You've been searching for months — maybe longer. You've run the numbers, toured the facility, reviewed the books. The seller is motivated. The business throws off real cash flow. You're ready to make a move. Then the financing question lands: Do you go SBA? For most first-time acquirers, the SBA 7(a) loan is the default answer. And in many cases, it should be. The program exists specifically to help people like you buy businesses — with lower down payments, longer terms, and competitive rates that conventional lenders can't match. But here's what most buyers don't hear until it's too late: the SBA 7(a) program changed significantly in June 2025. New underwriting rules, tighter seller note restrictions, and higher credit thresholds mean that deals that would have sailed through 18 months ago now stall — or die — in committee.
1How PeerSense Helps You Choose — and Close
Most buyers walk into the SBA process blind: they find a lender, submit an application, and hope for the best. PeerSense inverts that process.
The PeerSense deal desk: running both SBA and alternative processes in parallel until the right term sheet is in hand.
We assess your deal before you apply anywhere
We map your deal against SBA eligibility and alternative capital sources before a single application is submitted. This prevents wasted time, protects your credit profile, and ensures you're pursuing the right path from day one.
We match you with the right SBA lender
Not all SBA lenders are created equal. We work with Preferred Lending Partners who specialize in acquisitions — lenders who understand deal structures, move quickly, and have high approval rates. You're not just getting "an SBA lender" — you're getting the best one for your deal.
If SBA doesn't fit, we don't force it
We have 500+ capital sources across SBA, conventional banks, private credit, and institutional lenders. If your deal doesn't fit the SBA box, we pivot immediately to the alternatives that do fit — without wasting 60 days finding out the hard way.
If your deal needs both, we build the stack
SBA for senior debt at the lowest rate. Private credit for speed or additional capital. Seller financing structured to comply with SBA standby requirements. We layer the capital stack so each piece plays its role — and you close with the least cash possible.
No upfront fees — we earn when your deal closes
PeerSense is paid by the lender at closing — not by you upfront. Our incentive is aligned with yours: get the deal done. If the deal doesn't close, we don't get paid. That alignment changes everything.
Based in Westfield, Indiana
PeerSense Capital
We're not a national call center. We're a capital advisory firm that works with business buyers, franchisees, and operators across the country — but we're based here in Indiana, and we answer the phone.
2The Bottom Line
The SBA 7(a) loan is still one of the most powerful tools available for buying a business. Lower down payments, longer terms, and competitive rates make it the right choice for a large percentage of acquisition deals.
But it's not the right choice for every deal — and the June 2025 rule changes narrowed the window. Tighter underwriting, restricted seller note structures, reinstated collateral requirements, and new citizenship rules mean that more deals than ever require either a perfectly structured SBA application or a different path entirely.
The borrowers who close don't just apply and hope. They assess their deal against reality, work with advisors who know both sides of the market, and have a backup plan before they need one.
Deal done: the moment when the right capital structure, the right lender, and the right timing converge into a closed acquisition.
Ready to Move Forward?
If you're acquiring a business, start by running the numbers through our Business Acquisition Calculator, then book a call with PeerSense and we'll tell you — honestly — whether SBA fits your deal, what alternatives exist, and how to structure the financing so your acquisition actually closes.
That's how deals get done.
The Bottom Line
The SBA 7(a) program remains one of the most powerful tools available for business acquisitions — but it's not the right tool for every deal. The 2025 rule changes tightened eligibility, restricted seller note structures, and raised the bar on credit and collateral. If your deal fits the new box, SBA is still the best option. If it doesn't, the answer isn't to force it — it's to run a parallel process and find the capital structure that actually closes. That's how deals get done.