I’ve seen friends run into a lot of red tape with SBA loans, especially if their credit scores aren't perfect or if they haven’t been profitable for years already. Even with a 650-700 score, most banks get picky or just ask for more paperwork and collateral than is worth it. A couple people I know tried for SBA 7(a) loans and waited months with no luck, even though their businesses were healthy.
If you’re in California and want to skip the drama, there are actually programs for
Small Business Funding in California that don’t fixate on credit scores, and I’ve heard they can fund you super fast. Just depends if you’d rather go traditional or try a revenue-based setup.