Entrepreneurs on Fire The Funding Secret Most Small Business Owners Don't Know About And How It's Changing the Game with Jake Lerner
9 snips
May 7, 2026 
Jake Lerner, Chief Revenue Officer at Revenued and former Vantage Capital president, explains alternative funding and revenue-based financing. He breaks down why banks block small businesses. He discusses when revenue matters more than credit scores. He shares fast application processes, real business use cases, and how to match capital to growth goals.
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Perceived Funding Gap Comes From Bank Barriers
- Access to capital is often easier than entrepreneurs assume because banks and SBA processes have become more onerous.
- Jake Lerner notes long bank timelines and strict documentation deter owners, creating a perceived funding gap rather than a true lack of options.
Evaluate Financing By Use Case Not Sticker Rate
- Don't dismiss alternative financing as automatically too expensive; evaluate cost relative to the specific use case and timeframe.
- Jake gives the payroll example: $10,000 for a week could cost ~$48 with revenue-based funding versus larger bank origination fees or bounced payroll consequences.
Revenue Outweighs Personal FICO For Underwriting
- Revenue-based underwriting prioritizes consistent cash flow and real bank deposits over a personal FICO history.
- Jake Lerner explains this lets lenders quantify business performance even when founders' personal credit suffered while bootstrapping.