Business Loan Referral Program for Consultants, Coaches and Fractional CFOs

Where Funding Fits in the Work You Already Do

Most engagements reach a point where the plan is right and the cash is not there yet. That is common. In the Federal Reserve Banks’ 2025 Small Business Credit Survey, six in ten small employer firms said they applied for financing in the prior 12 months. The most common reasons were to meet operating expenses and to pursue an expansion or new opportunity.

You do not have to pick the product. Describe the plan and the gap, and the specialist matches the file to what it may qualify for.

Why Refer Instead of Sourcing Funding Yourself

• Your time stays on the engagement. Collecting statements and chasing lenders is not what the client hired you for.
• One application reaches a network. RAN Funding is a broker, not a lender: one application for our lender network and one dedicated specialist.
• Your plan gets executed. A recommendation the client cannot fund stays on paper.
• You are paid for an introduction you would make anyway. A commission is paid when a referral funds, per the partner agreement. Nothing is paid on a deal that does not fund.

Financing is also not automatic. In the same Federal Reserve survey, about four in ten applicants received the full amount they sought and about one in five received none. A specialist who reads the bank statements first can say early whether there is a realistic path.

How the Referral Works, Step by Step

1. Sign up on the partner page. It takes about two minutes. We call within one business day to walk through the partner agreement.
2. Get your materials. Once the agreement is in place, you receive marketing materials and a co-branded landing page with your name on it.
3. Introduce the client. Send the owner’s name and number, or share your partner link. Add a line on what the funds are for and the amount in the plan if you can.
4. One dedicated specialist runs the file, collecting a short application and the 3 most recent business bank statements (4 in NY, CA or VA), then submitting it to the lenders in our network whose criteria it fits.
5. The client reviews the offers. The specialist walks the owner through each one. If you want to be on that call, tell us and we schedule around you.
6. The deal funds and you are paid per the partner agreement.

There are no quotas, no minimums and no exclusivity.

What a Good Referral Looks Like

A good referral is a client who fits the criteria and has a specific use for the money. Best-fit clients usually have:

• 1+ year in business. The program is for established businesses only.
• $20,000+ in average monthly revenue.
• A business bank account with active deposits. Personal accounts do not count.
• The 3 most recent business bank statements (4 in NY, CA or VA), ready to send in full.
• A need for $10,000 to $500,000+ in working capital. Some products go up to $2 million, and SBA loans up to $5 million.
• A defined use of funds. Payroll, inventory, equipment, hiring, marketing, a tax payment, a seasonal slowdown, or a large contract or purchase order.

You are well placed to judge the last point. A note that says “needs $80,000 to hire two estimators ahead of a signed contract” tells the specialist far more than “needs money.”

Meeting these points is not a guarantee of an offer. Not every application is approved.

Who the Program Fits, and Who It Does Not

Consultants, coaches and fractional CFOs meet the funding question at different moments.

The program is not a fit in a few cases:

• Your clients are mostly pre-revenue founders. Startups are not a fit.
• You advise individuals on personal finances. This is business financing only.
• Your engagement terms bar third-party compensation. Read the contract before you sign up.
• You reach owners through content, not client work. Compare an affiliate program with a referral program first.

What Happens After the Introduction

The specialist calls the owner within one business day. The owner then completes a short application and sends the bank statements.

The file goes to lenders in our network. The lender makes the funding decision; RAN Funding does not make funding decisions or fund deals itself. If the file is approved, the specialist explains each offer term by term and the owner decides whether to accept. On working capital, funding can arrive in as little as 24 hours after approval. Larger files and an SBA loan take longer.

You get updates as the file moves: received, submitted, offer made, funded or declined.

Your client stays your client. We contact the owner only about the funding they asked for. There is no cross-selling and no marketing list.

How Commission and Payment Timing Work

We do not publish commission figures. Referral programs in business financing generally pay in one of three ways: a share of the commission the funding company earns, a flat amount for each funded deal, or a tiered arrangement that changes with volume.

RAN Funding pays a share of the commission it earns from the lender when the deal funds. The split depends on the type of partner and on whether you send an introduction or a full file. It is set in writing in the partner agreement before you send your first client.

• Paid at funding. When the lender funds the deal and RAN receives its commission, your share is paid on the schedule in the partner agreement, typically by ACH.
• Nothing is paid on a file that does not fund.
• Renewals pay too. If a client you referred takes funding again later, the agreement covers that.
• The client does not pay you. Your commission comes out of what the lender pays RAN.

