Ask the Experts | LoL #11

Ask the Experts: Key Takeaways & Deep Dive | Episode 11

What actually separates the Lords of Lending from every other SBA lender rattling off rates and terms? In this rapid-fire episode, Steph puts Shane and Brian in the hot seat with the questions borrowers really want answered -- and the responses are unfiltered, personal, and packed with the kind of honesty you won't find in a bank brochure.

In this episode, Steph takes control of the format with a rapid-fire "Ask the Experts" structure, grilling Shane and Brian on what makes them different, how they define client experience, how they handle complex multi-use SBA deals, their signature moves, and the deeper motivation that keeps them grinding through the paperwork and politics of SBA lending. The conversation moves from big-picture philosophy to street-level tactics, with all three hosts revealing the personal "why" behind their professional approach to SBA lending questions and client relationships.

1. The Mindset That Makes the Difference -- Playing Offense for the Borrower

Steph opened with the question she gets asked every single day: what makes you so different from every other lender? Brian's answer landed first and set the tone for the whole episode -- it's not about products or rates, it's about mindset. Most lenders are looking for reasons a deal doesn't work. The Lords are looking for ways to make it work.

Shane took it further with a line that captured his entire philosophy in one sentence. He's not playing defense for the bank. He's playing offense for the borrower. And the wild part? He works for the bank. That tension -- competing against the institution that signs your paycheck to get a deal across the finish line -- is the defining characteristic of how he operates.

"I'm a really damn good player at offense for the business owner. The number one issue I run into with any application is I feel like I'm always honestly almost competing against the bank as I'm working through it. And I work for the damn place." -- Shane Pierson

"We think like business owners. We're here to make a deal work, not to find a reason why it doesn't work." -- Brian Congelliere

This isn't just a tagline. It's a functional operating difference. Most SBA loan officers are trained to screen deals -- find the red flags, document the risks, pass on anything that looks complicated. The Lords flip that approach. They start with the assumption that the deal should work and then engineer around the obstacles. That distinction is why borrowers who've been told "no" three times end up closing with the Lords.

Steph grounded the philosophy in her own daily reality. For years, she asked herself the same question every borrower asks: what really does make me so different? Why should business owners call us, trust us, listen to us? The answer she landed on is that most lenders just rattle off rates, terms, features, and benefits. The Lords are in the business of understanding what the borrower's dreams actually look like -- and then figuring out how to build a strategy around making those dreams real. It's not "let me get you some money." It's "let me be in this for the long haul."

2. Client Experience Means No Surprises, No Jargon, and No Abandonment

When Steph asked each host to define their ultimate client experience, the answers revealed three very different strengths that complement each other perfectly. Steph's philosophy is foundational: she's in the people business. Not the loan business, not the rate business -- the people business. Her life mission is to create experiences and add value, and she measures success by relationships that last ten years, not transactions that close in 60 days.

Brian brought his legal training to the table. His definition of client experience is about spotting issues early -- the same skill that made him effective as an attorney. He approaches every deal like building a legal case: identify every potential problem at the front end, strategize around it, and present the borrower with a clear plan for how you'll handle each obstacle before it becomes a crisis.

Shane's version was the most viscerally personal. He hates surprises with a passion that borders on anxiety. From the moment he picks up the phone to the moment the deal closes, his entire focus is making sure the borrower is never blindsided. No jargon, no banker-speak, no acronym soup that leaves the client nodding along while understanding nothing.

"I hate freaking surprises so much on SBA loans to the point where it causes me to have an overabundance of anxiety. From the moment I get a phone call from somebody to the moment that the deal closes... this person is going to hate me if this problem pops up and I didn't warn them ahead of time." -- Shane Pierson

"I am in the people business. My lifelong mission is to help people and to be around people and to add value and create experiences." -- Stephanie Dunn

Shane also dropped an uncomfortable truth about the lending industry: bankers have the worst vernacular in any profession. They throw acronyms at borrowers all day and forget that the person on the other end has no freaking clue what they're saying. His goal is to strip the process down to its simplest possible explanation, present the facts without the salesmanship, and let the borrower make a decision based on reality instead of pitch. SBA loans are a commodity -- every bank is selling the same product with a different wrapper. What separates you is whether you warned the client what that product was going to taste like before they bit into it.

