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Dec 20, 2021
The new year is upon us, and we’re spending the last few weeks looking back at all that has happened. 2021 was a record-setting year at Dakota Business Lending filled with exciting new things and significant impact. Check out what we’ve been up to for the past 12 months. Loan Volume – This year, Dakota Business Lending experienced a record high loan volume, helping more small businesses than ever before…
Nov 18, 2021
Being a mother is a full-time job in and of itself. Couple that with owning a business, and you’re in for a wild (but rewarding!) ride. At our last ACTIVATE Women session, we sat down with Chelsey Steinlicht – a mother of four and successful business owner for 10+ years – to hear her story. In this session, she shared about what it means to be a “Mompreneur” and how to balance the responsibilities of a parent, a business owner, and everything in between…
Oct 28, 2021
Because business owners are forced to wear so many different hats, it’s inevitable that they will make a few mistakes along the way. While most can be faced with little to no longstanding consequences, there are a few mistakes that can have significant negative impacts on a business in the long run. While they often seem small, they can, without proper guidance, knowledge, and preparation, haunt businesses for years to come…
Oct 1, 2021
While small business financing is our forte, we are so much more than that. To better showcase who we are and what we do, we’re sharing with you the ABCs of Dakota Business Lending! Find out what DBL is really made of! A is for ACTIVATE. B is for Board of Directors. C is for Calculator. D is for Debt Refinance. E is for Entrepreneurs. F is for Fixed-Rate Financing. G is for GrowHub. H is for Headquarter Building…
Sep 28, 2021
Just a few years ago, JSE Family of Companies was one company (FM Real Estate Team) with a handful of agents. Today, they have 16 companies with about 30 employees and 200+ agents across 2 states, doing over a billion in real estate transactions per year. But how did they do it? Jeff Shipley and Laura Lesoine shared their wisdom at ACTIVATE Women, reminding everyone of what’s most important: the people. Here’s a brief overview…
Aug 27, 2021
The SBA 504 loan program is one of the best kept secrets in the small business financing world today. The program can finance long-term fixed assets and offers many benefits, including a minimum 10% down payment, fixed below-market interest rates, and up to 25-year terms. Because there are several eligible uses for the loan program, there are many different ways an SBA 504 loan can be structured. Below are just a few common examples…
Aug 26, 2021
Last month, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) released the updated regulations for the SBA 504 Debt Refinance program. As promised, we want to give you a brief overview of these new rules and showcase what they look like in action. So here’s the “scoop”…At the core of these new regulations is the same SBA 504 Debt Refinance program you know and love. What do these regulations look like in action? Check out our examples…
Jun 24, 2021
Applying for the SBA 504 loan program can be a daunting process, and you may find yourself wondering: Where do I begin? How do I apply? How long will it take? The entire SBA 504 loan process takes several steps to complete and requires participation between the lender, SBA, CDC, and the borrower(s) themselves. The timeline below shows a brief snapshot of what this process looks like and will give you an idea of the major steps involved…
May 28, 2021
Our team has witnessed hundreds of entrepreneurs and small businesses owners who were once in your shoes tackle the SBA 504 loan application and progress their way towards acquiring financing. While working with these business owners, we have also compiled a list of some helpful “do’s and don’t’s” that we have learned along the way to help make this process smoother and less overwhelming…
Mar 18, 2021
With the constant changes that owning a business brings, along with the current business climate, the temptation to put a plan aside and wing it is stronger now more than ever. To get a better understanding of what a strategic plan really is and why it is important, we sat down with Patrick Metzger and talked to him about why we cannot rely on our own luck to grow a successful business…
