The 2026 SBA Playbook: How to Buy a Business With 10% Down

What's in this episode

The SBA rules for buying a business are changing in 2026. Here’s what buyers and home service operators need to know. Jack Carr sits down with Alan Peterson from First Internet Bank to break down the latest SBA 7(a) changes, including how buyers can finance up to 90% of an acquisition, new equity requirements, seller financing, and changes affecting minority investors. They also cover how sellers can stay involved for up to 24 months after closing, strategies for navigating licensing when buying HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and other skilled trades businesses, and new Quality of Earnings requirements for larger acquisitions. Plus, Alan explains one of the biggest opportunities for existing business owners: using SBA expansion financing to acquire another company with potentially 0% down when the deal qualifies. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Inside This Episode ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ • Buying a business with an SBA 7(a) loan • Financing up to 90% of an acquisition • New 2026 SBA equity requirements • Seller financing and transition rules • Licensing strategies for home service acquisitions • Quality of Earnings and business valuations • SBA expansion loans and potential 0% down acquisitions • What buyers s