A crossroads county next to the capital
Yolo County was one of California's original counties, created in 1850 at statehood. It had 216,403 residents at the 2020 census, and its county seat is Woodland. It is part of the greater Sacramento metropolitan area in the Sacramento Valley. Interstates 5, 80 and 505, along with US 50 and several state routes, cross the county. Yolobus runs throughout the county and into Sacramento and the Sacramento International Airport, and Amtrak has a station in Davis.
With that road network, Yolo County businesses compete and cooperate with Sacramento's, and many owners serve customers on both sides of the river.
Four town-sized markets
Davis
The University of California, Davis, shapes the Davis economy. Student-oriented businesses, such as cafes, bike shops, and housing services, follow the academic year. They are busy during the term and quiet in summer, while rent and payroll continue.
West Sacramento
West Sacramento sits across the river from the state capital and has room for the kinds of businesses that cluster near freeways and a river port: warehousing, distribution, construction and services. Cash flow for those trades depends on contracts and invoice timing.
Woodland
Woodland is the county seat, with a farm-service and downtown retail economy tied to the surrounding fields.
Winters and the rural areas
Smaller towns and farm roads support ag suppliers, small restaurants and specialty shops. Revenue follows the growing and harvest calendar.
The academic-calendar problem
A business whose customers leave for the summer has a predictable gap. A cafe near campus may earn most of its income in about nine months and then coast. Typical issues include:
- Paying summer rent without summer sales.
- Buying fall inventory before students return.
- Keeping key staff through the break.
- Fixing equipment during the quiet weeks, so it is ready for the first day of class.
If the pattern is predictable, so is the need for cash. That does not make borrowing wise by itself, but it does help you size a request to the problem.
Distribution and contracting in the river corridor
Businesses near the interstates and the river have a different problem: slow-paying customers. A delivery or installation company may do the work in week one and collect in week seven. During that wait, the vehicles need fuel, the crew needs pay, and the next job needs materials. A working-capital advance is one way to cover the wait, and it is most sensible when the margin on the work clearly exceeds the cost.
Applying
Funding runs from $25,000 to $5,000,000, funded in as little as 24 hours. We consider FICO scores of 500 and above and review about three months of business bank statements. No tax returns are required. The application takes about five minutes with a soft credit pull, and sole proprietors can apply. Start on the application page.