3. Tough Deals Require Curated Packages, Not Hidden Problems

Steph steered the conversation into the "tough deal factor" -- those multi-affiliate, multi-use-of-proceeds nightmares that make most loan officers run for cover. She cited a real example from that week: a borrower with 14 affiliates that nobody wanted to touch.

Brian's approach to tough deals mirrors his legal training: never hide the ball. He's seen brokers and borrowers try to slip issues past underwriters or hope nobody notices the weak spots -- "Well, yeah, this is an issue, but maybe let's not mention it to the underwriter." Brian shuts that down immediately. Those buried issues always surface, always at the worst possible time, and always with more damage than if you'd addressed them on day one.

"We need to address it upfront right now and figure out a solution for that now so that we can keep the deal moving forward... I know I'm kind of saying the same thing as I did last time, but that is really the way to get through those tough deals -- just sit down and spend your brainpower figuring out the problems and how to work around them." -- Brian Congelliere

Instead, Brian's method is to surface every issue upfront, address it directly, and build the case around it. The deal might still be hard, but at least the underwriter isn't discovering bombs three months into the process.

Shane's take cut right to the operational heart of why deals get complicated. It's not that the business is bad -- it's that nobody has broken the deal down properly. A borrower walks in and says they want $5 million for 15 different things, but they haven't itemized any of it. The moment an SBA loan has multiple uses of proceeds beyond a simple property purchase, every additional use creates a new paperwork pathway, a new storyline that needs documentation and support.

"Our job as the Lords of Lending, if you will, is to spend time with you and curate this perfect, beautiful, gorgeous package that creates a very easy linear path to every element that you ask for. And that's what will separate that tough deal." -- Shane Pierson

Then Steph pushed him to simplify his own long-winded explanation, and Shane obliged with the blunt version: "Simplify the hell out of your damn deal. The more you ask for, the harder it's going to be." That's the real SBA deal structuring advice most borrowers need to hear.

The signature moves section brought out the personal brands within the brand. Steph's move: execution. Ten years later, clients remember one thing -- "This is the girl that made it happen. She found a way." Brian's move: picking up the phone. He still can't believe that returning calls is considered exceptional in the lending industry, but apparently the bar is that low. The most common thing he hears from new clients is "Wow, thanks for picking up the phone" -- and he's genuinely stunned that answering your phone qualifies as a competitive advantage in banking.

"I literally cannot even believe that that is the standard. But apparently that's the standard. And so if I had a signature move, that's probably it." -- Brian Congelliere

Shane's move: never leaving a borrower alone in the process. He doesn't disappear after the application is submitted. He stays in the fight because SBA loans are a pain in the rear, and nobody should have to suffer through that process feeling abandoned. He's been doing it for 19 years, started getting gray hair eight years ago, and the only thing that keeps him in it is the excitement phone call after a borrower closes. That phone call -- the relief, the gratitude, the "we actually did it" moment -- is more fulfilling than any paycheck he's ever received.

"Seeing people succeed is more fulfilling than a paycheck any day of the week... That excitement phone call that somebody gets after they close on their loan -- that is what keeps this job perpetuating. It makes me want to keep doing it." -- Shane Pierson

The lightning round brought the humanity back to a profession that often drowns in paperwork. Brian's favorite part of the job: seeing new businesses and being genuinely excited by what entrepreneurs are building. Shane's favorite: working with motivated people. The blind enthusiasm of a business owner chasing their dream is intoxicating, and it's the fuel that keeps him shoveling paperwork day after day. Steph closed the episode with the bigger picture that drives everything: they're not just processing loans. They're helping people build businesses that become family legacies. That sense of purpose -- knowing the work actually makes a difference in real families -- is the thread that connects all three hosts.

