The BDO Show

Welcome back to The BDO Show—where business plans are rapid, license plates are questionable, and the next generation of BDOs are taking notes (literally).   🎓 What does it take to break into SBA lending and actually thrive? This episode is all about building your name, booking deals, and navigating the steep learning curve—without crashing and burning.   Join Emily Detor, Ryan Kroge, Chris Hackn...

Welcome back to The BDO Show—where franchises rise, fall, and sometimes, just collect franchise fees. 🔍 What makes a brand a solid bet for SBA financing? And what separates a franchise success story from a financial trainwreck? In this episode, we dive deep into the franchise world—what lenders love, what borrowers should avoid, and why some franchises are just glorified marketing schemes. Join A...

Welcome back to The BDO Show—where deals get funded, policy changes drop like bombs, and no borrower (or lender) is truly safe.   🚨 The SBA just shook things up—again. In a surprise rule change, foreign nationals can no longer own any percentage of an SBA-funded business. Effective immediately, every SBA borrower must be a U.S. citizen or green card holder.   What does this mean for borrowers, le...

Welcome back to The BDO Show—where term sheets are the promise rings of SBA lending: full of commitment until a better offer comes along. 📝 Ever sent out a term sheet just to never hear back? Or worse—watch it get used as leverage for a better deal? In this episode, we're tackling the real term sheet acceptance rates, how to spot a shopper, and what to do when your deal is getting passed around l...

Welcome back to The BDO Show—where deals get funded, search funders get scrutinized, and no borrower (or lender) is truly safe. 🔍 Is search fund lending a golden opportunity or a ticking time bomb? In this episode, we dive into the world of search funders—what makes them a lender's dream (or nightmare), how they leverage the SBA program, and where things might be heading next. Join Emily Detor, A...

Welcome back to The BDO Show—where deals get closed, liquidity gets questioned, and no borrower (or lender) is safe. 💰 Need cash to close? Wondering if your liquidity is enough? Or just here for the chaos? In this episode, we dive deep into liquidity in SBA lending—how much you really need, how to structure deals when borrowers are short, and the biggest liquidity mistakes BDOs make. Join Emily D...

📢 The BDO Show is back, and we're diving into a topic that's got SBA lenders everywhere talking—DOGE, efficiency, and what it all means for small business lending. What happens when a billionaire takes a microscope (or a hacksaw) to the SBA? We're breaking down the real implications of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and why it might not be as funny as it sounds. Join Emily Detor,...

Welcome back to The BDO Show—where career moves get analyzed, interview blunders get exposed, and no BDO is safe. Thinking about switching banks? Interviewing for a new BDO role? Or just curious what hiring managers really think? In this episode, we break down the do's, the don'ts, and the absolute cringe moments of BDO interviews. From botched resumes to water-spilling disasters, we've seen it al...

Welcome back to The BDO Show—where SBA lending gets dissected, debated, and occasionally roasted. Equity injection (or the lack thereof) has been a hot topic, and in this episode, we break down the winners, the losers, and the unintended consequences of recent SOP changes. Is 100% financing making a comeback? Should seller notes really count as skin in the game? And what happens when borrowers try...

Welcome back to The BDO Show! The go-to podcast for BDOs looking to sharpen their skills and stay ahead of the game. What started out as a "winners and losers" episode focused on the 2023 changes to the 7a loan program, turned into a fiery debate on search fund deals, partial change of ownership transactions and refinance SBA loans with SBA loans.  In this episode, Emily Detor, Alan Peterson, Chri...

The BDO Show is hitting the road. We will be speaking at the Mid America SBA Lending Conference in Houston on April 15th. Go to https://malc-conference.com for more information. This is will be a live show you won't want to miss! In this episode, co-hosts Emily Detor, Alan Peterson, Chris Hackney, Sterling Birdsong, and Ryan Kroge come together to discuss strategies for setting and achieving impac...

Welcome to The BDO Show! A podcast for passionate BDOs wanting to level up their game with advice and stories from battle-tested BDO's. We just wrapped up Season 1 of the BDO show, and what a journey it's been. From the laughs to the lessons, this episode encapsulates a year of shared experiences, challenges, and triumphs, offering a retrospective look at our adventure while setting the stage for...

