If your business is still in its first two years, startup business funding usually comes down to a short file. Lenders do not have a long track record to read, so they look harder at the months you do have. This guide covers time in business, monthly revenue and bank statements, credit, industry, what to gather before you apply, why an application stalls, and how to compare offers on total cost rather than the payment alone.
This is general education. It is not a loan offer, and it is not a recommendation to take a particular product.
Time in business
Time in business is the number of months since you started operating, not the date you thought of the idea. Funders use it because a longer history gives them more deposits, more tax filings, and more proof that the business can pay its bills.
What counts as enough time depends on the product. Murr Capital's FAQ page describes a general bar of at least 4 to 6 months in business. The same page says startups with at least 4 months of operating history and steady revenue can apply for products such as merchant cash advances and working capital, while SBA loans and lines of credit usually want 1 to 2 years. It also says SBA loans often ask for 2 or more years.
The homepage FAQ says Murr Capital works with startups that have no revenue yet. A young company is not shut out of every product. A thin history will not fit every product either. If you are under a year, say so plainly and ask which products can review a file that short.
Timing is product-specific too. Murr Capital's FAQ page says merchant cash advances and working capital can fund in as little as 24 to 48 hours, lines of credit usually take 2 to 10 business days, equipment financing runs 3 to 14 days, and SBA loans typically take 30 to 90 days.
Monthly revenue and bank statements
Monthly revenue is the money the business actually collects. Reviewers compare the number on your application with the deposits in the account. When those two stories disagree, the file slows down or stops.
Murr Capital's FAQ page describes a general revenue bar of $7,500 or more a month, plus an active business bank account. That is a general bar, not a rule that every product uses the same number. The homepage FAQ says the company also works with startups that do not have revenue yet, and that one application is how you see what fits your situation.
Bank statements are how a reviewer checks the revenue claim. On the FAQ page, most products ask for 3 to 6 months of business bank statements once the file needs documents. Read those statements the way a reviewer will:
- Whose account is it? A business account in the company name is easier to follow than a personal account that mixes rent, groceries, and sales.
- Do deposits match the revenue you wrote down? Cash you never deposit is invisible on a statement. Transfers from your own savings are not sales.
- Are the months complete? A missing month looks like a gap, even when that month was fine.
- What else is leaving the account? Returned items, daily pulls from an existing advance, and large unexplained withdrawals all change how much room is left for a new payment.
You do not need a flawless set of statements. You do need a set that tells one clear story.
Credit
In the first two years, many funders still look at the owner's personal credit because the business credit file is short. A stronger score opens more products. It does not, by itself, approve you, and a weaker score does not automatically end the conversation.
Murr Capital's FAQ page says it works with lenders across the credit spectrum, that partners work with scores as low as 500, and that some products have no minimum score. The same page says some products, including SBA loans, ask for a score of 680 or higher. Know your own score before you apply so an offer built for a different score does not surprise you.
Industry
Industry matters because products are built around how a business gets paid. Card sales, invoices, equipment, and a standard term loan each raise different questions. A restaurant, a contractor, and a consultant can all be fundable and still see a different file.
Murr Capital's FAQ page says its lending partners serve nearly every legal industry, including retail, restaurants, healthcare, construction, transportation, professional services, and manufacturing. It also says a few SBA-specific restrictions apply to certain fields. If your work is seasonal, mostly cash, or unfamiliar to the person reading the file, a short note on how customers pay you will do more than a generic description of the business.
What to prepare before you apply
Murr Capital's homepage says the application starts with the basics about you and the business, and that you are told if a lender needs a document such as a bank statement. The longer FAQ page lists what most products ask for once documents are in play:
- 3 to 6 months of business bank statements
- A valid government-issued photo ID
- Proof of business ownership
That page also says SBA loans may ask for tax returns, financial statements, and a business plan. The how-it-works page points owners at a profit and loss statement, tax returns, and bank statements when they are getting the numbers together.
Before you open the form, write down four things in plain numbers:
- The month and year the business started operating
- Average monthly revenue, and which account those deposits hit
- How much you want, and what the money is for, such as payroll, inventory, equipment, or a slow season
- What you already pay other funders each week or month
Applying through Murr Capital is free. There is no application fee, and there is no obligation to take an offer. The homepage says that if you accept funding, you see the full cost before you sign. You can save an application and come back, which the FAQ page also notes.
Why applications stall
A stall is usually a missing fact. These are the gaps that stop a young-business file:
- The revenue number and the deposits disagree. Fix the number, or explain cash you did not deposit.
- Statements are incomplete, or they come from the wrong account. Send the months that were requested, from the account that collects sales.
- The business is younger than the product. An SBA-style file and a short-term working-capital file do not ask for the same history. Murr Capital's FAQ page says SBA loans and lines of credit usually want 1 to 2 years, while other products can review a shorter history.
- Ownership on the application does not match the documents. The name on the ID, the bank account, and the ownership record should line up. If they do not, be ready to explain why.
- Existing payments already take a large share of deposits. Another advance pulling from the account every day can leave too little for a new payment. List what you already pay.
- The document request goes unanswered. The FAQ page says you can save an application and return to it. A file that sits without the statements that were requested does not move.
Compare offers on total cost, not the payment
A smaller payment can be the expensive offer. The payment is what leaves the account this week. The cost is everything you pay back before the balance is done.
Put every offer on one sheet and line up the same facts:
| Line it up | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Cash you receive | The amount that hits your account after any fees taken up front. |
| Total you repay | The full payoff: the amount received plus every fee, or the factor or cap written in the agreement. |
| Payment | How much comes out, how often, and whether it is a fixed amount or a share of sales. |
| How long it runs | A lower payment that runs for many more months can cost more than a higher payment that ends sooner. |
| Paying it off early | Whether the fee shrinks if you pay early, stays the same, or adds a prepayment charge. |
| What you pledge | A personal guarantee, a lien on business assets, or a share of future sales. Know which one you are signing. |
Murr Capital's FAQ page says prepayment rules depend on the lender and the product. Some term loans, including some SBA loans, can include a prepayment charge in the early years. Read that line before you treat two similar payments as the same deal.
For a closer look at three common structures, read SBA 7(a) vs MCA vs revenue-based financing.
Apply when the file is ready
Murr Capital takes one application and works with 75+ lenders. Applying is free, with no obligation to accept an offer. If you do accept funding, the homepage says you see the full cost before you sign.