What This Means for Borrowers

If you've been turned down by traditional lenders, the problem might not be your deal -- it might be the mindset of the person reviewing it. The difference between a "no" and a funded loan often comes down to whether your lender is looking for problems or looking for solutions. The Lords' approach -- playing offense, curating the package, eliminating surprises, and staying in the fight -- is the kind of advocacy that turns complex deals into closed deals.

Before your next SBA application, do the work upfront: break your request into itemized uses of proceeds, document each one, and present a clean narrative that makes the underwriter's job easy. If your current lender can't explain your deal structure back to you in plain English, you're working with the wrong person.

What This Means for Aspiring SBA Loan Officers

The three signature moves from this episode are a masterclass in what separates average originators from the ones who build lasting careers. Pick up the phone. Stay with the borrower through the entire process. And play offense -- not against your institution, but for the borrower within the rules of the institution. That mindset shift is the difference between burning out on declined applications and building a book of business that generates referrals for decades.

Related Resources

• Complete Guide to SBA 7(a) Loans -- Master the fundamentals of the most common SBA loan program
• 5 Myths About SBA Loans Every Founder Should Know -- Separate fact from fiction before your next application
• SBA Loan Originator Training -- Learn the offensive lending approach from the ground up

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the Lords of Lending different from other SBA lenders?

The core difference is mindset. Most SBA lenders are trained to screen deals and find reasons to decline. The Lords approach every application with the assumption that the deal should work, then engineer solutions around the obstacles. Brian summed it up: "We think like business owners. We're here to make a deal work, not to find a reason why it doesn't work." That offensive mindset, combined with Steph's people-first philosophy and Shane's obsession with eliminating surprises, creates a client experience that's genuinely different from the standard banking interaction.

How do you handle a complex SBA loan with multiple uses of proceeds?

The key is breaking down your request into a clear, itemized package before you walk into a lender's office. Every additional use of proceeds beyond a single purpose (like buying a property) creates a new paperwork pathway that requires its own documentation, narrative, and financial support. Shane's advice: curate a "perfect package" that creates a linear path to every element you're requesting. The more organized and simplified your presentation, the easier the underwriter's job becomes -- and that directly correlates with approval speed and likelihood.

Why do SBA loan deals fall apart during the process?

The number one deal-killer is surprises that surface late in the process. Issues that should have been identified and addressed in the first week instead blow up in month three when the underwriter discovers them. Brian's approach -- drawn from his legal background -- is to spot every potential issue at the very beginning, build a strategy around each one, and present the full picture upfront. Hiding problems or hoping they won't come up always backfires.

What should I look for in an SBA lender or loan officer?

Look for three things: responsiveness (do they pick up the phone and return calls?), transparency (do they explain the process in plain English without jargon and acronyms?), and advocacy (are they fighting for your deal or just processing your paperwork?). Ask them to walk you through the toughest deal they've ever closed. If they can't tell you a war story about engineering a solution to a complex problem, they're likely a transactional processor, not an advocate.

Is the SBA loan process really that painful?

Yes. Shane has been doing it for 19 years and has the gray hair to prove it. SBA loans involve significant documentation requirements, multiple layers of review, and a process that can stretch for months. The pain is real, but it's manageable with the right lender guiding you through it. The borrowers who have the worst experiences are the ones who go into it unprepared and end up working with officers who disappear after the application is submitted.

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Tired of getting "no" from traditional lenders? Learn the Lords of Lending approach and discover how offensive-minded SBA lending actually works.

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This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or investment advice. Consult with a qualified attorney, CPA, and financial advisor before making business or financing decisions. Loan terms, rates, and programs are subject to change and vary by lender.