How to Get Your First SBA Loan in 2026 (Full Course + New Rules)

The SBA just rewrote the rules for buying a business, and the latest round of changes went live on October 1st.

If you learned how these loans work before this year, what you can afford may have changed.

A few examples:

→ Banks check how much buffer the business’s profit has to cover the loan payment (that’s called DSCR). A first-time buyer used to need $1.15 for every $1. Now it’s $1.25.

→ You still put 10% down, but the seller and investors can now cover only half of it.

→ 🚨 Plus a new ownership rule where the wrong investor, even with a 1% stake, can sink your whole loan.

👉 Watch me walk you through all 9 steps to getting one of these loans, plus every rule that just changed, in this week’s video

And for our audio-only listeners, jump in and listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

But if you want to learn a bit more, let's dive into this week’s topic...

For most first-time buyers, an SBA loan is one of the best risk-adjusted ways to buy a business.

You put down a smaller part of the price, often around 10%, and the SBA loan covers the majority, paid back over 10 years.

Those longer terms keep more cash in the business, so you have room to grow it.

It’s a win for the seller too. They walk away with most of their money at closing, instead of waiting years to get paid.

And if you want to see how these deals get done, both of these Pro members used an SBA loan to buy their business 👇

Justin: 40-year-old landscaping company
💰$1.2M purchase price
📈 ~$425K/yr cash flow
🏦 10% down
🤝 25% seller note
🏛️ 65% SBA loan
✅ Closed in 11 months while working full-time as a single dad

👉 Watch his breakdown

Amy: 18-person law firm (Los Angeles)
💰 ~$1M purchase price
📈 ~$670K/yr profit
🏦 ~11% down
🏛️ ~89% SBA loan
✅ Profitable from day one, 10 minutes from home

👉 Watch her breakdown

Both of them started where you are right now.

So if you want to buy a $1M+ business in 6-12 months but don’t want to spend years figuring it out alone, let’s talk.

👉 Learn more and book a call to see if you’d be a good fit

👀 Quick Update: We’re not even halfway through October, and 4 Pro members have already closed deals this month, and another 6 have gone under LOI.

We helped them source these deals (including off-market deals you won’t find on BizBuySell) and worked with them 1:1 to structure winning offers, catch red flags, and secure financing, handholding them all the way to close and through the transition.

On October 31st, we're retiring a bonus worth five figures for new Pro members.

So if you've been waiting for the right time to make a move...

👉 Book a call and see if you’re a fit.

COMMUNITY PERKS

• Ready to buy and operate a $1M+ business? Get expert help at every step.

• Want to invest passively in SMB acquisitions? Get access to investment opportunities.

• Get a personal introduction to my preferred SBA 7(a) lender, non-SBA lenders, Quality of Earnings providers, or legal counsel

• Raising capital for your deal? I’ll connect you with investors from the SMB Deal Hunter Community.

• Interested in selling your business? I’ll help you connect with buyers from the SMB Deal Hunter Community.

THAT’S A WRAP

Want me to interview you for my podcast? Hit reply.

See you next week with some new deals!

-Helen Guo
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Disclaimer

This publication is a newsletter only and the information provided herein is the opinion of our editors and writers only. Any transaction or opportunity of any kind is provided for information only; SMB Deal Hunter does not verify nor confirm information. SMB Deal Hunter is not making any offer to readers to participate in any transaction or opportunity described herein.