Business Finance Broker for Australian Businesses
Business loans, overdrafts, tax debt lending and working capital from 50+ lenders
When your business needs funding without buying an asset, the options multiply fast and so do the traps. Sierra Finance is a business finance broker comparing 50+ lenders across business loans, overdrafts, invoice finance and more, structuring each file so it goes to the lenders most likely to approve it.
Most facilities are assessed on bank statements alone, and fast approvals mean funding is often available within 24 to 48 hours.
Our Lenders
Business Finance Solutions We Arrange
Every other page on this site covers finance secured by the thing you are buying. Business finance is different. There is no ute or excavator for the lender to hold as security, so the decision comes down to the strength of the business itself: your turnover, your bank statements and your trading history. That changes which lenders will look at your file and how the application needs to be presented. Here is what we arrange.
Business Loans A lump sum over a fixed term for any genuine business purpose: stock, fit outs, hiring, expansion or consolidating existing facilities. Unsecured options run to around $250,000 with a director guarantee, and larger amounts can be secured against property or business assets. For the full breakdown of structures, terms and what lenders look for, see our business loans page.
Business Overdrafts A revolving credit limit that sits behind your account. You draw what you need, repay as cash comes in, and interest applies only to the drawn balance. Most business owners do not realise lenders outside the major banks now offer overdrafts, often approved on bank statements and live within 24 to 72 hours. They are one of the most popular facilities we write because the limit sits there ready for the quiet month or the unexpected bill.
Tax Debt Lending ATO debt is one of the most common reasons businesses call us right now. A tax debt sitting on your file can sink an equipment finance application, and the ATO has become far more aggressive on collection. We arrange facilities that clear or refinance the debt into a structured repayment, which takes the pressure off and protects your ability to get other finance approved. Some lenders will not touch tax debt and others specialise in it, so knowing which is which matters.
Low Doc Loans If your financials are not up to date or you would rather not produce them, low doc options are assessed on bank statements and clean account conduct instead. This applies across both cash flow lending and asset finance, and it suits self employed operators and businesses whose accountant is always one year behind.
Debtor and Invoice Finance If you invoice other businesses on 30, 60 or 90 day terms, invoice finance releases most of the invoice value within a day or two of issuing it instead of waiting for payment. Facilities can cover a single invoice or your whole ledger. It suits wholesale, labour hire, transport and manufacturing businesses where slow payers squeeze cash flow even when the work is profitable.
Insurance Premium Funding Annual business insurance premiums can run to tens of thousands of dollars in industries like transport, construction and manufacturing. Premium funding spreads that single annual bill into monthly instalments over the policy year, so your working capital stays in the business. These are quick files to arrange and they renew with the policy each year.
Business Acquisition Finance Funding the purchase of an existing business or franchise. These are the most involved files in commercial lending because lenders are cautious about paying for goodwill, and the structure usually combines lending against the hard assets in the sale with a cash flow component. They are achievable with the right preparation, and the earlier we are involved before you sign anything, the better the outcome.
How Business Finance Works
Cash flow lending is assessed on evidence the business can service the repayments, and for most lenders that evidence is your business bank statements, usually the last 6 or 12 months. They read them closely. Consistent income, no dishonours, existing commitments being met and how the account is conducted all count for more than a polished set of financials.
Unsecured facilities to around $250,000 typically need nothing more than a director guarantee. Above that, lenders look for a general security agreement over the business or property security, which unlocks larger limits and brings the pricing down in return.
Terms run from a few months for short term working capital through to five years for larger structured loans. Overdrafts and invoice finance facilities are ongoing and reviewed periodically rather than repaid to zero.
Speed is the real difference from bank lending. Straightforward files are often approved the same day and funded within 24 to 48 hours, because the assessment is built around bank statement data rather than committee meetings.
Who Business Finance Is For
Most cash flow lenders prefer to see two or more years of trading, but that is a preference rather than a wall. If you have been trading for less, we tailor the options. The lender panel narrows and pricing shifts, but funding is still very achievable with clean bank statements.
We arrange business finance for trades and construction, transport and logistics, manufacturing, wholesale, agriculture, healthcare, hospitality and professional services. The common thread is not the industry, it is the situation: covering wages or BAS through a slow month, buying stock ahead of a busy season, clearing an ATO debt, funding a fit out, or bridging the gap while a big invoice sits unpaid.
Credit history matters less than most people expect. Paid defaults and older issues can usually be worked around when current account conduct is clean. What matters is presenting the file to the right lender with the story explained upfront rather than discovered halfway through assessment.
Why Use a Business Finance Broker
There are dozens of cash flow lenders in Australia and their appetites are wildly different. One declines any file with tax debt, the next specialises in it. One wants two years of trading, another funds from twelve months. Pricing on identical files can vary enormously, and the advertised rate is rarely the real cost once establishment fees and charges are counted.
Going direct means guessing which lender fits and finding out through declines. We already know where each type of file gets approved, so your application goes to lenders selected for your situation rather than scattered across the market.
