Founder & CEO of Florida Funding Source, Katina Phillips

ABOUT US

We Are Florida Funding Source

“If you don’t have the time or the desire to put a loan request package together or you aren’t certain that you know the perfect lender for your project, I can help. You can keep running your business while I do the research to find the best loan product and lender. I’ll put together a complete and accurate application package that will move quickly through the underwriting process. I’ll tell your story and ensure the lender has confidence in you, your business and your project. I don’t work for the bank. I work for the borrower. My only alliance is to you. I have the freedom to help you find the best offer for your unique situation. You might be able to do it alone. Others certainly have. But I am confident I can do it better and much faster! Put me to the test. “

-Katina Phillips, President & CEO, Florida Funding Source

Why Us?

When it comes to writing your business plan and building your financial projections, who better than someone with extensive experience in reviewing business plans and financial projections for business loan decisions? Our team brings that expertise directly to you.

Expertise and Knowledge

Business Bankers, Brokers, and Loan Packaging Consultants come in all shapes and sizes with varying backgrounds and knowledge bases. However, not all can provide the same level of expertise and personalized service that we do.

Unbiased Financial Solutions

Unlike business bankers who are limited to their institution's products, we have the flexibility to offer a wide range of financial solutions tailored to your specific needs. Some brokers and loan packagers might shop your business loan request to multiple lenders at once, potentially harming your personal credit and business reputation. We, on the other hand, use our extensive network to match your needs with financial institutions interested in your specific project before initiating a credit inquiry.

Comprehensive Services and Network

We have significant experience processing business funding requests and boast an extensive network of industry professionals. This allows us to facilitate additional services you may need, such as CPA-audited financials, feasibility studies, collateral insurance, and financial statements. By leveraging our connections, we save you time and money, ensuring a smoother and more efficient funding process.

Choose us for our experience, network, and dedication to providing tailored solutions for your business's financial needs.

Schedule an appointment

Streamline the Funding Process with us.

Preparing for a typical business loan request can consume 5 to 25 hours of a small business owner's time. This involves tracking down business and personal tax returns, updating interim financial statements, assessing your current financial situation to determine the feasibility of the request, meeting with bankers or other funding professionals, and much more—just for the initial application process.

The Challenge of Repeated Attempts

What if you aren't successful on your first attempt? The time spent on a funding request diverts valuable hours from running your business, not to mention the frustration of navigating tasks and processes outside your expertise.

Why Choose Us?

That's where we come in. We excel in the funding search environment. It's why we get up early every morning and, at times, work late into the night. Our sole priority is to help you secure the funding you need, with as few detours as possible. Let us handle the complexities of the funding process so you can focus on what you do best—growing your business.

Who are we?

Our team consists of reformed bankers looking to serve the true funding needs of the business owner.

We have expertise in Owner Occupied and Non-Owner Occupied Commercial Real Estate Financing through conventional lenders and the SBA. Businesses looking to fund large or small projects with a business loan, line of credit or a less traditional alternative will benefit from our teams' consultative approach to educating and preparing you.

Don't go it alone.

We know what lenders and investors look for, and we understand the underwriting process. We also know the products available and can tailor a solution for your specific need. Our consultants have significant experience with business funding requests.

We shorten the time between knowing you need funding, to putting the capital to work in your organization.

We don’t work for the bank.

We work for the borrower.

Who do we work with?

As a Business Owner, you know when you need a business loan or some other commercial financing option.

But, do you know where to start?

Potential Clients

Small business owners seeking funding
Entrepreneurs needing business loans or lines of credit
Businesses looking for SBA loan assistance
Companies planning commercial real estate investments
Startups requiring financial projections and business plans

Our Approach

Information, Education and Consultation are our top priorities.

We know that a prepared and informed borrower will frequently garner a better outcome than an inexperienced borrower forced to depend on the knowledge or lack of knowledge of their banker.

We also know that lenders' appetites change and just because a deal is good, doesn't mean it will be approved. We build the best possible funding request package and find the most likely funding source for you.

We never share EIN or social security numbers with potential funding sources until you are ready to submit your funding request to the most likely source. Once your application is ready to submit, we communicate on your behalf or educate and prepare you for the conversations.

It's your choice.

Perhaps the most important aspect of our approach:

We value your time and ours.

If it is highly unlikely that your funding request will succeed, we will tell you why and what to do to get to yes later. We don't work for a lender or a broker. There's no bias in our recommendation.

Our only alliance is to you!

MEET OUR FOUNDER

Katina Phillips, Founder & CEO

Katina started her banking career in Jacksonville, FL at Jax Navy Federal Credit Union in 1992 as a part-time teller. Over the next 30 years she climbed the corporate ladder, learning the banking industry from every angle. From the teller-line to the Head of Business and Retail Banking, Katina discovered her passion for working with small business owners. Throughout Katina’s award-winning career, she always knew she would eventually launch a consulting firm focused on serving small businesses. The original plan was to wait until her husband retired and then start consulting to allow for flexibility with travel and family time. Then in late 2020 something happened that changed Katina’s trajectory and set her on a fast path that led to the launch of Florida Funding Source. From the start of Katina’s career in February 1992 to November 2020, Katina had worked through 10 different bank merger/acquisition experiences. When the company she loved and had worked with for more than 18 years announced that it was being sold Katina knew that the time to launch Florida Funding Source had arrived! On January 21, 2021 the paperwork was filed with the State of Florida and a dream was born. So, instead of doing a little consulting here and there in between trips and family gatherings, not ready to slow down yet, Katina is full speed ahead. Today, Katina takes the efforts of her life’s work and put it to work for small business owners looking for the best path to business capital. She knows what makes a deal work and the information that lenders want and need to see. She’s spent years working directly with underwriters gaining an understanding of the information that can propel a deal forward or adversely create bottlenecks in the process, delaying or derailing a loan request. SBA paperwork and loan application documentation are Katina’s area of expertise. Her understanding of how to properly complete all the application forms and prepare supporting documents ensures a quick and accurate credit decision. Katina knows that every deal won’t work for every lender. Her vast network of lenders allows her to find the best lender for her client. Understanding credit guidelines and lender portfolio restrictions allows her to help her clients avoid submitting an application to a lender that doesn’t offer the product needed. Her reputation in the industry garners positive results. Lenders trust the information knowing that Katina has consulted with her client to make sure the loan request makes sense and is in the best interest of the borrower and is a good risk for the lender. Business owners that choose to work with Katina get better results faster. She doesn’t shy away from challenging deals, but she doesn’t waste her client’s time on a request that doesn’t have merit. She knows that a quick no is better than putting a borrower through a lengthy process that will not end with an approval. Katina spends sufficient time at the being of her process to determine the viability of a deal. If there’s a path forward, she’ll find the best one. If there isn’t, she’ll help to create an action plan to get the client where they need to be. Take the guess work out of business borrowing. Katina knows the business funding landscape and is happy to be your guide.