Skip to content
SuperMoney logo
SuperMoney logo

Can I Use a Personal Loan to Fund My Small Business?

Last updated 03/19/2024 by

Audrey Henderson
The quick answer is yes. Personal loans can and are often used to fund small businesses, but there are some important caveats to consider. While some lenders don’t care what you use the money for, others will deny loan applications from entrepreneurs looking for startup capital. Read SuperMoney’s expert and consumer reviews to find the best option for your business.
If you’ve been laid off and are having a hard time finding another job, becoming an entrepreneur may seem more appealing than continuing to send out resumes with no results. Or perhaps you have a longtime dream of being your own boss. Either way, one of the biggest obstacles you will face is finding the working capital you need to start your business. This article analyzes some of the financing options available to small startup companies.

Compare Business Loans

Compare rates, terms, and community reviews between multiple lenders.
Compare Business Loans

Personal Loans

Family and friends can be a good place to start if you’re looking for people who will believe and invest in your new business idea. Nearly 40% of new businesses are financed in this way. However, if you need more capital than you can raise by drawing from your personal resources or those closest to you, you need a commercial loan. The problem is that most business loan providers are hesitant to extend business loans to startups. A personal loan for business startups could provide the capital you need to get your idea up and running so that you can eventually qualify for commercial loans. Check out what the best personal loans are to ensure that you know the best option for you.
What is the difference between a business loan and a personal loan? It’s a matter of risk. Usually, business loans are not personally guaranteed by the owner of the business. If the company goes under, its assets are liquidated to pay off creditors, but the personal assets of the business owners are not at risk. Not so with personal loans. It’s the reason Donald Trump has been able to file for bankruptcy four times without his personal net worth taking a hit.

Fund your business with alternative business loans

Until recently, small businesses did not have many alternatives to traditional bank loans. Businesses that needed capital fast often had to resort to costly merchant cash advances. Traditional merchant cash advances provide business with a lump sum and then skim a share of their daily credit sales. This provides a flexible payment system, but interest rates can be high: 120% APR and higher.
Small businesses have more options nowadays. Companies such as OnDeck, Kabbage, and PayPal Working Capital provide short-term business loans at lower interest rates.

Bank or Credit Union Loans

If you have an established financial relationship with a bank or credit union, begin your personal loan search there. Traditional lenders usually provide the best rates and terms. However, their application process can be slow, and they have stringent eligibility requirements. Customers with few or no overdrafts in the past have a much better chance of being approved for a personal loan with a bank or credit union. Those who have successfully repaid an auto or mortgage loan in the past have a greater chance as well.

Home Equity or Other Collateral-Backed Loans

Before the housing market crash, many homeowners viewed their houses as cash cows. The overheated market allowed many homeowners to build significant equity within a few years of purchasing their homes, enabling them to finance expensive kitchen and bath rehabs, lavish vacations or big weddings with home equity loans. Today, home equity loans are less common, but they haven’t gone away. If your credit is less than stellar, a home equity loan or another type of personal loan backed by collateral may be your best option for financing your entrepreneurial venture. Just remember you could lose your home or property if you default on your home equity loan.

Fund your small business with marketplace loans

Peer-to-peer loans are another financing option for small business. Their interest rates are competitive, as low as 6%, and they have flexible repayment terms (up to 60 months). Peer-to-peer lenders match lenders directly with borrowers. They usually operate entirely online, which allows them to run with lower overhead and provide lower interest rates. P2P lenders do require would-be borrowers to expose a great deal of their personal information along with their financial profiles when applying for a loan and the approval process can also be slow. Borrowers can wait up to two weeks for investors to fund their loan. The most successful P2P lenders, such as LendingClub, have joined forces with large institutional investors, which can cut the funding time to a week or less.

Personal Loans Vs Credit Cards

Many would-be entrepreneurs eagerly eye their credit cards as sources of easy cash. The trade-off for their convenience is that fees and interest rates on cash advances get expensive fast. A better strategy for using your credit cards as capital is to use them as interest-free short-term loans. Put business purchases on your card and pay it off before the grace period ends. For example, purchases like office supplies, computers and inventory would be considered business purchases. By using your credit cards to purchase goods and services, you avoid the fees associated with cash advances. Choosing the right business credit card can help you earn points toward business travel or statement credits.

Fund your small business by raiding your 401(k) or IRA

If you’re having trouble financing your small business or entrepreneurial venture, consider your retirement funds. Many retirement funds allow you to borrow up to $50,000 without penalty if you have a large enough balance and repay the funds within a certain period.
If you don’t repay the funds, you face stiff early withdrawal penalties. Even if you do return the funds, you forfeit potential earnings from your money that you may not be able to make up. For these reasons, it is best to avoid tapping into your retirement funds if you can avoid it. Roth retirement accounts have less financial penalties and restrictions than traditional IRAs or 401(k)s because they are made up of after-tax contributions.

Better Credit Means Better Loan Rates

If you’ve decided to go the personal loan route to fund your small business, do everything possible to clean up your credit history and raise your credit score first. Borrowers with low credit scores can still obtain personal loans for their business, but they will have to contend with higher interest rates and less favorable terms. Borrowers with good credit — 720 and above — can usually obtain personal loans with better terms and lower rates.

Loans of Last Resort

Conspicuously absent from this list of potential sources of funding are pawn shops and payday loans. Aunt Mildred’s diamond tiara may very well be worth enough to generate the funds you need from a pawn shop. But in the unfortunate event that you are unable to repay the loan, Aunt Mildred’s tiara will be lost forever. Likewise, payday loans are usually a bad bet. Their triple-digit interest rates and short repayment periods make them a financial trap. Repayment can take months, if not years, to escape. If it feels like pawn shops and payday loans are your last hope for funding, you may consider taking on a second job or selling unwanted possessions instead.
Not sure which loan type or business loan providers are best for your new business? SuperMoney’s expert and customer reviews on business loans are a valuable resource you can use for free.

SuperMoney may receive compensation from some or all of the companies featured, and the order of results are influenced by advertising bids, with exception for mortgage and home lending related products. Learn more

Loading results ...

Audrey Henderson

Audrey Henderson is a Chicagoland-based writer and researcher. She holds advanced degrees in sociology and law from Northwestern University. Her writing specialties are sustainable development in the built environment, policy related to arts and popular culture, socially and ecologically responsible travel, civic tech and personal finance.

Share this post:

You might also like