Business Financing 101: Grow Your Business by Borrowing

Whether you want to build a new business or expand an existing business, you might need to borrow money from the bank to get your dream off the ground. This is when business financing, or business lending, comes into play. But first, you’ll want to find out how much money you need to borrow.

List Your Business Expenses

Before you look into business lending, you should first list your basic business expenses. These costs might include:

• Start up costs (if you’re starting a new business)
• Employee salaries
• Rent
• Utilities
• Paper and other office supplies
• Purchasing or leasing operating equipment
• Decorating or remodeling costs
• Legal and professional fees
• Insurance
• Taxes
• Machinery and power tools

Choose the Right Business Borrowing Option for Your Goals

If you’ve made the decision to borrow money to support your business, you should determine which loan best meets your needs before applying for a business loan.

Types of business loans include:

• Business Term Loans
• Equipment and Vehicle Loans
• Business Lines of Credit
• Commercial Real Estate Loans

Business Line of Credit

If you only need short-term capital or funds to support a seasonal business, consider a business line of credit. A line of credit is one type of business lending option similar to a credit card. However, the interest you pay on a business line of credit may be lower and also tax-deductible.

When you borrow cash from a business line of credit, you’ll be able to withdrawal funds during the draw period. WesBanco’s FlexLine of Credit has an interest-only draw period, meaning you only need to pay interest during the draw period. FlexLine is also revolving, so once you pay back the total amount, it’s available to borrow again as you need to.

A business line of credit is helpful if you want to have money for operating costs until your business turns a profit or if you run a seasonal business like landscaping.

Commercial Real Estate Loans

Looking to expand your physical footprint? A commercial real estate loan might be the right option. A commercial real estate loan can help you purchase a new space or refinance your current one.

WesBanco offers business financing to buy or refinance a storefront, warehouse, office building, land for agricultural applications and more. WesBanco’s commercial real estate loans are flexible, offering fixed and adjustable interest rates to meet your needs.

Equipment and Vehicle Loans

Maybe growing your company means investing in equipment, technology or vehicles rather than a physical space. If that’s the case, consider opting for an Equipment and Vehicle loan.

WesBanco offers flexible business financing for purchases like manufacturing equipment, medical or dental machinery and diagnostic tools, construction equipment and even company cars. This type of business lending will keep your business moving.

Business Credit Cards

Aside from the above business loans, you can also open a business credit card. WesBanco offers a variety of business credit cards to meet your business needs. Explore our business credit cards to determine which card suits your business.

How to Qualify for a Business Loan

Ready to grow? You’ll have to qualify for a business loan before receiving your funds, so start gathering information the bank will need to process your application:

• Business plan
• Balance sheet and income statement
• Cash flow projections
• Profit and loss reports
• Personal financial statements for all business partners
• Credit report
• Personal income tax returns
• Information on business debts

SBA Business Loans

WesBanco is dedicated to growing the interests of small businesses in our regions. We have a variety of small business loans to support your business financing needs, whether you’re a small, midsize or growing commercial business.

We work to get to know you and your business, so we can recommend the right products when you need them. Even if you’re not ready to borrow yet, you can open a business checking account or savings account to develop a working relationship with our team before you apply.

In addition to getting to know the financials of your business, we may ask how much you have personally invested in your company, as a way to assess your commitment to the business and risk of investment. Having personal financial information handy can help drive conversations with our business lending team.

For more information, go to SBA.gov.

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Content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal or financial advice. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of WesBanco.
While we hope you find this content useful, it is only intended to serve as a starting point. Your next step is to speak with a qualified, licensed professional who can provide advice tailored to your individual circumstances. Nothing in this article, nor in any associated resources, should be construed as financial or legal advice. Furthermore, while we have made good faith efforts to ensure that the information presented was correct as of the date the content was prepared, we are unable to guarantee that it remains accurate today.

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