Access to capital can be the difference between a business that stagnates and one that scales. Yet many entrepreneurs are surprised when a traditional bank declines their equipment financing request—even when their business is profitable. In this episode of Build It to Billions, Brett Swarts sits down with equipment financing expert Robert Misheloff to uncover why banks often say “no,” how specialized lenders evaluate opportunities differently, and the costly mistakes business owners make when searching for financing.
Robert also pulls back the curtain on the commercial lending industry, exposing the warning signs of unethical brokers, hidden fees, and financing traps that can cost businesses thousands of dollars. Whether you’re purchasing equipment, expanding operations, or planning for long-term growth, this conversation provides practical strategies to secure smarter financing, protect your business, and build lasting wealth with confidence.
Episode Highlights Here:
Brett
Before we jump into this episode, I would invite you to join our community to help you become a better steward, scale to billions, and ultimately give more or all of it away. All I want you to do is to click the subscribe button right now. I love your support, it’s incredible to see your comments, and we’re just getting started. I can’t wait to go on this journey with you. Thank you so much for subscribing. It means the world to me. Welcome to the Build to Billions podcast, where we guide successful entrepreneurs and investors on their journey from millions to billions. We believe the key to scaling and compounding your wealth and life starts every single day with the mindset and practice of stewardship over ownership and applying billionaire biblical principles. Our ultimate goals have to scale and compound your wealth and life, so you can give more all the way to help MVPs. My name is Brett Swartz. In every episode, we’re joined by the world’s top entrepreneurs, millionaires, or billionaires, and they share their secrets and insights with us, so we can all level up and make a bigger impact. I’m excited about our next guest. He’s out of Las Vegas area. He has over 20 years of experience in finance, including working as a financial analyst for a business valuation firm and running a marketing company that specializes in marketing financial products. Today we’re going to be talking about financing and helping your small business with vehicle and equipment financing, so it’s kind of a niche thing that our guest is going to bring to the table. Please welcome to show with me Robert Misheloff Rob, how we doing?
Robert
Good, thanks for having me, Brett.
Brett
Excellent. For listeners getting to know you for the first time, would you give us just a little more about your story and your current focus?
Robert
Yeah, absolutely. So I started the company about a dozen years ago, and the reason for that, I was running a direct marketing firm since from 2003 to 2013 and our main product was direct mail, which by 2013 was not really a viable product anymore, and we were mostly marketing for a niche product called Reverse Mortgages, and a gentleman that had worked for us and had moved on went to go work at an equipment finance company, and he was shooting hoops with someone who was still working for us, and he said, “So, you’re doing this equipment finance thing now? How are you guys getting your leads? He says, “Well, they’re sending out direct mail, and people call us. I said, “Wow, well, maybe I ought to start direct mailing for these equipment finance guys. So, we start doing that, and I could call, and I get into some of the larger shops, and I realized through that process that, and let me back up for a sec, because the interesting about the reverse mortgage industry was there wasn’t a lot of scammers. Most of the people, you know, every, every, every single business in the world has a few bad apples, but what was unique about the reverse mortgage industry, the vast majority of the people in that industry were good people, they were doing it so they could help people not have to choose between food and medicine, and they believed in the product. And I get in to start talking to these guys that are doing small business loans and equipment financing, and I find out it’s an unregulated market, and a lot of the folks in the market, they weren’t being honest with their customers about the rates and the terms, and they were, they were actually proud of it. They were bragging to me that you can use smoke and mirrors, because guys that drive trucks and guys that pour asphalt, they’re good at what they do, but they don’t know anything about finance, they don’t know anything about numbers, so you can tell them whatever, and they don’t have lawyers, so none of their contracts are reviewed, and there’s all these shady things they can do, and I said to myself, you know, there’s a lot of ways to make a living, and I’m not going to make a living helping these guys rip off small business owners. It just doesn’t speak to me. And so, I started our website, Smarter Finance usa.com and basically told all the shifty things these guys told me, and said, these are the things I heard. This is what’s going on in the industry, and by the way, these are the real rates, and this is what you’re actually paying, not just, you know, and to this day, if you shop online and you’re looking up equipment finance, they’ll 90 plus percent of the equipment finance calculators on websites out there, they’ll show you a payment or they’ll show you a rate, but it’s based on a fairy tale, it’s either sometimes it’s a total lie. They’ll say you’re going to get a 5% rate when you can’t even get that on a mortgage,
Brett
so, if you like this little, short clip of the interview I just did, click over here to watch the full interview, and please don’t forget to subscribe. Thanks so much, everybody.
Watch the episode here:
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About Robert Misheloff
Robert Misheloff is the Founder and Vice President of Smarter Finance USA, where he helps business owners secure equipment financing and working capital solutions to fuel sustainable growth. With more than two decades of experience in commercial finance, financial analysis, and business valuation, Rob is known for simplifying the complexities of business lending and empowering entrepreneurs to make smarter financial decisions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Irvine, an MBA in Finance from Pepperdine University, and has passed Level II of the CFA Program.
As host of the Smarter Business Finance Podcast and a trusted voice in commercial lending, Rob shares practical insights on equipment financing, cash flow management, and avoiding costly lending mistakes. His passion for financial education and transparent lending has made him a valuable resource for business owners looking to scale with confidence, preserve capital, and build stronger, more resilient companies.
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