Shorerock Loans, a small-business funding service in Marietta, Georgia, compares six funding types for Cobb County businesses on this page: how each is repaid, which expenses it suits and what may secure it. Requests are reviewed by funding partners, which make the decisions.
Six funding types and how each one is paid back
| Funding type | How it is paid back | Suits expenses like | May be secured by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working capital | Fixed payments over a short term | Payroll, rent, a supplier bill before fees arrive | Business assets or a personal guarantee |
| Term loan | Monthly installments over a set term | A partner buy-in, an office move, an agency purchase | Business assets, sometimes the purchased business |
| Line of credit | Draw against the limit as needed; interest runs on what is drawn | Uneven fee collections, recurring short gaps | Receivables or a general lien |
| Inventory financing | Paid down as the stock sells | Boutique stock, auto parts, retail orders | The inventory itself |
| Equipment financing | Installments or lease payments | Exam chairs, imaging, lifts, mowers, kitchen gear | The equipment |
| Merchant cash advance | An agreed slice of future card or bank deposits is collected | A short gap at a card-heavy business | Future receipts (not a loan) |
Types of Commercial Loans: What Cobb County, GA Owners Compare
The labels vary from one funding source to the next, but the choice comes down to three questions: one lump sum or a limit to draw on, a fixed schedule or payments tied to sales, and what backs the money. A Cobb County insurance agency buying a book of business is asking a different question from a Kennesaw auto shop restocking parts, even if both call it a business loan.
County Business Patterns counted 449 insurance agency employers (NAICS 524210), 397 auto repair employers and 637 legal services employers in Cobb County in 2023. Each line of work has its own page here, because the funding type that fits follows from how the business earns.
Secured vs Unsecured Business Loan in Marietta, GA
A secured loan names collateral the funding partner can claim if payments stop: equipment, receivables, inventory or a lien on business assets in general. An unsecured business loan names no specific asset, but it can still carry a personal guarantee from the owner and a general lien filing. Read the security clause in any offer line by line.
For a professional practice the main assets are often receivables and furniture rather than machinery, which shapes what a partner can take as security. A dental office or an imaging practice in ZIP 30060 has equipment that can back an equipment loan directly; a two-lawyer office on the Square may have little beyond its fee receivables.
Equipment Lease vs Loan for Cobb County, GA Businesses
With an equipment loan you own the item and pay it off; with a lease you pay to use it, and the lease end may offer a purchase option, a return or a renewal. The equipment financing page sets out the differences in a table, including tax treatment questions to take to your accountant. Cobb County had 371 dentist offices and 654 offices of other health practitioners with payroll in 2023, and both groups weigh this choice for chairs, lasers and diagnostic units.
Term Loan vs Line of Credit
A term loan delivers one sum and is paid back in fixed installments, so it fits a single, known cost such as a partner buyout. A line of credit sets a limit you draw on and pay down repeatedly; interest is charged only on the drawn balance, so it fits recurring gaps between doing the work and getting paid. An accounting firm with a heavy filing season might carry a line; the same firm buying a retiring CPA's client list would compare term loans.
What Are the Four Types of Business Loans? Notes for Marietta, GA Businesses
Lists of "four types" differ, but four that appear again and again are term loans, lines of credit, equipment loans and SBA-backed loans. Shorerock covers the first three plus working capital, inventory financing and merchant cash advances; it does not arrange SBA loans or startup loans. If an SBA loan is the goal, ask a bank or a small business development center directly, and ask the center about any fees.
What Can You Use a Business Loan for? Answers for Marietta, GA Owners
Business purposes only: wages, rent, equipment, inventory, renovations, buying a practice or a competitor, or paying down costlier business debt. A partner will ask what the money is for and may check that the amount fits the purpose. Personal expenses, homes and investment property are outside what partners funding through Shorerock consider.
Sorting funding by the expense, not the label
If two rows of the table above look right, call (770) 275-6482 with the expense and the due date. We narrow the six to the two or three worth a partner's review and explain what each would cost to compare. The industry pages and the Cobb County data page add local context, and the FAQ answers questions on early payoff, LLCs and timing.
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