Thriving Through the Dry Spells: An OnDeck Success Story Video

Mark runs a consulting company that helps businesses improve their applications. His business, CF Webtools, would regularly hit a dry spell during the summer and around the holidays. After weighing a loan offer from his bank, Mark decided to see if he could get more online. He found OnDeck, and the funds he needed to cover payroll during those drier months.

Disclaimer: Customer was compensated for sharing their experience. Interview has been edited for clarity.

CF Webtools Is a Family Company

“I started my company in 2000. I met my wife, Anne, in the hills of the Appalachian mountains. I was a youth pastor; she was a missionary. We fell in love and got married. We began CF Webtools. Started with nothing, and we just basically built from there. She handles HR. I do, operations management day to day.”

Many OnDeck customers run family businesses. We do our best to earn our place at the table.

Like Many Consulting Companies, CF Webtools Faces Occasional Dry Spells

 “Consulting companies have a dry spell in the summer and a dry spell around the holidays. Those dry periods, we struggled to make payroll every two weeks.”

Seasonal shortfalls are a popular reason business owners look for funding. While some customers use an OnDeck Term Loan to cover such expenses, the OnDeck Line of Credit can be especially useful to get through dry spells.

Mark Went to the Bank for a Loan to Cover Payroll Shortages

“Going to a bank for financing as a consulting company — it was just really difficult to get them to understand my success story. The paperwork was extensive. They did approve me for a loan, but it was less than a third of what I had asked for.”

Getting business funding from the bank can be a notoriously arduous process, and often businesses don’t even end up getting the money they need. Online small business lenders like OnDeck have become popular with business owners who need a faster, easier way to receive funding.

Since the Bank Wouldn’t Meet His Needs, He Turned to OnDeck

“When it came to OnDeck, I had a much different experience. The entire application process was online, which was fairly simple — took maybe 15 minutes. I was approved in a very short amount of time and was very relieved to be able to make payroll. The rep that responded to my initial loan. She’s been extremely helpful with questions and very responsive. OnDeck has a great customer portal, where you can always track your loan. [It] makes repaying your loan very easy.”

One of the things OnDeck customers like is that we have real live representatives there to guide the process every step of the way. They’re also there for you to answer any questions you have after funding.

Mark Credits OnDeck With Helping CF Webtools Succeed

“OnDeck is very much a part of our success story. My company is expanding at a record pace. Without our loans from OnDeck, we could not have grown as fast. We could not have hired as fast. We could not have taken advantage of some of the opportunities that have been presented to us. To be the owner of a company with 40 employees, I think Anne, she feels blessed. We’re looking forward to seeing what happens in the future.”

Thank you to Mark for sharing his story with us. It’s a great example of how fast and easy small business funding from OnDeck can help businesses get through lean times. If you’d like to read more customer experiences, visit our success story page.