A business can look profitable. The broker can call it “SBA pre-qualified.” The numbers can seem solid.

And the deal can still be a disaster waiting to happen.

Because financing doesn’t just help you buy a business. Structured badly, it can trap you in a deal that should never have closed in the first place.

Ami Kassar has seen what happens when buyers get this wrong. One e-commerce acquisition he discusses was built around a single product. Just weeks after the transaction closed, a better product hit the market.

The business was dead.

And that’s only one version of the risk.

Buyers jump into industries they’ve never operated in. They rely too heavily on one product, one supplier, or one sales channel. They treat lender pre-qualifications like guarantees. They rush because a seller wants to close fast. Or they take expensive “easy money” because speed feels more important than structure.

That’s where deals get dangerous.

In this episode, Jaryd sits down with Ami Kassar to unpack what buyers need to understand before taking on acquisition debt — from why SBA pre-qualifications may mean far less than you think, to what lenders actually look for in you and the business you’re buying.

They break down how to improve your fundability before the right deal appears, why post-close liquidity matters, when seller involvement can help get a transaction financed, and why working capital should be part of the conversation before you ever sign on the dotted line.

But the bigger lesson goes beyond getting approved.

Ami believes the smartest financing strategy is the one that gives you maximum flexibility — because the goal isn’t to build the biggest portfolio, take on the most leverage, or grow at a pace that destroys your sleep.

It’s to structure a deal you can actually live with.

🎧 Hit play before you finance your first — or next — online business acquisition. This conversation could save you from the kind of deal that looks exciting at closing… and becomes expensive the moment reality hits.

 

Episode Highlights

03:16 - The Question Every Buyer Should Ask Before Taking on Acquisition Debt: What Could Bring This Business to Its Knees?

06:14 - Why an “SBA Pre-Qualified” Business May Not Be Financeable When a Real Buyer Shows Up

07:48 - The E-Commerce Risk That Can Kill an Acquisition Weeks After Closing: One Product, One Channel, No Backup

12:42 - Why the Lowest Monthly Payment Can Matter More Than the Lowest Interest Rate When Structuring a Deal

16:14 - The Fast-Close Financing Trap: Why a Seller Pushing to Close in Weeks Should Immediately Raise Questions

18:06 - What Lenders Actually Look at Before Funding You: Clean Books, Tax Returns, Credit and Your Existing Businesses

30:28 - The Predatory Lending Trap: How “Fast Money” Can Put a Stressed Business on a Treadmill That Kills It

 

Key Takeaways

➥ Ask what could bring the business to its knees before taking on acquisition debt.

➥ “SBA pre-qualified” does not mean guaranteed financing. The buyer, business, and lender appetite still matter.

➥ Lenders assess both the deal and the buyer—from industry experience to credit, tax returns, and financial discipline.

➥ The best financing structure creates flexibility through manageable payments, liquidity, and access to working capital.

➥ Rushing a deal can be costly. Fast closes, weak due diligence, and expensive short-term financing are major warning signs.

➥ Cash reserves matter after closing. Buyers need enough runway to handle setbacks without putting the business at risk.

➥ More debt and more acquisitions do not always mean more success. Build around your risk tolerance, lifestyle, and long-term goals.

 

About Ami Kassar

Ami Kassar is the founder and CEO of MultiFunding and author of The Growth Dilemma. For over 25 years he's helped entrepreneurs across the US unlock creative, cost-saving financing solutions — from SBA loans to alternative debt structures — to grow companies, improve cash flow, and restructure debt responsibly. He advises the White House, Treasury Department, Congress, and the Federal Reserve Bank, and is frequently quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the New York Times. He writes a weekly column for 21 Hats

 

Connect with Ami Kassar

➥ MultiFunding LinkedIn 

➥ MultiFunding Facebook

➥ MultiFunding Instagram: @MultiFunding 

 

Resource Links

➥ Connect with Jaryd here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarydkrause

➥ FREE Download the Due Diligence Framework - https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com/freeresources/

➥ Buying Online Businesses Website - https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com

➥ Online Business Due Diligence Services -https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com/duediligence

 

Buy & Sell Online Businesses Here (Top Website Brokers We Use) 🔥

➥ Empire Flippers - https://bit.ly/3RtyMkE

➥ Flippa - https://bit.ly/3wGa8r5

➥ Motion Invest - https://bit.ly/3YmJAmO

➥ Investors Club - https://bit.ly/3ZpgioR

 

*This post may contain affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site/posts at no additional cost to you.

