Debt as Leverage: Scaling Without Running Dry

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges of financing in business and features an interview with Levi King on leveraging debt for growth.

Running a business is statistically a bad idea, yet entrepreneurs dive in anyway because of a necessary, often dangerous level of optimism. This optimism is a double-edged sword: it provides the drive to start but can blind a founder to the mathematical reality of their financial health. In this episode, we sit down with Levi King, founder of NAV and Lendio, to discuss why most businesses fail at the financing stage and how to bridge the gap between where you are and where a lender needs you ...

People in this episode

Guest: Levi King

Topics covered

• debt
• business financing
• entrepreneurship
• financial health
• optimism in business

Keywords

• debt as leverage
• business failure
• entrepreneurial optimism
• financing stage
• financial health

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NAV, Lendio

More episodes of Big Talk About Small Business

• Slow Growth Secrets: Why Raising Capital is a Trap · June 10, 2026 · 53 min
• Best of Big Talk: Finding Purpose in the Hustle · June 3, 2026 · 8 min
• Shark Tank Secrets: Turning Big Ideas Into Tech Realities With Dmitri Love · May 27, 2026 · 1h 0m
• Check Your Ego: Building a Global Franchise from a Frat House Kitchen · May 20, 2026 · 45 min
• Management vs. Leadership: The Truth About Scaling · May 13, 2026 · 52 min
• Marketing Or Die: Why Specialized AI Wins · May 6, 2026 · 50 min