2 SBA loans have financed Ace Hardware Painting Services locations since 2025, written by 1 different lenders across 1 states. Half were approved for $375K or less, the mix is almost entirely 7(a), and 100% went to owners whose business was under two years old.
A lender that has already underwritten this brand knows the unit economics, the build-out costs, and the franchisor. That is worth more to you than a bigger bank starting from scratch.