation.