And if you want to grow a company, you can even ask for small business loans, just with a few clicks. The main difference between online small business loans and traditional ones is the way they work, from the application to the payment deals. And the truth is that for small business owners, they simplify a very long and tedious procedure that can take away the time they need to build their company. If you are considering applying for one of these loans, keep reading t find out what you need to do. Let’s get started.

Before applying for a small business loan

Before borrowing money, make sure you have all your ducks in a row. Make a business plan that identifies every aspect of your project, whether you want to expand your business to new territories, invest in a bigger sales force, or buy equipment to keep up with the demand. You’ll need to know how much money you need to achieve those goals, how long will it take you to do so, and how much can you pay back every month without affecting your company’s financial flux. Another thing to consider: it’s smart to shop around these online small business loans. Compare them based on:

Interest rates Amount of the small business loans The application process The institution that lends the money and it’s reputation

Advantages of online small business loans

Forget about spending hours waiting to talk to a bank executive. These are some of the advantages of this financial instrument:

Not everything that shines is gold

On your road of shopping for small business loans, you’ll find offers that seem to good to be true. And if common sense screams at you, you should listen. If a company advertises a really low-interest rate that goes way below the average of all the others, beware. Another red flag might be if they ask for money in advance, if they don’t have a physical address, or if the company asks you for personal information that doesn’t really match a loan request. You’ll normally be asked to present:

Social Security number (or ITIN number, for those who don’t have an SNN) Address Information about your job Income Company expenses Company tax return

Take into account that you’ll probably won’t get a huge amount of money with these types of loans. You can borrow from around 5,000 dollars up to 5 million. If you need more than that, it would be a good idea to request a loan with the traditional banking system.