Welcome to The BDO Show! A podcast for passionate BDOs wanting to level up their game with advice and stories from battle-tested BDO's. In this engaging episode of the BDO Show, hosts Alan Peterson, Ryan Kroge, and Emily Detor delve into the strategic intricacies of business development, especially for newly minted BDOs. They discuss crucial aspects such as target market selection, business develo...

Welcome to The BDO Show! A podcast for passionate BDOs wanting to level up their game with advice and stories from battle-tested BDO's. In this insightful episode of the BDO Show, co-hosts Alan Peterson, Chris Hackney, Sterling Birdsong, Ryan Kroge, and Emily Detor delve into essential strategies for managing business development operations during the holiday season. The discussion kicks off with...

Welcome to The BDO Show! A podcast for passionate BDOs wanting to level up their game with advice and stories from battle-tested BDO's. In this insightful episode of the BDO Show, the hosts delve into the intricacies of pricing strategies within SBA lending, emphasizing the importance of aligning pricing with risk. They explore real-world scenarios where BDOs face challenges in maintaining competi...

Welcome to The BDO Show! A podcast for passionate BDOs wanting to level up their game with advice and stories from battle-tested BDO's. In this episode of "The BDO Show," the hosts, Emily Detor, Alan Peterson, Sterling Birdsong, and Ryan Kroge, are joined by special guest Bruce Marks, a distinguished figure in the SBA lending sphere. The discussion centers around the challenges and rewards of mana...

Welcome to The BDO Show! A podcast for passionate BDOs wanting to level up their game with advice and stories from battle-tested BDO's. In this engaging episode of The BDO Show, the team welcomes Mary Soldano, a renowned SBA BDO. They delve deep into the intricacies of balancing SBA lending while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. The podcast kicks off with a discussion on the expectations a...

Welcome to The BDO Show! A podcast for passionate BDOs wanting to level up their game with advice and stories from battle-tested BDO's. In this insightful episode of the BDO Show, the co-hosts engage in a thought-provoking conversation with special guest Glenn Giro. The focus is on navigating career transitions within the SBA lending industry and understanding when and why to switch institutions. ...

In the high-stakes world of SBA lending, closing a deal successfully is often a race against time and unforeseen challenges.  Join Emily Detor, Ryan Kroge, and Sterling Birdsong as they delve into the intricacies of navigating credit, legal, and internal team dynamics to coax deals over the finish line. Your hosts offer a candid look into the hurdles and strategic maneuvers that seasoned BDOs empl...

Welcome to The BDO Show! A podcast for passionate BDOs wanting to level up their game with advice and stories from battle-tested BDO's. In this episode, we're talking about lies, deceit, and deception, you know -- that thing SOME BDOs use when selling a deal. Misleading borrowers can be largely categorized into two types: intentional and unintentional. As Sterling Birdsong rightly points out, ofte...

Shout out to Ted for today's episode discussion: structuring the deal. Now, we've covered certain aspects of deals but this time, we're going to give our thoughts on Ted's questions. We'll begin by addressing the importance of upfront deal assessments, emphasizing the pitfalls of relying heavily on add-backs and the necessity of ensuring deal viability through initial reviews.  Then, we'll transit...

Welcome to The BDO Show! A podcast for passionate BDOs wanting to level up their game with advice and stories from battle-tested BDO's. In this episode, the hosts breakdown the best practices for scaling your SBA production from $25 million to $50 million annually. This insightful discussion is aimed at experienced BDOs who seek to elevate their game by doubling their production numbers. Leveragin...

Navigating relationships with your credit team is an essential skill for any BDO. The nuances of successful BDO-credit interactions are often subtle but impactful. In this engaging episode of the BDO Show podcast, the hosts discuss the critical aspects of building and maintaining strong relationships with credit teams to ensure successful deal closures. We're focusing on: Effective Communication i...

Welcome to The BDO Show! A podcast for passionate BDOs wanting to level up their game with advice and stories from battle-tested BDO's. Reaching out directly to business owners offers unparalleled opportunities for BDOs to cultivate genuine relationships and achieve superior results. In this episode, we dive into effective techniques for direct outreach, common pitfalls to avoid, and strategies fo...

in today's episode, we welcome Sterling back from his Europe trip, roast Ray Drew's Spreadsheet skills, and discuss building robust relationships with other business development officers (BDOs). "Relationship building with other BDO's is really probably the secret sauce for my success as a BDO." Creating a network of fellow lenders can often outweigh even direct broker relationships. There is trem...