Do not build your own budget on it. No one can predict which files will fund. For more on how these arrangements are structured, read our guide to business loan referral fees.

Disclosure, Ethics and Your Engagement Terms

No licensing is required for a basic referral introduction through RAN Funding’s program. That does not settle your own professional obligations. A commission is a conflict of interest, and it has to be handled in the open. Check the rules that apply to you:

• Coaches with an ICF credential or membership. Standard 3.8 of the International Coaching Federation’s Code of Ethics requires an ICF professional to disclose to clients the compensation and benefits paid or received, or to be paid or received, for referrals. The Code also asks coaches to discuss potential conflicts of interest with everyone involved.
• Fractional CFOs who are CPAs. The AICPA Code of Professional Conduct bars a member in public practice from taking a commission for referring a product or service to a client when the member’s firm also performs an audit or review of financial statements, certain compilations, or an examination of prospective financial information for that client. Where a commission is permitted, the member must disclose it to the person receiving the recommendation, and the AICPA’s interpretation says to do so in writing. Check your state board’s rules as well. Our guide for accountants and CPAs goes deeper.
• Anyone who promotes the program in public. If you recommend a funding company in a newsletter, podcast or social post, Federal Trade Commission guidance on endorsements applies. FTC staff say a connection between an endorser and a marketer should be disclosed clearly and conspicuously when a significant minority of the audience would not expect it and it would affect how they weigh the endorsement. That is usually so when the endorser is paid. A link or button labeled “disclosure” is not enough on its own.
• Every adviser. Read your engagement letter for conflict-of-interest and outside-compensation terms. Ask the owner’s permission before you share their name and number. Never present yourself as a lender or as a RAN Funding employee, and never promise an approval, an amount or a timeline.

A plain written line works for most engagements: “I may receive a referral commission from RAN Funding if your business obtains financing through them. You are free to use any funding source.” Send it before the introduction, not after.

When Funding Is the Wrong Answer

Your clients pay you for judgment, so use it here too. Funding fits a timing gap or an investment with a clear return. It does not fix a business that loses money every month.

Faster funding also usually costs more in total than bank financing. A client with time and strong financials may be better served by a slower route. Say so.

The program is also for established businesses only: 1+ year in business, $20,000+ in average monthly revenue and a business bank account with active deposits. Pre-revenue startups are not a fit, and neither is personal borrowing.

Three Illustrative Scenarios

These are illustrative examples of how a referral can go. They are not descriptions of specific clients or results.

• The fractional CFO. Picture a metal fabricator in Grand Rapids, eleven years in business. The CFO’s 13-week forecast shows a shortfall in week six, when a materials order lands before a large customer pays. She discloses her commission in writing, sends the introduction and joins the offer call. The owner compares the offers against the forecast before deciding.
• The business coach. A landscaping company in Charlotte wants to add a second crew before spring. The coach, an ICF member, tells him about the referral arrangement and asks permission to share his number. The specialist calls the next business day. The coach stays out of the numbers.
• The consultant who does not refer. A consultant is helping a specialty food brand in Portland that launched four months ago. The owner asks about funding for a production run. The business is too new for this program, and the consultant says so. They rework the plan around pre-orders instead.

In each case the adviser checked the fit, disclosed the arrangement and left the financing to the specialist.

Common Mistakes Advisers Make

• Referring before checking the basics. Time in business and monthly revenue take one question each.
• Disclosing late. A commission mentioned after the deal funds reads very differently from one disclosed before the introduction.
• Sending a name with no context. One line on the use of funds saves a round of calls.
• Explaining the terms yourself. You should not guess at an offer. The specialist explains it.
• Promising an outcome. No one can commit to an approval, an amount or a date before a lender has reviewed the file.

How to Start

Read your engagement letter and any professional code you are bound by, and write your disclosure line. Then:

1. Sign up. The form on the RAN Funding partner page takes about two minutes.
2. Take the call. We call within one business day to walk through the partner agreement. Ask how the split is set and when it is paid.
3. Read the agreement before you send anyone.
4. Make one introduction. Pick a client who clearly fits the criteria. If a client needs funding right now, say so on the form.

RAN Funding is a business financing broker. It is BBB A+ rated. Questions first? Call 877-522-6045, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm ET, or see the full referral partner program.

Common Questions