When others say, “No,” we say “Yes!”

Opening your first business is challenging, and it’s even more difficult when you’re constantly turned down for funding due to a lack of business funds. It seems like a Catch-22. You wouldn’t need the loan if you had the funds already, but often lenders want to see a demonstrated history of success with strong, consistent income to see if you are a risk.

So, what’s an inspiring entrepreneur to do? Come see us! We’ll look at the full picture and find ways to make it happen. Just look at what we were able to do for local Pain Management Specialist, Dr. Julio Olaya, who dreamed of opening his own practice.

After struggling to find a lender willing to look past certain risk metrics that would otherwise prevent Dr. Olaya from capitalizing his now-thriving business, he visited us to see if we could help fund his startup pain management clinic. And we could!

Unlike traditional banks, which typically require years of cash flow, years of tax returns, adequate collateral, and more to show that you have something going there that’s profitable in order to prove credibility to pay back a loan, we look at the bigger picture.

“The most difficult thing for a startup is it starts with nothing but blue skies and big dreams. It’s an idea, but it’s more risk than a traditional bank can take for giving out funds,” said Jad Malek, Arkansas Federal’s senior Vice President and chief retail officer. “But at Arkansas Federal, we look at your company potential and do our best to help you access financing when most other banks say ‘No.’ Our mission is to make a difference and help you reach your goals.”

And meet his goals, we did. We were able to find the funding for him to open his clinic, Pain Medicine Specialists of Arkansas.

“With local member-ownership and local decision making, we’re able to treat your business like our own and strive to help with various business loans and financial solutions, along with a member service support team to give businesses the help and support needed along the way,” said Malek. We understand your needs, and we’re here to help guide you and make a difference. We desire to support business owners that come to us for financial assistance. Know that we’re here for you—and together, we’ll do everything we can to help your business grow!