Learn how it works
The school teaches the business and shows you how to use the tools: understand financing options, screen a client, analyze a deal and prepare a loan request. Practice with sample files as you learn.
Commercial Finance School
Learn how to broker commercial loans.
A self-paced online school for people who want to arrange financing for business owners and investors. 17 modules and 86 lessons cover how lenders think, every major loan type, packaging, underwriting, getting paid and finding clients, with six software tools you learn with and keep for life. No previous commercial lending experience is required.
- 17modules
- 86lessons
- 6software tools
- Lifetimeaccess
Every business needs financing. Most of them need help getting it.
There are 36.2 million small businesses in the United States, in every state and every industry. Among businesses with employees, 86 percent use financing on a regular basis, 60 percent applied for some kind of financing in the last 12 months, and 38 percent applied for a loan, a line of credit or a cash advance. They apply to cover operating expenses, to expand or buy assets, to keep credit available, to replace equipment and to refinance debt. Fewer than half of them receive everything they ask for. Applicants who went to a small bank were approved in full more often than applicants anywhere else. Lender fit and a well-prepared package matter, alongside the business's cash flow, credit and eligibility.
A broker helps a business understand its options and prepare a request for a suitable lender. The SBA alone guaranteed 84,400 7(a) and 504 loans for $44.8 billion in fiscal year 2025, about 320 loans every working day, and that is one program family among many. Equipment lenders, credit unions, CDFIs, state programs and private lenders offer other financing routes. The school teaches you how to evaluate those routes and explain your services and fees clearly.
It is easier to learn than it looks
Commercial finance has a reputation for being complicated. It is not. It is a small number of moving parts that repeat on every deal:
- About a dozen loan types. SBA 7(a), SBA 504, conventional real estate, equipment loans and leases, lines of credit, working capital, refinancing, state programs, USDA, export and bridge. You will know all of them.
- Two core ratios. Debt service coverage and loan to value. Learn these alongside credit, equity, eligibility and the lender's other requirements. The Calculators help with the arithmetic.
- One package. The same documents, the same sources and uses table and the same two-page summary, adjusted by loan type. The Package Builder generates the checklist and writes the summary with you.
- Lender relationships. Knowing which bank, credit union, CDC or equipment lender wants which deal. Your Lender Matrix holds that knowledge.
If you are a real estate agent or a loan officer, skills such as finding clients, collecting documents and managing transactions give you a useful foundation. The school adds commercial financing knowledge, lender selection and loan packaging. If you are starting your first brokerage, begin with the business setup lessons and work through the practice files.
Sources: SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 Small Business Profiles. Federal Reserve Banks, Small Business Credit Survey, 2026 Report on Employer Firms and 2025 Report on Employer Firms. SBA, fiscal year 2025 lending results.
Why take this school instead of figuring it out alone
You can learn commercial finance on your own, one declined deal at a time. The school gives you the whole path in order, with the tools to do the work from the first lesson.
The whole business, in order
How lenders think, every major loan type, packaging, getting paid, underwriting and finding clients. Each lesson builds on the last, with a knowledge check before you move on.
Tools that do the heavy lifting
Loan Finder screens a request, Package Builder builds the checklist and the Loan Request Summary, and the Calculators run the numbers. You use them in the school and with your clients.
Practice before your first client
In the capstone you build three complete loan packages from case files, so your first real file is not your first package.
Marketing and your first clients
A one-page business plan, a clear message, a 30-day plan for your first ten clients, the marketing habits that keep inquiries coming and how to measure them, with a worksheet for each.
Fewer costly mistakes
The wrong lender, a missing fee agreement, an incomplete package or an unclear fee can cost a deal. The lessons show you how to avoid each one.
Rules you know to check
Regulator contacts for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, SBA fee disclosure, and the advertising, email and calling rules to confirm before you market or take a client.
Learn at your own pace. Lifetime access includes every update, and the six tools stay yours after graduation.
Curriculum
- 1The business of commercial finance brokeringWhy businesses need brokers, what a commercial finance broker does, how the money works, licensing, and how to set up.
- 2How lenders thinkRead a business the way a loan officer and a credit analyst do, and screen a deal in ten minutes.
