Government … Business Financing … those two terms shouldn’t raise fear and apprehension in the minds of our clients. But… guess what? They often do! And that means they might be unable to access the Canadian government loan. SBL loans are quite simply, in our opinion, the absolute best method of financing your start up or small business venture .And the word ‘ small ‘ is relative, as our program pertains to businesses with revenues under 5 Million dollars. That’s not chump change, right??!
Canadian business owners looking to either start a business or expand their current business spend a lot of time seeking financing to complement those two goals. Ironically the one entity they often think can’t or won’t help or assist them in fact is the only entity that is set up to absolutely help them. Why, because it’s actually Canadian chartered banks that take the hand off from Industry Canada to approve and administer the BIL/CSBF program in Canada. We’ll keep things simple and refer to it as the SBL loan!
So who qualifies for these loans, financing things such as equipment, leaseholds, software, etc? Canadian citizens or those legally allowed to borrow in Canada are eligible to receive such financing. Naturally you can not have defaulted on a loan in the past, and you must be up to date with your income tax filings and any balances owing Canada Revenue Agency. That makes sense , doesn’t it – receiving an SBL loan from the government and being in good standing with them re your personal tax filings, etc.
As we said, it’s the banks and a few other select institutions that administer and fund the government loan program. Over 7000 businesses just like yours received funding in the 2010 timeframe as an example.
So do banks ‘ like ‘ the program and recommend or steer clients toward the program. We have got our own opinions on that. While the government guarantees the majority of the loan to the bank we find that many bankers aren’t either fully up to speed with the loan approval process… and, heaven forbid…they feel it is ‘ a lot of paperwork ‘. Good commercial and small business bankers in Canada ( yes , they exist, trust us on that one please ) view SBL loans as a way to help you achieve business financing for a start up or relatively new business when they otherwise might be constrained to help you within normal bank confines .
The government loan program caps out at 500,000.00 for real estate, and 350,000.00 for equipment, leaseholds, software, etc. Loans are pegged to 3% over the current Canadian prime rate. Each loan is adjudicated for approval under the exact guidelines of the program.
We spoke earlier of clients having a fear of properly dealing with government, a business financing process, etc. Can that be avoided? It sure can. Seek an expert such as a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can literally fast track you through the entire process within a matter of days, with your co operation of course. Unlock the power of SBL loans to realize your business potential.