Everyone is trying to maximize earnings in this business. 

It's not a sound way of doing business, especially if you hire some random VA to call for you in an area they know nothing about.Agents should always be building their sphere and creating warm inbound marketing from social media, events, and meetups instead of doing spray and pray.

Quote from @John Lasher: I've heard from so many investors that they have put a pause on their flipping business.

But 2025 offers other opportunities that did not exist 10 or even 5 years ago - think AI and online businesses.

I define small business owners as people who employ w2 employees.

My significant other and I decided to use a builder she had done business with in the past.   

The liability coverage is way better, the building coverage is often better, and commercial policies typically cover loss of business income as well, which a homeowners policy isn't going to help you with.California + wildfire area + STR is super tough. 

As small businesses, securing funding can be a real challenge.

It's the smart way to fun a business. 

For an SBA hotel loan, the SBA may guarantee say 30% of the loan and a traditional bank takes the next 50%...total LTV/LTC of 80%...will vary by business but it's higher/better than the previous replies (otherwise, you would just get a traditional commercial loan without the SBA involved).