- 3SBA 7(a)The most flexible government-guaranteed loan: eligibility, uses, terms, forms, lenders and packaging.
- 4SBA 504Long-term fixed-rate financing for buildings and heavy equipment through a CDC and a bank.
- 5Conventional commercial real estate loansOwner-occupied and investment property loans from banks, credit unions, life companies and debt funds.
- 6Equipment financing and leasingLoans, leases, vendor programs and how equipment lenders decide quickly.
- 7Lines of credit and working capitalRevolving credit, borrowing bases, receivables financing, and why to keep clients away from merchant cash advances.
- 8RefinancingWhen a refinance helps, how to prove it, and which program to use.
- 9State, local and specialty programsHow states fund small businesses, with California as the worked example, and how to build your own state's list.
- 10Hard money and bridge loansThe right tool for speed and problems, and how to use it without hurting the client.
- 11PackagingThe complete method for turning a client's shoebox into a package a lender approves.
- 12Getting paidFee agreements, fee ranges, SBA fee disclosure, and protecting yourself.
- 13Finding clientsReferral sources, lenders who decline, your website and your network.
- 14Running the practicePipeline, rhythm, growth and the mistakes that end new brokers.
- 15Underwriting: read the file like the lenderHow an underwriter spreads a file and decides, how to read every document in it, and how conventional, SBA, state program and construction requests are judged differently.
- 16Marketing and your first clientsA one-page business plan, a clear message, a 30-day plan for your first ten clients, the marketing that keeps inquiries coming, and how to measure what works.
- CapstoneBuild three complete packages and publish your website.
The software
Six tools you learn with and keep
Every lesson that needs arithmetic, a checklist or a lender list uses one of these tools, and they stay yours after graduation through your school account. Four of them can also go on your website for your clients.
For you and your clients
Loan Finder
Which financing fits a business or an investor, ranked, with the reasons, the structure and who lends it.
For you and your clients
Package Builder
Intake, sources and uses, cash flow and DSCR, collateral, the document checklist and the Loan Request Summary.
For you and your clients
Calculators
Payment and amortization, DSCR, loan sizing, NOI and value, SBA 504 and 7(a), refinance break-even, loan or lease, line cost, merchant cash advance cost, bridge cost.
For you
Lender Matrix
Your private table of lenders: what they do, how big, where, who to call and when you last spoke.
For you and your clients
Link Library
Every government form, program page, licensing site and association, in one place we keep current.
For you
Fee Agreement Builder
A broker fee agreement draft from your terms, ready to print, with the SBA Form 159 notes.
Extra income or a new careerStep 1 Step 2 Step 3
Your commercial finance business in a box
Learn how to start and run a commercial finance brokerage, then put the lessons to work with the included software, worksheets and checklists. Build toward extra income alongside your current work or a new career helping business owners find financing. Add the website package if you need a broker website.
With focused work and the school tools, you could start your new business in as little as one week*.
Check your state's licensing requirements before working with clients. You must meet the licensing, registration and lender approval requirements that apply to your work. Those steps can take longer than one week.
Open your toolkit. Learn the business. Put it to work.
Set up your practice
Use the software, worksheets, checklists and fee-agreement draft to organize your work. Follow the setup plan, check your state requirements and build your lender shortlist. Use your own website or choose the website package.
Build your income stream
Write a one-page business plan and a 30-day plan for your first clients, build referral relationships and agree on fees for your services. When you meet the applicable requirements, put your training and tools to work on real financing requests.
You build and run the business, including your lender relationships and client pipeline. Income depends on your work and results; earnings are not guaranteed. A website is included only with the school plus website option.
A practical plan for your first week
Use this optional seven-day setup plan alongside the lessons. Each day has a concrete result to work toward. Start with the state requirements; if an approval is pending, continue learning and practicing with sample files before taking clients.
See your seven-day setup plan
- Day 1
Choose your focus and check the rules
Pick the clients and financing types you want to serve. Record the applicable state requirements, regulator contacts and any approvals you still need.
See Module 1 - Day 2
Plan the business and your agreements
List your entity, banking, insurance and operating costs. Draft your service scope and fee agreement, and arrange any required professional review.
