Creative Financing Appraoches

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September 02, 2025

by a searcher from Villanova University in Philadelphia, PA, USA

Forgive me if this topic has been created in the past but would love to hear this group's experience with differing levers and sources for structuring acquisitions. I know it's all about de-risking for all parties - I'm sure there are some creative win-win approaches that are unique depending on the seller/buyer requirements. I've started a list below but would love to hear what others have come across or used in the past: 1. Personal Cash (from savings, retirement accounts, HELOC, etc.) 2. Friends & Family Cash 3. Business Cash (from investing activities, net earnings, etc.) 4. Debt Financing - SBA 5. Debt Financing - SBICs 6. Debt Financing - Conventional Loans / Credit Unions 7. Equity - Private 8. Equity - Public 9. Equity - Angel / Venture Capital 10. Seller Financing 11. Seller Equity (so don't have to finance the entire purchase - at least not up front) 12. Supplier Financing - particularly in instances where one is purchasing a business to drive inorganic growth 13. Inventory / Order Loans 14. Receivable Financing (typically through a factor for shorter term loans) 15. Lines of Credit 16. Earn outs - Not permissible by SBA 17. Performance Penalties - Permissible by SBA 18. Royalty Financing 19. ESOPs 20. Management / Key Employee Contribution 21. JVs & Partnerships 22. Real Estate Financing (use RE to finance the acquisition or part of) 23. Crowd Funding 24. Insurance Policy Loans 25. Leaseback Capital 26. Work in/Buy In (Become a GM and buy over time) Also curious to hear what combinations have worked. For example, I assume most SBA loans will have at least 10% injected by the buyer to avoid having any seller financing loans go on standby. For those who have leveraged seller financing, what % were you able to get the seller to finance? Has anyone allowed the seller to retain a small portion of equity to stay engaged and participate in the success of the business?
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Reply by a professional
from University of Southern California in North Palm Beach, FL, USA
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Reply by a professional
from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL, USA
Hi Jeremy, I’m happy to offer some insights and chat more. You can reach me at redacted
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