Deerline Advances, a small-business funding broker in Prescott, Arizona, compares six options on one page: working capital, term loans, lines of credit, inventory financing, equipment financing and merchant cash advances. The table sorts them by how money goes back, secured or unsecured, and what partners usually check. The partner decides; the partner prices.
All six, one row each
| Option | Payback pattern | Common use | First things a partner reads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working capital | Scheduled payments over a short horizon | Wages, a supplier's invoice, the quarterly tax bill | Recent deposits and how steady they are |
| Term loan | Fixed installments until the balance reaches zero | Build-outs, a second site, refinancing | Time in operation, cash flow, existing debt |
| Line of credit | Interest on drawn amounts; repaid room can be drawn again | Recurring gaps between paying and getting paid | Account statements, who owes you, and your credit file |
| Inventory financing | Balance falls each time financed stock leaves the shelf | Goods bought before customers buy them | Turnover, supplier invoices, the goods as collateral |
| Equipment financing | Installments on a loan, or rent on a lease | Machines, vehicles for the work, fixtures | The asset, its age and value, the quote |
| Merchant cash advance | A share of future receipts remitted; no loan involved | Card-heavy revenue needing quick cash | Card or bank receipts history |
Months of payback or years of it
Working capital and most merchant cash advances are built for expenses that come back quickly. A term loan or equipment financing spreads cost over the years the purchase keeps working. Matching the horizon matters: financing a two-week payroll gap with five years of payments costs more interest than it saves, and covering a remodel with short money squeezes every month that follows.
A line of credit sits in between. It can stay open for years, but each draw is meant to be repaid as the related revenue arrives.
Secured and unsecured, in plain terms
A secured deal names collateral: the excavator being financed, the inventory on the shelves, sometimes a blanket lien on business assets. An unsecured deal names none, which usually means the partner leans harder on cash flow and credit history, and many still ask for a personal guarantee from the owner. Whether a small business loan requires collateral depends on the partner, the amount and the file; there is no single Arizona answer.
Before you sign, read the security section of the agreement. It says what the partner can claim if payments stop, and that is the part owners most often skim.
Names and records partners check
Partners compare the business name on the application with bank statements and state records. A Prescott, AZ shop that operates under a trade name will want that name on file and current; the Arizona trade name guide walks through search, registration and renewal before you apply.
Owners also ask whether they need a business license in Arizona before applying. Partners generally want proof the business operates under whatever local registration applies to it; which registration that is depends on the city and the activity, and we do not give legal advice on it.
Where the SBA fits
SBA-backed loans are made by SBA-approved lenders under SBA programs. SBA-backed loans are outside the Montezuma Street lineup. If an SBA-backed loan suits your project better than the six options here, the SBA Arizona District Office page (sba.gov/district/arizona) lists the office that serves Yavapai County, and we will say so on the call.
How Deerline Advances uses this table
We start from the expense and the way money arrives in your account, then narrow the six to one or two. Only partners that write that kind of funding see the request. You get any offer in writing from the partner, and you decide.
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