See Module 1 - Day 3
Set up your tools and intake
Configure the school tools and a client intake process. Use your existing website or the website option if you choose one, and test an inquiry from start to finish.
See Module 13 - Day 4
Build your first lender shortlist
Research three lenders that fit your focus. Record their criteria and broker requirements in your Lender Matrix, and prepare your introduction.
See Module 11 - Day 5
Practice a first client conversation
Screen a sample business with Loan Finder and the Calculators. Explain which financing might fit, which numbers matter and what documents are missing.
See Module 2 - Day 6
Prepare a sample loan request
Use Package Builder to organize a practice file, document checklist and Loan Request Summary. Check the figures and the lender fit before any real submission.
See Module 11 - Day 7
Review readiness and plan your outreach
Check your approvals, agreements, lender requirements and intake process. If you are authorized and ready, begin referral conversations; otherwise use the remaining steps as your launch checklist.
See Module 15
This is a business setup plan. Keep working through the full course and its three capstone packages to develop your skills. Finding clients, closing loans and earning revenue follow their own timelines.
With the school plus website option
A website that answers every lead and helps you follow up
Your commercial broker website on brokerwebsites.net comes with the school tools installed for your clients, and it keeps working after a business owner sends their numbers. Twelve months are included with the school plus website option. Set it up yourself in a few minutes.
Answer every lead in seconds
- An instant confirmation email to every visitor who sends their numbers or a message, from your company name, with your phone, your email and your booking link.
- Your booking link after every send and on your contact page, so an owner can pick a time to talk.
- "Email me this report" buttons, so a visitor who is not ready to talk still becomes a lead.
- A Call, Book a call and Run my numbers bar on every phone screen.
Work every request to the closing
- A lead board: move each lead from New to Contacted, Documents requested, Sent to lender and Closed.
- Follow-up dates, private notes and team assignments on every lead.
- An email the morning a follow-up is due, and a Monday list of new leads still waiting for a reply.
- Every lead in Excel in one click.
Get found and see what works
- Loan Finder, the loan request package, the commercial loan calculators and the financing links, with your name and colors.
- Client testimonials and a "Read our reviews" button for your Google profile.
- Google Analytics, Google Ads and Meta Pixel, with every lead counted as a conversion.
- A monthly results report: page views, leads by tool and deals closed.
- Your own domain, up to 25 listings and up to three team members.
After 12 months the website continues at $99 a month; cancel any time. With the School only option, you can add the website later for $99 a month.
For extra income, a new business or a new career
- People looking for extra income alongside their current work, or a new career building a commercial finance business. Start with the fundamentals and learn how to use the tools, even if you are new to lending.
- Licensed real estate agents and brokers who want a second income line from the business owners and investors they already talk to.
- People starting a commercial finance brokerage who want a practical path from learning the business to setting up their practice. No prior commercial lending experience is required.
- Mortgage loan officers who know lending and want to move into commercial and SBA financing.
- Bankers, business development officers and branch managers who want to work independently.
- Business brokers who lose deals because the buyer could not get financed.
- CPAs, bookkeepers, insurance agents and financial advisors who want to guide business-owner clients to the right financing.
What you will be able to do when you finish
- Plan your business setup: the entity, the state requirements to verify, the fee agreement, the tools and your website or intake process.
- Sign up with lenders as an approved broker or referral partner, including SBA lenders and the lenders behind state programs, and know what each one wants.
- Run an initial ten-minute screen to identify possible financing fits, questions to ask and missing documents.
- Explain SBA 7(a), SBA 504, conventional, equipment, lines of credit, refinancing, state programs and bridge financing to a client in plain language.
- Run a commercial building's own numbers, income, value, debt coverage and cash on cash, and tell a client when a building does not pay.
- Prepare a loan package for lender review: the financials, the checklist, the sources and uses and the Loan Request Summary, then select suitable lenders for submission.
- Read every document in the file the way the underwriter does, tax returns, personal statements, credit reports, rent rolls and operating statements, and underwrite a conventional, an SBA and a construction request.
- Get paid: fee agreements, fee ranges, and how fees are disclosed on SBA loans.
- Write a one-page business plan and a 30-day plan for your first ten clients, then find clients through referral partners, lenders, your website and steady marketing, within the advertising rules.
