Understand the various ways you might finance your business and how to approach friends and family, angel investors, banks and venture capitalists. Learn to prepare the documents you will need to submit for each. A guest banker will present criteria banks use to determine credit worthiness and a representative from the SBA will discuss the SBA loan guarantee program.

Will discuss: 

1. Borrower's qualifications 

2. How do you communicate? Know how to talk to financiers. 

3. Funding Sources: Where do you go to get financing? 

4. SBA Guaranteed loans: All about the SBA loan guarantee 

    program. 

5. Banker's point of view: What is a banker's take on your 

    qualifications? 

6. Follow Up and set backs: What do you do if the banks reject 

    your application?

Dan Pallat CPA is the owner and operator of Pallat Financial Services. Prior to that, he was a partner with Tatum, LLC, a national executive services and financial consulting firm.  He has facilitated turnarounds for underperforming businesses, prepared business plans and strategic plans, assisted in acquisitions and divestitures, managed the startup of new ventures, prepared cash flow forecasting systems, developed budget models, and designed financial reporting systems.

Dennis Foldenauer is a Supervisory Economic Development Specialist in SBA's Illinois District Office where he conducts outreach on SBA's programs and partners, small business finance and topics of current interest to businesses like the Affordable Care Act. Prior to joining SBA, Dennis represented the US Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Lily Pai joined Accion Chicago as a loan officer in July 2013. As a loan officer, she generates leads for loans by attending events and developing relationships with bankers and other referral sources, and directs small business clients through the Accion Chicago loan process, from application to post loan technical assistance. 

SCORE services are provided on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to race, gender, national origin, or disability