Silvershore Funding Group, a small-business funding broker in Flagstaff, Arizona, compares six options: working capital, term loans, lines of credit, inventory financing, equipment financing and merchant cash advances. Each is repaid differently, so the natural starting point is what the money will pay for. Partners, not Silvershore, approve requests and set rates and terms.
The six options by how they are repaid
Partners design their own products, so read the table as the usual shape of each option, not as a description of any particular offer.
| Option | How the money arrives | How it goes back | Often used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working capital | A lump sum | Installments over a shorter term, often weekly or monthly debits | Payroll, rent, supplies while revenue catches up |
| Term loan | A lump sum | Fixed installments of principal and interest over a set term | Build-outs, expansion, buying a business, refinancing |
| Line of credit | Draws up to a limit, when you choose | Interest on what is drawn; repaying restores the limit on a revolving line | Recurring or uneven costs |
| Inventory financing | Advances against stock | Paid down as the goods sell, on the partner's schedule | Stocking up before sales |
| Equipment financing | Paid to the seller for a named asset | Installments or lease payments; the asset is the collateral | Vehicles, machines, kitchens, clinical systems |
| Merchant cash advance (not a loan) | A lump sum for a share of future receipts | Remitted as a percentage of sales or fixed debits until the agreed total is collected | Card-heavy businesses weighing speed against cost |
Short-term money or long-term money?
Match how long the financing lasts to how long the thing it buys keeps earning. Wages, food costs and retail stock are used up within weeks or months, so they pair with short-term credit such as working capital or a line. A remodel, a walk-in cooler or a panoramic X-ray unit keeps producing for years, which is why those purchases usually go on a term loan or equipment financing.
Getting this backwards is a common and expensive mistake. Paying for a long-lived asset with short-term money squeezes cash flow with large payments; paying for this month's payroll with a five-year loan means paying interest long after the wages are forgotten.
Secured or unsecured?
Secured financing names collateral the partner can claim if the business defaults: the equipment, the inventory, receivables or a general lien on business assets. Unsecured financing has no specific collateral, but partners often ask the owners to sign a personal guarantee instead, and many still file a UCC financing statement on business assets.
Before applying, check what is already pledged. Our guide to Arizona UCC records explains how to look up the filings against your business and what each one covers.
Business loan, credit card or personal loan?
A business credit card is a revolving line with a card attached; it suits small, frequent purchases you can repay quickly. A business loan or line usually suits larger or longer needs. A personal loan used for the business puts the debt in your own name and does nothing to build the business's own credit file. Silvershore works only with business funding, so if the need is personal, we are not the right call.
Where SBA loans fit
An SBA loan comes from a bank or other participating lender; the U.S. Small Business Administration stands behind part of it with a guarantee. Silvershore Funding Group does not arrange SBA loans and is not an SBA lender.
If an SBA loan is what you want, the SBA Arizona District Office lists Coconino County among the counties it serves (SBA website, checked October 2026). Our Northern Arizona resources directory lists other free sources of advice.
What partners usually want to see
Requirements vary by partner and product, but most reviews draw on the same material:
- recent business bank statements, which show revenue and the balance pattern;
- the business's legal name, structure and owners, as registered with the state;
- how long the business has operated and its annual revenue;
- existing debts and any liens on business assets;
- credit, usually for the business and often for the owners;
- for a specific purchase, the quote or invoice; for larger amounts, tax returns or financial statements.
How a request is handled covers what happens with that material once you send it.
Choosing with a broker
Silvershore Funding Group is a broker, not a lender: we help you decide which option to pursue and describe the request to partners that offer it. The partner underwrites, decides and prices. Before you sign anything, compare the total cost and the payment schedule, not just the size of each payment.
By Silvershore Funding Group · Updated