Elmline Commercial Capital, a small-business funding broker in Longview, TX, works in four steps: learn what the funding must pay for, match it to a structure and to lending partners, let a partner underwrite and decide, then help the owner compare any offer on total cost. Partners make every credit decision and set rates and terms; owners are free to decline.
Elmline's job versus the partner's job
| Task | Elmline Commercial Capital (broker) | Lending partner |
|---|---|---|
| Learn what the money is for | Yes | Reviews it again |
| Recommend a structure | Yes | Decides whether it offers it |
| Collect documents | Explains what is usually needed | Requests and verifies them |
| Approve or decline | No | Yes |
| Set rate, fees and terms | No | Yes |
| Sign the contract with you | No | Yes |
Elmline Commercial Capital is a broker, not a lender. A lender lends its own funds and carries the risk; a broker prepares and places the request.
Step 1: Tell us the expense
Call (430) 204-5456 or use the short online form, which asks only for your name, email, phone and business name. When we call, we ask what the money pays for, what it costs, how the business earns and how long it has operated. Nothing needs to be signed or uploaded at this stage.
Step 2: Match the need to a structure
We work out which of the six structures fits: 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 identify lending partners that offer that structure to businesses like yours.
Step 3: The partner reviews and rules
The partner applies its own criteria and usually asks for documents at this point:
- Recent business bank statements.
- Federal tax returns, for the company and in many cases its owners.
- Financial statements, such as a profit and loss statement and a balance sheet.
- A quote or invoice for equipment or inventory.
- Formation records and any Texas assumed name certificate the business operates under.
Possible outcomes: a yes, a yes on different terms or a smaller amount, or a no. Its decision is final; we cannot overrule it.
Step 4: Read the numbers, then say yes or no
If an offer arrives, read the full agreement. Ask for the amount you will actually receive after fees, the total you will repay or remit, the payment schedule, any balloon, the collateral, any personal guarantee and the prepayment terms. You are free to decline, and you should if the numbers do not work.
Three ways offers state their cost
- APR expresses a loan's yearly cost, including certain fees, as a percentage. It allows comparison between loans of different sizes and terms.
- A factor is a multiplier used mostly for merchant cash advances. It shows the total to be remitted but says nothing about time, so it cannot be compared with an APR directly.
- Total cost is the simplest comparison: everything you will pay or remit, minus the amount you actually receive.
When offers use different measures, put the total cost and the schedule side by side. A cheaper-looking factor collected over a few weeks can cost far more per year than a loan with a higher stated rate.
Offers that should make an East Texas owner hang up
- Approval promised before anyone has looked at your numbers.
- Pressure to sign the same day, or refusal to send the agreement in advance.
- A request for an upfront payment before an offer exists.
- Blank fields in the contract, or numbers that differ from what was quoted.
- A request to send Social Security numbers or bank logins by text or ordinary email.
Further reading
Owner questions answered covers the shorter points, the broker disclosures set out the relationship formally, and East Texas small business resources lists free advisers.
By Elmline Commercial Capital · Updated