Business Loan Columbia, Tennessee

Local Columbia Business Loan Sources

To assist you in finding a small business banker, here's our list of small business banks in Columbia.

Lenders for Columbia Businesses

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

Tips for Getting a Business Loan in Columbia

Before meeting with banks for a loan, you will need to have a specific plan.

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.

A well-defined business plan is is critically important. If the loan is to for a going concern, you should also have financial statements covering the last three years. You will also need to discuss 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 cash flow from the business does not meet your projections.

If the business has few assets, you will likely be asked to secure the business with your personal assets, such as the equity in your home. 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 deeply committed to providing advice to entrepreneurs, and we have a lot of resources related to to Raising Money. For example, we would suggest you read 504 Loans.