Hartwell Labs

Our Mission

SBA lending is complicated. The regulations run thousands of pages. Lender requirements vary. Industry-specific rules are buried in appendices most borrowers never see.

Hartwell Labs exists to fix that.

We publish industry-specific SBA lending guides that translate complex regulations into actionable steps. Each FUNDED guide is built for a specific industry—restaurants, hotels, franchises, or dental practices—because each faces unique requirements that generic guides miss entirely.

Our Methodology

Every claim in the FUNDED series is verified against primary sources:

• SBA Standard Operating Procedures (SOP 50 10 8) — The 900+ page document that governs SBA lending
• Code of Federal Regulations (13 CFR Part 120) — The legal framework for SBA programs
• Current lender practices — What banks actually require, not just what regulations allow
• Industry-specific requirements — Franchise Directory rules, hotel PIP requirements, restaurant equipment standards

We don't publish opinions. We cite sources. When the SBA changes a rule, we update our guides to match.

Why Industry-Specific Guides?

A restaurant owner financing a kitchen buildout faces different requirements than a hotel buyer negotiating a flag agreement or a franchisee meeting FDD disclosure rules. Generic SBA guides treat them all the same—and leave critical questions unanswered.

The FUNDED series exists because:

• Restaurants need guidance on equipment financing, lease requirements, and cash flow thresholds specific to food service
• Hotels need to understand PIP financing, management experience requirements, and brand flag implications
• Franchises need clarity on FDD requirements, Franchise Directory eligibility, and franchise fee rules
• Dental practices need help with goodwill-heavy valuations, student debt impact on DSCR, and insurance credentialing timelines

One size doesn't fit all. That's why we wrote four books, not one.