He helped entrepreneurs secure more than $52 MILLION in capital—and now Stedman Waiters is breaking down how the business funding game actually works. In this episode of Inside the Vault with Ash Cash, Stedman explains how he went from professional football and an $80K engineering career to building Waiters Capital into a multimillion-dollar funding company. Stedman pulls back the curtain on what banks actually look for, why entrepreneurs get denied, and how funding brokers connect business owners with lenders without putting up their own money. He breaks down 0% business funding, revenue-based lending, business lines of credit, SBA loans, equipment financing, CDFIs, bank relationships, and personal credit. But getting access to money is only part of the game. Stedman also shares how he transitioned from his 9-to-5 without recklessly quitting, why investing in mentorship accelerated his success, how marketing became the engine behind his seven-figure business, and the **3 M’s—More, Metrics & Manpower—**that he uses to scale businesses. Ash and Stedman also discuss becoming the first millionaire in your family, why success can become lonely, acquiring existing businesses during the generational wealth transfer, using credit as leverage, and why entrepreneurs who learn to use AI may gain a major advantage. The biggest lesson? Banks are lending. The question is whether you understand how to position yourself—and your business—to access the capital. CONNECT 🎙️ Inside the Vault: @insidethevault 🎤 Host: @iamashcash 👤 Guest: @sted.waiters JOIN THE ABUNDANCE COMMUNITY The Abundance Community is about more than income. It’s about learning how to MAKE money, MANAGE money, and MULTIPLY money while strengthening the mental and spiritual foundation behind financial freedom. Take your Abundance Score and join the community: TheAbundanceCommunity.com Chapters 00:00 – $50K–$75K at 0% interest? 02:12 – Meet Stedman Waiters 05:05 – From football to engineering to entrepreneurship 06:57 – Why mentorship is a cheat code 09:25 – The danger of getting too comfortable 10:18 – Investing $25K in mentorship 11:35 – Transitioning from a 9-to-5 16:19 – His first business: credit repair 17:09 – Discovering the funding industry 18:00 – How funding brokers make money 19:32 – Good credit vs. business revenue 21:36 – How 0% business funding works 22:46 – “Banks ARE lending money” 24:14 – Are Black entrepreneurs denied more funding? 26:00 – Using business funding responsibly 28:28 – Why marketing is everything 30:07 – Marketing strategies for beginners 32:28 – Can a funding company make $10K a month? 33:43 – Student goes from $50K to $200K/month 34:27 – The 3 M’s: More, Metrics & Manpower 38:13 – Obsession, discipline and success 39:06 – Why Stedman started mentoring 41:03 – Becoming the first millionaire in his family 42:15 – Why success can become lonely 45:58 – Building community for entrepreneurs 47:25 – The Funding Broker Workshop 48:30 – Impact over money 49:13 – His future in private equity 50:05 – Buying businesses with SBA funding 53:23 – The risks of acquiring a business 54:24 – Why entrepreneurs keep getting denied 55:47 – Do bank relationships matter? 57:43 – Why business funding gets called a scam 58:59 – Is credit the new economic inequality? 1:00:36 – Do you really need business credit? 1:01:47 – How Stedman uses AI in business 1:03:35 – AI and the future of funding 1:04:21 – Connect with Stedman 1:06:07 – Closing the Vault + Abundance Score