Six steps. One dedicated team. From your first call to funding day, here is exactly how we get your deal done.
60-90 Days
Typical Timeline
6 Steps
Transparent Process
$0 Upfront
Success Fee Only
Every deal is different. Timelines vary based on complexity, lender requirements, and borrower responsiveness.
in approved financing across business acquisitions, SBA, real estate, and construction.
The conversation that determines whether your deal has a path to financing.
Before CLX invests a single hour into your deal, our team will sit down with you and give you an honest assessment. This is not a sales call. It is a diagnostic conversation where we review your deal structure, the target business financials, your background and experience, and your capital position. By the end of this call, you will know three things: whether the deal is likely financeable, what the potential obstacles are, and what needs to happen next. If CLX is not the right fit, we will tell you directly and point you in the right direction.
Deal Structure Review
Purchase price, down payment, seller note terms, buyer experience, industry specifics
Preliminary Cash Flow Assessment
High-level look at business financials to identify obvious red flags or strengths
Financing Path Recommendation
SBA 7(a), conventional, creative structure, or a combination. We map the path.
Watch this step explained →
Getting your deal package ready for the lenders who need to say yes.
Once you and our team agree to move forward, CLX's onboarding process begins. This is where we collect everything a lender will need to underwrite your deal. We will provide you with a clear checklist of documents and walk you through each item. The goal is a complete, organized package that answers lender questions before they ask them. Deals that go to lenders with incomplete packages get delayed or declined. CLX's onboarding process exists to prevent that.
Documentation Collection
Tax returns, financial statements, business plan, purchase agreement, personal financial statement
Package Organization
CLX organizes your documents into the format lenders expect, saving weeks of back-and-forth
Borrower Preparation
Our team prepares you for the questions lenders will ask about your background and the business
Watch this step explained →
We underwrite your deal before any lender does.
This is where CLX separates from every other broker. Before your deal goes to a single lender, our in-house underwriting team reviews it the exact same way a bank underwriter would. We calculate your debt service coverage ratio (DSCR), validate the add-backs, stress test the seller note structure, and identify every issue a lender might raise. If something needs to change, we tell you before submission, not after a lender declines you. This step is the reason CLX's deals close at a higher rate than industry average. Lenders trust packages that come from CLX because they know we have already done the work.
This is the step most brokers skip. They send your deal directly to lenders and hope for the best. CLX does the underwriting first because we spent over a decade on the bank side and we know what kills deals.
DSCR and Cash Flow Analysis
Full debt service coverage calculation using the same methodology lenders use internally
Add-Back Validation
Every seller add-back reviewed for lender acceptability. No surprises during underwriting.
Red Flag Identification
Issues identified and addressed before submission. Customer concentration, working capital gaps, collateral shortfalls.
Watch this step explained →
500+ lenders. One deal. We find the right match.
This is where CLX's network becomes your unfair advantage. We submit your deal to the lenders most likely to approve it based on deal type, geography, industry, loan size, and current appetite. You are not just getting one offer. You are getting competing offers from lenders who want your deal. Our team manages every lender conversation, negotiates terms, and presents you with the best options. You choose.
500+
Lending Partners
100+
SBA Lending Teams
Competing
Offers Negotiated
Targeted Lender Matching
Your deal goes to lenders who specialize in your deal type, not a generic blast to everyone
Competitive Bidding
Multiple lenders compete for your business. Better terms, lower rates, more favorable structures.
Terms Negotiation
Our advisors negotiate on your behalf using 30+ years of banking relationships and lending knowledge
Our most detailed step walkthrough at 12 minutes. Worth watching if you want to understand how lender selection actually works.
Watch this step explained →
Managing every detail between approval and funding.
Getting approved is not the same as getting funded. Between the commitment letter and the closing table, there are conditions to satisfy, documents to produce, appraisals to order, environmental reports to clear, and dozens of coordination tasks between buyer, seller, attorneys, and lender. This is where deals die if nobody is managing the process. Our closing team manages the pipeline from LOI to funded - diligence, conditions, documentation, and final close - to ensure nothing falls through the cracks and your closing date holds.
Conditions Management
Every lender condition tracked, fulfilled, and submitted on schedule
Multi-Party Coordination
CLX coordinates between buyer, seller, attorneys, title company, appraiser, and lender
Closing Date Protection
Proactive management to prevent delays and protect your closing timeline
Watch this step explained →
Your deal is funded. The business is yours. CLX's success fee is paid at closing, not before. That is the CLX Way: we do not get paid unless we deliver.
Watch this step explained →
$1.4B
In Transactions
Why CLX works differently than any other commercial lending broker.
Why Work With Commercial Lending X
"Phenomenal resource. The CLX team helped us navigate the process all the way through to close."
Micah
Business Acquisition Client
"The CLX team does a great job of guiding you through the ups and downs of the lending process. They are a great resource to have on your side."
Evan
Business Acquisition Client
"When other lenders could not get the job done, CLX was right there to help."
Former Residential Lender
Industry Partner
No upfront cost. We only get paid when your deal closes.
Start a conversation about your deal and financing options.