What is included
The school
17 modules, 86 lessons, with knowledge checks, worksheets and a capstone where you build three complete packages, plus a full module on marketing and your first clients. Lifetime access, including every update.
The software
Lifetime access to Loan Finder, Package Builder, Calculators, Lender Matrix, Link Library and Fee Agreement Builder through your school account, including after graduation. The four client tools can go on your website; Lender Matrix and Fee Agreement Builder are private tools for your practice. Website hosting and automatic client lead collection require an active Broker Websites plan.
Your website
12 months of a commercial broker website on brokerwebsites.net, included with the school plus website option: the school tools installed for your clients, an instant reply to every lead, a lead board with follow-up reminders and a monthly results report. Set it up yourself in a few minutes. After 12 months it continues at $99 a month; cancel any time.
The links
every government form, program page, licensing site and association you will need, in one library that we keep current.
Who teaches this
The lessons were written by a practitioner, not a marketer. The author owned and ran a commercial lending and real estate brokerage with more than 25 staff for ten years, worked on the bank side as a business banker at two national banks and as a financial advisor at two national firms, and has spent years working with SBA lenders and the SBA loan programs. The tools in this course were built from that experience. Every lesson teaches what a loan officer actually looks for, because the author has sat on both sides of the desk.
Choose your option
Learn with all six tools, then keep using them in your business after graduation. Lifetime school and tool access is included. Optional website hosting and client lead collection are available separately.
School only
$398, one payment
- The full course: 17 modules, 86 lessons, knowledge checks and the capstone
- Your business plan, marketing plan and 30-day first-clients plan, with worksheets
- All six tools for life
- The link library
- Lifetime access, including every update
Have a group discount code? Enter it at Stripe Checkout.
School plus your website
$990, one payment
- Everything in School only
- 12 months of your commercial broker website on brokerwebsites.net, with the tools installed for your clients, an instant reply to every lead and a lead board with follow-up reminders
- After 12 months, $99 a month; cancel at any time
- Bought separately: $398 plus 12 months at $99 is $1,586. You save $596 with this option.
Questions
Do I need a license?
Requirements depend on the state, loan type and services you provide. Verify licensing, registration, disclosures and fee rules with the appropriate regulators before taking clients. An existing real estate license may not cover every activity. The school shows you how to research the requirements and includes regulator contacts for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Is this legal or financial advice?
No. The school is educational. It teaches how commercial financing works and how to broker it.
Can I start my business in one week?
With focused work, you could complete your initial setup in as little as one week if you already meet the applicable licensing, registration and lender approval requirements. Those approvals can take longer. Follow the first-week plan, and continue the full self-paced course and capstones to build your skills. All six tools are available from the first day; lessons unlock in order as you pass each knowledge check. A first client, funded loan or income in one week is not guaranteed.
Can I use the tools with my clients?
Yes. Loan Finder, Package Builder, Calculators and Link Library can be shared with clients by link or embedded on your website. Website hosting and automatic client lead collection require an active Broker Websites plan. Lender Matrix and Fee Agreement Builder are private tools for your own work. You keep lifetime access to all six tools through your school account after graduation, without a website subscription. A website is included only with the school plus website option.
What is the refund policy?
A 14-day guarantee on either option: cancel within 14 days of purchase, having completed no more than three lessons, and we refund the full amount less a $50 processing fee.
Can I start with the school and add the website later?
Yes. A website is $99 a month from your account whenever you want one.
Does the school teach marketing and how to find clients?
Yes. Module 13 covers referral sources, lenders, your website and local groups. A full module on marketing then walks you through a one-page business plan, your message, a 30-day plan for your first ten clients, the marketing that keeps inquiries coming, the advertising, email and calling rules, and how to measure what works. Each lesson has a worksheet. Finding clients takes your own steady work; no number of clients is guaranteed.
What does the website do for me?
It gives business owners a place to check you out and run their numbers, then helps you work every inquiry: an instant confirmation email from your company name with your booking link, a lead board with stages and follow-up dates, reminder emails, and a monthly results report. The school tools are installed with your name and colors. It is included for 12 months with the school plus website option.