Guides

Funding Guides

Long-form, start-to-finish explanations of how a funding decision actually gets made — written by the people who make them.

Business owner reviewing funding paperwork with an advisor across a desk

UnderwritingApproval

How a Business Funding Decision Actually Gets Made

What a direct lender looks at, in what order, and why two businesses with the same credit score get different answers. A walkthrough of real underwriting logic.

9 min read

Bank statements spread across a desk beside a calculator and reading glasses

PricingFactor rate

The Real Cost of Business Capital, Explained Without the Jargon

Factor rates, APR, total payback, and fees — how to compare offers quoted in different units, and the one number that tells you what money costs.

8 min read

ApplicationDocuments

What You Need to Get Funded (and How to Prepare It)

The short document list a direct lender actually needs, what each is used for, and the preparation steps that turn a three-day file into a same-day decision.

6 min read

ProductsStructure

Working Capital, Term Loan, Line of Credit, or Equipment Finance?

Four structures, four different jobs. How to tell which one fits what you are funding, why the term should match the purchase, and what choosing wrong costs.

7 min read

Small business owner standing in the doorway of their shop

Direct lenderProcess

Direct Lender vs Broker: Why It Changes What You Get

What happens to your business funding application at a broker versus a direct lender — and why it shows up in speed, pricing, and who sees your file.

6 min read

Contractor in a hard hat pausing on an active job site

Contract fundingMobilization

Funding a Contract You Just Won

The award letter is in hand, mobilization costs are due, and the first invoice won't pay for 60+ days. How to size and bridge the gap — and when not to borrow.

8 min read

RenewalsRepeat funding

Merchant Cash Advance Renewals: How They Work

What a funding renewal actually is, when the industry's paid-down convention kicks in, and how terms evolve as a repayment track record builds.

8 min read

Bridge fundingCash flow

Business Bridge Funding: Covering Short Gaps

What business bridge funding is, how it differs from a real-estate bridge loan, how to size one to a specific gap, and when a line of credit wins instead.

7 min read

SpeedProcess

Fast Business Funding: 48 Hours Without Getting Burned

Funding in as little as 24–48 hours is real, and so are the traps. How legitimate speed works, the file that makes it fast, and the checks that protect you.

7 min read

CostDue diligence

How to Compare Business Loan and Funding Offers

A five-line worksheet that reduces any stack of funding offers to one comparable number — total payback per dollar landed — and a verdict in ten minutes.

6 min read

Smiling contractor in a yellow hard hat and high-visibility vest holding a tablet in a dim interior work area

ConstructionWorking capital

The Contractor's Working Capital Field Guide

Where each construction trade's cash gap sits in the build sequence, the three gap types (mobilization, draws, closeout) and how to size funding to the gap.

8 min read

Smiling salon owner in a black apron standing inside her salon

QualificationTime in business

Funding at 6 Months in Business: What to Do Before Year One

Six months in business? Many revenue-based lenders want more history. The options that fit now, their tradeoffs, and how to build a file ready for year one.

7 min read

Express Capital Funding · Direct lender

See what your revenue supports

We underwrite in-house and fund from our own balance sheet. $250,000+ in yearly revenue, 1+ year in business, and a 580+ credit score is the gate — a decision the same day, funding in as little as 24–48 hours.

Start your application

4.8★ from 590 reviews · A+ BBB accredited · $250M+ funded