About Ask Sterling
Ask Sterling is a free guide to business funding for established US businesses. We explain how working capital, cash advances, lines of credit and loans really work, give you calculators that show the true cost, and, if you ask us to, pass your enquiry to one named funding partner. We are an introducer. We don't lend, we don't broker, and we don't make credit decisions.
Who runs it
Ask Sterling is a trading name of OPTIMAX AI LTD, a company registered in England & Wales (company no. 16143914), at 38 Sunnymede Avenue, Epsom KT19 9TJ, United Kingdom. You can reach us at mike@optimax-ai.com. That is a real inbox read by a real person.
Why we built it
Most business-funding websites are platforms. You fill in one form and it goes to a marketplace, and then a handful of companies call you in the same afternoon, each with a different offer quoted in a different way. Comparing them is hard work, and the phone doesn't stop.
Ask Sterling takes the opposite approach. We ask a few straight questions, we tell you what the money will really cost, and if you want an introduction we send your enquiry to one funding specialist, not ten. You know in advance who it is: you can read about them on who you'll speak to.
Who Sterling is
Sterling is an illustrated guide character: silver hair, a ledger-green vest, an orange pen in his pocket, a phone in one hand and a notebook in the other. He is not a real person. He has no credentials, no years in the industry and no track record, and he never claims any. Nobody called Sterling will phone you.
We use a character for a plain reason. Funding is full of jargon, and a consistent voice makes it easier to read: one guide who asks one question at a time, turns a factor rate into an APR, and tells you when a deal looks expensive. When you see "Sterling's take" on a page, that is our editorial view, written and checked by the team behind the site under our editorial policy. It is general information, not advice about your business.
What we do
- Explain funding products in plain English, with the sources listed on every page.
- Give you free calculators (cost, APR, how much you might borrow, offer checks) that run in your browser.
- With your consent, send your enquiry to one named funding partner.
- Tell you, in plain words, how we get paid.
What we don't do
- We don't lend money or decide who gets funded. Price, terms and approval are set by the funder.
- We don't charge you anything, and we don't take a cut of any funding you receive.
- We don't sell your details or send them to anyone other than the one partner you agree to.
- We don't run credit searches.
- We don't publish testimonials, reviews or "funded" counters. We are new, and we won't fake them.
- We don't promise an amount, a rate, a speed or an approval. Nobody honest can.
Who it is for
Ask Sterling is built for owners of established businesses, typically trading for a year or more and looking for $50K to $500K+. If your business is smaller or newer, the guides and calculators still work for you, and some smaller businesses can still ask. If our partner doesn't cover your state or industry right now, we will say so plainly. That's on us, not you.