Small businesses are often thought of as the lifeblood of the American economy, but many of them constantly are seeking new ways for financing. According to research from the National Small Business Association*, 43 percent were unable to find funds when they needed them in the past four years.

"Not only have small-business owners been unable to find new credit over the last four years, nearly a third had their existing credit slashed and one in ten had their loans called in early," said Todd McCracken, president and CEO of the NSBA. "What's worse - 19 percent of those whose loans were called in early were given less than 15 days to pay the full balance of their loans."

Bringing on an employee with a finance degree may be able to solve some of the financing problems for small business owners. These professionals have knowledge to help owners obtain funding from non-traditional options such as crowdfunding and micro lenders.    

With many loans being tough to obtain, there are other places small business owners can look. The Clayton News-Daily**, a daily news source in Jonesboro, Georgia, reported on Clayton County Chamber of Commerce networking luncheon where Ron Hutcheson of Smart Funding Solutions address the crowd on other non-traditional funding options such as merchant-cash advances and selling invoices for a portion of their value.

*http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nsba-survey-small-business-financing-an-ongoing-problem-162023075.html

**http://www.news-daily.com/news/2012/jun/05/non-traditional-lenders-fund-small-businesses/