In this episode, Host Jesse Warner sits down with Nimi Natan, President and CEO of Gulf Coast Small Business Lending, to talk about what it takes to build and scale a national lending platform and how entrepreneurs can use SBA-backed financing as a practical path to growth. The conversation centers on disciplined expansion, relationship-driven deal flow, and the realities of underwriting and leadership in a highly regulated, high-trust industry.

What You’ll Learn

• Why SBA financing can be a powerful alternative to raising equity, especially when you have meaningful owner capital and a clear acquisition or expansion plan.
• How SBA loan programs differ in practice (including 7(a), 504, and SBA lines of credit) and where USDA lending fits when businesses are larger or in rural markets.
• What changes when a business evolves from an early-stage startup into a scaled national operator, and how structure and process must mature alongside growth.
• Why relationship channels matter in high-consideration industries, and how building referral networks with brokers, attorneys, accountants, and banks can outperform broad direct-to-borrower marketing.
• How to think about “right time” demand in markets driven by infrequent, event-based purchases, and how that shapes marketing and outreach strategy.
• Where AI and automation can help today (primarily in operational and back-office workflows) and why many front-end lending decisions still depend on human trust and nuanced judgment.
• Why talent is often the biggest constraint in technical, constantly changing fields and how training, hiring discipline, and role fit become competitive advantages.
• How to plan for growth ceilings and concentration risk by expanding into adjacent markets, such as larger-loan programs and franchise financing.

Across the episode, Nimi emphasizes that small business lending is ultimately a people business: success depends on trust, careful judgment, and a deep understanding of the borrower’s goals not just the numbers. He also highlights the real impact of lending decisions, where the right loan can enable a life-changing business outcome and the wrong one can be costly for everyone involved, reinforcing the need for disciplined growth, strong talent, and thoughtful market expansion.

To learn more about Nimi Natan and their work, visit gulfcoastsba.com