Need a Bank Loan for Your Small Business? Timing Can Make or Break Your Chances The truth is it's easier to secure a loan or a line of credit when you don't need one.

By Ami Kassar

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Imagine a small-business owner walks into his or her shop one day and sees water gushing from the company bathroom, turning the entire place into a giant swamp. In this emergency scenario, the business owner doesn't have much time to think, and doesn't have enough cash on hand to fix the plumbing that day and open up for business.

If the business owner had a line of credit in place for emergencies such as this, he could easily write a check to the plumber and clean-up crew and pay a low interest-rate on the line of credit to cover the fix. Instead, with no contingency plan, the business owner would likely need to take on a short-term business loan with interest rates in the 60 to 80 percent range to fix the plumbing and get back up and running.

At MultiFunding, a loan brokerage firm, I talk to small-business owners everyday who are in desperate need of a loan to cover an emergency situation. If these business owners would have taken initiative much earlier, when the need wasn't as desperate, they may have had better loan options with lower interest-rates.

Related: Visit Entrepreneur Bank Search: a Search Tool to Help You Find Local Banks With a Focus on Small-Business Lending

As small-business owners, we tend to only concentrate on the here and now: how sales went that day and what's on the horizon for tomorrow. This shortsightedness can spell trouble when it comes to a dry spell in sales or an unforeseen circumstance in which instant cash is needed.

The truth is it's easier to secure a loan or a line of credit when you don't need one rather than wait until the situation is dire.

If your business is doing well – you have accounts receivable, industry growth is strong and you have good credit – now is the time to consider a loan or a line of credit. Save the funds as a contingency plan in case something does go wrong or you experience a slow month and need the extra cash to cover operating expenses and payroll.

For most businesses, there will be plenty of options for loans when business is good and cash flow is strong. However, choices dwindle and can be extremely expensive if you wait to consider loan options until you're desperate and in need of a lifesaver loan.

Related: The Small-Business Guide to Getting the Cash You Need

Ami Kassar

CEO and Founder of MultiFunding.com

Ami Kassar, CEO and founder of MultiFunding, is a nationally renowned small-business advocate and leader. Prior to founding MultiFunding, Kassar spent a decade in various senior roles at Advanta Corporation, one of the nation’s largest issuers of credit cards to small-business owners. Kassar served as the company’s chief innovation officer, and was charged with developing innovative approaches for the small-business market. He is the 2013 recipient of the Small Business Influencer Award as well as the 2012 Small Business Advocate Award.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Side Hustle

This Gen Zer's Stylish Side Hustle Earns About $20,000 a Month and Paid Off His Parents' $200,000 Debt: 'I Enjoy the Hands-Off Nature'

Ray Cao went from working as a barista for $8 an hour to being a successful seller on online marketplace StockX.

Starting a Business

I Was a 25-Year-Old Nurse When I Started a Side Hustle to Combat Anxiety. It Made $1 Million in 7 Months — Then Sold for a Life-Changing Amount.

Sarah Michelle Boes knew there had to be a better way to prepare for her stress-inducing nurse practitioner's exam — so she created it.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.