Then there is the structure conversation, which is where a broker earns their keep. Plenty of business finance enquiries are better solved a different way: an overdraft instead of a loan, invoice finance instead of either, or asset finance when equipment is involved, because a machine offered as security is cheaper money than an unsecured facility. If the funding is for machinery or vehicles, our machinery finance and vehicle finance pages cover that side. We will tell you when the cheaper structure fits, because our clients come back for the next file.
Not sure which facility fits?
Tell us what you are trying to fund and we will come back with the structure and the numbers. No obligation, and no credit check for having the conversation.
Getting Business Finance
1. Tell us what you need
A quick phone call covers what you are funding, how much and how fast you need it. You supply bank statements through a secure link, which takes about ten minutes.
2. We structure and place the file
We match your situation to the lenders most likely to approve it, agree the structure with you, then submit. Straightforward approvals often land the same day.
3. Funds in your account
Loans typically fund within 24 to 48 hours of approval. Overdraft and invoice finance facilities are usually live and ready to draw within 24 to 72 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
A business finance broker sits between your business and the lending market. We assess your situation, work out which facility actually fits, then place the application with lenders selected for your file rather than whoever advertised loudest. We handle the application, negotiate the terms and manage everything through to funding. Sierra Finance compares options across 50+ lenders.
Your bank sees one set of products and applies one credit policy. If your file does not fit, the answer is no, and bank timelines for business lending often run to weeks. A broker compares the wider market, including lenders that approve on bank statements within a day or two. Banks still win on price for some strong files, and if that is you, we will say so.
Any genuine business purpose. Common uses include stock purchases, wages through a quiet patch, BAS and tax obligations, fit outs, marketing, hiring, buying out a business partner and consolidating existing facilities. Lenders ask the purpose, but most are flexible provided it is business related.
Unsecured facilities rely on the strength of your trading and a director guarantee, with no specific asset held as security. They are faster to arrange and typically run to around $250,000. Secured facilities are backed by property or a general security agreement over the business, which unlocks larger amounts and lower pricing.
Straightforward files assessed on bank statements are often approved the same day and funded within 24 to 48 hours. Larger or secured facilities take longer because valuations and documentation come into it. Tell us the deadline upfront and we will work with lenders that can meet it.
For most cash flow facilities, photo ID and your business bank statements, usually the last 6 or 12 months, supplied through a secure link in a few minutes. Larger amounts bring in financials, an ATO portal printout and sometimes a letter from your accountant. We confirm the exact list before anything is submitted.
Cash flow lenders generally work off your turnover, and a rough guide for unsecured lending is one to one and a half times your average monthly revenue, with more available when security is offered. We arrange facilities from around $10,000 through to seven figures for secured structures. What you should borrow is a different question, and we model the repayments against your cash flow before you commit.
Yes, and it is one of the most common situations we handle. Some lenders decline any file with tax debt, others are comfortable when it is disclosed and structured, and several specialise in refinancing the debt itself. The worst approach is hiding it, because lenders see the payments in your bank statements. Disclosed upfront to the right lender, tax debt is very workable.
A loan suits a defined purchase with a known cost, like a fit out or a stock order, repaid over a set term. An overdraft suits recurring cash flow gaps where the amount and timing vary, because you draw only what you need and interest applies only to the drawn balance. Plenty of businesses run both. We map the structure to how the money will actually be used.
You issue an invoice to a business customer, the lender advances most of its value within a day or two, and the balance less fees is released when your customer pays. Facilities can cover selected invoices or your whole ledger. It suits businesses on 30 to 90 day payment terms where the money is earned but not yet in the bank.
Usually, yes. Most lenders prefer two or more years of trading, but a decent number fund from twelve months and some from six with strong bank statements. The panel narrows and pricing reflects the shorter history, so placing the file with the right lender first time matters even more. If the funding is for equipment, asset finance is often easier to approve for newer businesses because the asset itself is the security.
Often, yes. Lenders care most about current account conduct: consistent income, no dishonours and existing commitments being met. Paid defaults and older issues can usually be explained and placed with lenders that accept them. Serious recent issues limit the options, but limited is not the same as none, and we will be straight with you about what is realistic.
Premium funding spreads a large annual insurance premium into monthly instalments over the policy year, so a single bill of tens of thousands does not drain your working capital in one hit. It is common in transport, construction and manufacturing where cover is expensive. It is a quick facility to set up and it renews with the policy each year.
In most cases our service costs you nothing directly, because the lender pays us on settlement. Where a file involves a fee, you will know exactly what it is before anything is submitted. There are no surprises after funding, and quotes and conversations are free with no obligation.
A formal application involves a credit check, so scattering applications across multiple lenders leaves marks on your file and works against you. Our process avoids that. We assess your situation and select the lender before anything formal is lodged, so you make one targeted application rather than several hopeful ones. The initial conversation and quote involve no credit check at all.
What Our Clients Say About Us
Get Business Finance Sorted
Tell us what you need and when you need it. We compare 50+ lenders and come back with real options, usually the same day.