Ravenmoor Finance, a small-business funding broker in Ocala, Florida, works in four steps: a call about the cost, sorting the request into a structure, a lending partner's review, and your decision. This page explains each step, what small business loan requirements usually look like, how to compare offers, and the red flags to watch for.
Where a broker stops and a lender starts
A lender funds the money, underwrites the request and sets the price. A broker handles neither job. So what is a loan broker for? It sorts a request into the right structure, prepares it, and introduces it to lenders that offer that structure. Ravenmoor Finance is a broker, not a lender, and every decision on this page that involves approval, amount or price belongs to a partner.
Step 1: describe the cost
Call (352) 488-9724, or send the short form (contact details, business name and three range picks) and we call you. We start with what the money pays for, when the need arises and when it ends. Those three answers do most of the sorting.
Step 2: sort the structure and gather records
We match the need to one of six structures: working capital, a term loan, a line of credit, inventory financing, equipment financing or a merchant cash advance, which is not a loan. Then we list the records a partner will likely ask for.
What are small business loan requirements in practice? Most partners want some combination of the following, and the mix changes with the structure:
- Several recent months of business bank statements
- Business tax returns, and sometimes the owner's
- Florida entity records showing the business is active
- The local business tax receipt
- A quote, invoice, bid or budget for what the money buys
- Every debt and advance already in place
The Florida business loan guide walks through each record in the order partners usually ask for it.
Step 3: partner underwriting
We introduce the request to lending partners that offer the chosen structure. Each partner underwrites it independently: it may ask further questions, request more documents, approve, change the amount or decline. Timing depends on the partner and the file, and we do not promise any outcome or date.
Step 4: your comparison and your call
If an offer arrives, it comes from the partner in writing. Compare offers on the measure that fits the structure:
| Structure | Compare on |
|---|---|
| Loans and lines | APR where disclosed, total repaid, payment amount and frequency |
| Equipment leases | Total of payments plus the end-of-term cost |
| Merchant cash advance | Factor rate, total collected and the expected collection period |
The common denominator is the total in dollars. Accepting is your decision, and declining costs nothing with us.
Warning signs to watch for in an offer
- Anyone who promises approval before reviewing your records.
- Pressure to sign the same day an offer arrives.
- An offer that will not state the total payback in dollars.
- An advance described as a loan, or a loan described as an advance.
If you see one of these, pause. The FAQ answers related questions, and our disclosures set out the broker relationship in full.
By Ravenmoor Finance · Updated