A business can look profitable. The broker can call it &ldquo;SBA pre-qualified.&rdquo; The numbers can seem solid.
And the deal can still be a disaster waiting to happen.
Because financing doesn&rsquo;t just help you buy a business. Structured badly, it can trap you in a deal that should never have closed in the first place.
Ami Kassar has seen what happens when buyers get this wrong. One e-commerce acquisition he discusses was built around a single product. Just weeks after the transaction closed, a better product hit the market.
The business was dead.
And that&rsquo;s only one version of the risk.
Buyers jump into industries they&rsquo;ve never operated in. They rely too heavily on one product, one supplier, or one sales channel. They treat lender pre-qualifications like guarantees. They rush because a seller wants to close fast. Or they take expensive &ldquo;easy money&rdquo; because speed feels more important than structure.
That&rsquo;s where deals get dangerous.
In this episode, Jaryd sits down with Ami Kassar to unpack what buyers need to understand before taking on acquisition debt &mdash; from why SBA pre-qualifications may mean far less than you think, to what lenders actually look for in you and the business you&rsquo;re buying.
They break down how to improve your fundability before the right deal appears, why post-close liquidity matters, when seller involvement can help get a transaction financed, and why working capital should be part of the conversation before you ever sign on the dotted line.
But the bigger lesson goes beyond getting approved.
Ami believes the smartest financing strategy is the one that gives you maximum flexibility &mdash; because the goal isn&rsquo;t to build the biggest portfolio, take on the most leverage, or grow at a pace that destroys your sleep.
It&rsquo;s to structure a deal you can actually live with.
🎧 Hit play before you finance your first &mdash; or next &mdash; online business acquisition. This conversation could save you from the kind of deal that looks exciting at closing&hellip; and becomes expensive the moment reality hits.
&nbsp;
Episode Highlights
03:16 - The Question Every Buyer Should Ask Before Taking on Acquisition Debt: What Could Bring This Business to Its Knees?
06:14 - Why an &ldquo;SBA Pre-Qualified&rdquo; Business May Not Be Financeable When a Real Buyer Shows Up
07:48 - The E-Commerce Risk That Can Kill an Acquisition Weeks After Closing: One Product, One Channel, No Backup
12:42 - Why the Lowest Monthly Payment Can Matter More Than the Lowest Interest Rate When Structuring a Deal
16:14 - The Fast-Close Financing Trap: Why a Seller Pushing to Close in Weeks Should Immediately Raise Questions
18:06 - What Lenders Actually Look at Before Funding You: Clean Books, Tax Returns, Credit and Your Existing Businesses
30:28 - The Predatory Lending Trap: How &ldquo;Fast Money&rdquo; Can Put a Stressed Business on a Treadmill That Kills It
&nbsp;
Key Takeaways
➥ Ask what could bring the business to its knees before taking on acquisition debt.
➥ &ldquo;SBA pre-qualified&rdquo; does not mean guaranteed financing. The buyer, business, and lender appetite still matter.
➥ Lenders assess both the deal and the buyer&mdash;from industry experience to credit, tax returns, and financial discipline.
➥ The best financing structure creates flexibility through manageable payments, liquidity, and access to working capital.
➥ Rushing a deal can be costly. Fast closes, weak due diligence, and expensive short-term financing are major warning signs.
➥ Cash reserves matter after closing. Buyers need enough runway to handle setbacks without putting the business at risk.
➥ More debt and more acquisitions do not always mean more success. Build around your risk tolerance, lifestyle, and long-term goals.
&nbsp;
About Ami Kassar
Ami Kassar is the founder and CEO of MultiFunding and author of The Growth Dilemma. For over 25 years he's helped entrepreneurs across the US unlock creative, cost-saving financing solutions &mdash; from SBA loans to alternative debt structures &mdash; to grow companies, improve cash flow, and restructure debt responsibly. He advises the White House, Treasury Department, Congress, and the Federal Reserve Bank, and is frequently quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the New York Times. He writes a weekly column for 21 Hats
&nbsp;
Connect with Ami Kassar
➥ <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/multifunding-llc/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true">MultiFunding LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;
➥ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/multifundingllc">MultiFunding Facebook</a>
➥ MultiFunding Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/multifunding/">@MultiFunding</a>&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Resource Links
➥ Connect with Jaryd here -<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarydkrause"> https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarydkrause</a>
➥ FREE Download the Due Diligence Framework - <a href="https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com/freeresources/">https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com/freeresources/ </a>➥ Buying Online Businesses Website -<a href="https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com/"> https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com</a>
➥ Online Business Due Diligence Services -<a href="https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com/ads-services/"> </a>https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com/duediligence
&nbsp;
Buy &amp; Sell Online Businesses Here (Top Website Brokers We Use) 🔥
➥ Empire Flippers -<a href="https://bit.ly/3RtyMkE"> https://bit.ly/3RtyMkE</a>
➥ Flippa -<a href="https://bit.ly/3wGa8r5"> https://bit.ly/3wGa8r5</a>
➥ Motion Invest -<a href="https://bit.ly/3YmJAmO"> https://bit.ly/3YmJAmO </a>➥ Investors Club -<a href="https://bit.ly/3ZpgioR"> https://bit.ly/3ZpgioR</a>
&nbsp;
*This post may contain affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site/posts at no additional cost to you.

Jaryd Krause quit his plumbing job in 2015 by acquiring online businesses and never looked back. Now one of the world's leading Online Business M&A advisors, he's helped thousands of people acquire profitable businesses, made his clients millions, and scaled companies from 6 to 8 figures.

The Buying Online Businesses Podcast cuts through the noise on acquisitions, M&A strategy, and building real wealth through buying already profitable online businesses. Whether you're looking to replace your income or build a portfolio that funds the life you actually want, this is your show!

Jaryd Krause quit his plumbing job in 2015 by acquiring online businesses and never looked back. Now one of the world's leading Online Business M&amp;A advisors, he's helped thousands of people acquire profitable businesses, made his clients millions, and scaled companies from 6 to 8 figures.
The Buying Online Businesses Podcast cuts through the noise on acquisitions, M&amp;A strategy, and building real wealth through buying already profitable online businesses. Whether you're looking to replace your income or build a portfolio that funds the life you actually want, this is your show!

Buying Online Businesses Podcast

Hosted by Jaryd Krause who went from plumber to creating an online business empire through buying websites for passive income. 

This podcast will unfold his secrets as you explore the highs, lows and light bulb moments of his personal journey in each episode. He will show you that no matter where you are in life an alternate lifestyle is more than possible. You will gain the knowledge you need to start buying online businesses yourself and live a fulfilling lifestyle.