1. Full-service restaurants 2. Limited-service restaurants 3. Residential remodelers 4. Plumbing, heating and AC contractors 5. Fitness and recreational sports centers 6. Landscaping services 7. Other specialty trade contractors 8. Long-distance freight trucking 9. Beauty salons 10. General automotive repair There are no tech startups on that list. These are local businesses people use every week. So here's my question: if your SBA financing were approved tomorrow, which one would you buy? Vote in the poll, then tell us in the comments why it appeals to you, or what's holding you back.

Once an acquisition goes above the $5 million SBA 7(a) limit, many buyers assume the only answer is bringing in outside equity investors. That is not always true. An SBA pari passu structure pairs an SBA 7(a) loan with a conventional loan from the same bank, which can create a path to $7 million to $8 million in combined bank proceeds. The catch is that the business, the buyer, the collateral, and the lender all have to fit. - Pari passu means equal ranking. The SBA loan and the conventional loan share first-lien priority. The SBA portion stays within its program limit; the conventional loan adds proceeds alongside it. - An illustrative $10 million deal: $5 million SBA 7(a), $3 million conventional, $1 million seller financing, and $1 million buyer equity. The 10% buyer contribution is an example, not a universal requirement. - Collateral is the dividing line. More lenders consider these structures when commercial real estate is involved. Large unsecured exposure (an "airball") narrows the lender pool considerably. - Only a limited group of banks handles both the SBA and conventional pieces efficiently. If a lender already declined, find out whether the issue was lender fit or the deal itself. - Plan the whole transaction: the total funding need including working capital, every funding source, the collateral position, and a seller who understands the timeline. All figures are illustrative and subject to lender underwriting. SBA rules change often, so always confirm current requirements with an SBA specialist. Read the full guide: https://franlending.com/sba-pari-passu-financing-business-acquisitions/ Watch the video: https://youtu.be/ilzcWHOid-M

Most acquisitions that fall apart do not fail because of the asking price. They fail in due diligence, when the numbers, the legal structure, or the financing terms do not hold up. In this episode, M&A attorney Hal Stanton of Seventh Street Legal walks through the red flags that kill deals and the decisions buyers should make before they ever submit a letter of intent. • Start with cash flow, not the asking price. A mismatch between advertised earnings and the accountant's reconstructed results is one of the most common deal-killers. A quality of earnings report is one way to test the numbers. • Bring in an experienced acquisition attorney before your first LOI. Even a nonbinding LOI sets the commercial framework. Ask about a limited pre-LOI engagement if you are worried about committing to a full fee too early. • Asset purchase vs. stock purchase changes which liabilities you inherit, your tax basis, and how hard it is to transfer contracts and payment systems. Get legal and tax advice on your specific deal. • For 2026 SBA-financed deals, confirm equity injection sources, seller-note standby rules, and valuation requirements with your lender. Relabeling an earnout does not make it acceptable. • Franchise resales often require a new franchise agreement with different terms, including territory size. Get the agreement you will actually sign before going deep into diligence. This is general education, not legal or tax advice. SBA requirements changed for approvals on or after October 1, 2026, so always confirm current rules with an SBA specialist. Read the full guide: https://businessownershipcoach.com/business-acquisition-due-diligence-red-flags/ Watch the video: https://youtu.be/03hfJUlIXKQ

Both SBA 7(a) and SBA 504 can help fund owner-occupied commercial real estate, including land and ground-up construction. But they solve different problems, and choosing a program based on the lowest advertised rate is a common mistake. The right fit depends on what the project needs to finance, how long you plan to hold the property, and whether your business will occupy the space. - A typical SBA 504 structure has three layers: a senior lender loan often up to 50% of total project cost, a CDC loan often up to 40%, and borrower equity commonly at least 10%. More equity may be required for startups or special-purpose properties. - SBA 7(a) is the more flexible program. It can cover real estate, construction, equipment, working capital, business debt and changes of ownership in one loan, with a $5 million program cap. Pricing may be variable and tied to the Wall Street Journal Prime Rate. - Owner occupancy can make or break the deal. For ground-up construction, the business generally needs to occupy at least 60% of rentable square footage initially and plan for roughly 80% within two years. For existing buildings, it is generally at least 51%. - Hold period matters. The 504 second lien can provide a 25-year fixed-rate component but carries a 10-year declining prepayment penalty, compared with a generally shorter three-year penalty on applicable longer-term 7(a) loans. - The programs can be combined. A companion 7(a) loan may fund eligible working capital alongside a 504 fixed-asset structure. Compare equity, monthly payment, construction-period financing, prepayment terms and eligibility side by side, all subject to lender underwriting. Read the full 2026 comparison and pre-application checklist: https://franlending.com/sba-7a-vs-504-construction-financing-2026/ Watch the full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pbbXYvwdUro

Most people picture a landscaping business as trucks, mowers, and a crew you have to hire and manage. There is a different version: a B2B commercial landscaping franchise built on a subcontractor model, where the franchisee wins and manages property accounts and independent providers perform the work. It is a lean structure, but lean is not the same as passive. The question worth asking is whether you can reliably sell contracts, coordinate crews, protect service quality, and make the margins work. - The franchisee's core job is account ownership. Building relationships with property owners, putting service agreements in place, scheduling work, handling issues, and keeping a dependable subcontractor bench. - It can be run from home with a small team. An owner may start solo, then add an account manager and an operations person. Semi-absentee still means someone oversees sales, delivery, and the subcontractor network every week. - Startup costs were described earlier as a little over $100,000 to roughly $245,000–$250,000, depending partly on early hires. Treat that as context, not a 2026 price. Get the current FDD before building a financing plan. - Commercial contracts were described as commonly running about 12 months. Predictable work, but contract labor, marketing, and liability coverage all come out of the margin. - Six things to verify before buying: current disclosures, corporate lead flow versus local selling, subcontractor capacity, contract economics, real owner workload (ask existing franchisees), and seasonality in your market. This model fits someone who prefers B2B relationships and process-building over managing a large field team. It is a weak fit if you expect customers to arrive automatically or believe subcontractors remove accountability. Compare it against your capital, lifestyle, and time, then model it with your own assumptions. Read the full guide: https://businessownershipcoach.com/b2b-commercial-landscaping-franchise-subcontractor-model/