Buying a business with an SBA loan changed on October 1, 2026, and I brought in someone who has seen the lending side from the inside. Sterling Birdsong spent more than a decade in banking, produced over $50 million in SBA loans in a single year, and was at BayFirst when it exited the SBA 7(a) program in 2025. Now he runs his own shop.In this episode, Charles and I break down what SOP 50 10 8.1 means for first-time buyers: how the 10 percent equity injection works now, how much a seller note on full standby can count, what changed and then changed back for small acquisition loans, and how revolving lines through MARC or the Working Capital Pilot can fit into eligible deals.We also run a live Approve or Decline round with five real-world deal profiles, Sterling grills a deal from my roll-up pipeline like a credit committee would, and we close with a rapid-fire round on credit scores, add-backs, and the most underrated industries for SBA buyers.According to American Banker, SBA approved 56,130 7(a) loans in fiscal 2026, a double-digit drop from the prior year. The money did not disappear. The sloppy deals did. If you are buying a business in the $1M to $5M range, this is how the lender reads your file.This episode is for education only and is not financial, legal, or lending advice. Talk to a qualified lender about your specific deal.LINKSDeal Flow OS: https://dealflow-os.comNewsletter: https://buybuildexitwithroyredd.subst...Instagram: @buybuildexitFree Class: https://www.skool.com/buy-build-exit-...