Business Loans from Family & Friends: How to Ask, Make It Legal & Make It Work

Skipping the bank is an option: learn how to ask for money from trusted family and friends, keep it legal, and keep everybody happy. About 65% of domestic banks report that they have tightened their lending standards for commercial and industrial loans to small firms (CNN, September 18, 2008).Many entrepreneurs at the early and often untested stages of launching or expanding a small business are having difficulty qualifying for traditional bank loans or venture capital in the down economy, particularly those with poor credit ratings. Business Loans From Family & Friends opens a window on an area of lending that accounts for more than 50% of all startup business investment dollars, and, additionally, is a great resource for those who have identified their lending friends or family, but want to know how to structure the deal so that everyone understands it and no one gets hurt.