Where the county sits
Tehama County is in the northern part of California, with 65,829 residents at the 2020 census. The Sacramento River bisects it. Red Bluff is the county seat and largest city, and the county makes up the Red Bluff micropolitan area, which is part of the larger Redding-Red Bluff combined statistical area. The incorporated cities are Corning, Red Bluff and Tehama, and a corner of Lassen Volcanic National Park reaches into the northeast.
The roads that matter are Interstate 5, State Route 99 and several state highways running into the mountains. Local bus service runs in Red Bluff with connections to Corning and Los Molinos, and Greyhound and FlixBus stop in Red Bluff.
How a corridor town earns
Towns on a major north-south interstate collect three kinds of customers: residents, farm and ranch households, and travelers. Each pays differently.
- Residents spend through the month, with spikes around paydays.
- Farm and ranch households spend heavily before planting and after harvest, and sparingly in between.
- Travelers stop for fuel, food and lodging, and numbers vary with weather, holidays and road closures.
A diner at an I-5 exit sees all three at once. A feed store sees mostly the second. A motel sees mostly the third. Knowing which of these you mostly serve helps you plan for the slow stretches.
Three owners, three cash problems
The feed or farm-supply store
Inventory is bought months ahead of sales, and customers often pay on account. The store needs working capital to hold stock until accounts are settled.
The auto and truck repair shop
A single lift, alignment rack or diagnostic machine can cost more than a month of profit. A shop that cannot take on a service because it lacks equipment turns away revenue.
The restaurant or motel
Seasonal and weather swings are covered from reserves that may not exist. A burst pipe, a failed HVAC or an unexpected permit cost can force a sudden spend.
Local pages
Our page for Red Bluff goes into the specifics of running a business in the county seat. If you run a business in Corning or one of the smaller communities, the same application and the same terms apply.
Terms in plain language
We fund from $25,000 to $5,000,000, with funding possible in as little as 24 hours. We consider FICO 500 and above, review about three months of business bank statements, and do not require tax returns. The application takes about five minutes with a soft credit pull. Sole proprietors can apply. Start on the application page.
If your need is smaller than $25,000, a smaller product elsewhere may suit you better. If you are not sure, the application is short and the credit check does not hurt your score.