Highlights

$250K
Credit line with Slope

Tens of thousands
Projected annual savings vs. MCAs

In a Nutshell

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum has been selling on Amazon since 2014. The company holds licensing deals with 260+ colleges and brands ranging from Saturday Night Live to Smokey the Bear. CEO Phil Sklar has built the business into one of the only bobblehead-focused companies in the world.

The collectibles business has inherent cash flow mismatches. Production costs hit before revenue. Wholesale partners pay on 30-60-90 day terms. Viral moments can spike demand without warning. Phil had tested nearly every financing option available, and found that many had tradeoffs he couldn't live with.

When the Slope line of credit program* appeared in his Amazon Seller Central portal, two things caught his attention: Amazon had vetted it, and J.P. Morgan provided the credit facility. He applied in under two minutes. Within the first month, Phil used his $250,000 credit line to pay off a higher-cost merchant cash advance — projecting tens of thousands in annual interest savings.

About National Bobblehead HOF

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum launched in 2014 with a single bobblehead. Phil Sklar and his team built a list of people and characters they thought deserved the bobblehead treatment, then started knocking on doors for licensing deals.

In 2017, Butler University became their first collegiate license. The Sister Jean bobblehead during Loyola's 2018 Final Four run went viral and became their bestselling product for months. Today, the company holds licenses for over 260 colleges plus brands like Saturday Night Live, Dippin' Dots, and Smokey the Bear.

National Bobblehead HOF sells through Amazon, their own website, Walmart, and eBay. They also supply wholesale to retailers including Rally House, Scheels, and Fanatics. Q4 is their peak season, but viral moments can create spikes any time — "a random Wednesday in August," as Phil puts it.

Challenges

Running a collectibles business means paying for production before products sell. Wholesale means waiting 30-60-90 days after delivery to get paid. Licensing means putting up advances that take months to recoup. Each new project requires capital before revenue materializes.

Phil has tried most financing options available to Amazon sellers, and found issues with many of the existing options.

"With the percent-of-sales model, you could have a huge sales period and you're paying back a really big percentage of that in a short period of time. You don't know how much is going to be coming in. And you can't access additional funds until it's paid off."
‍— Phil Sklar, CEO

Finding a Solution with Slope

Phil checks the Amazon Lending portal periodically for new options. When Slope appeared, he'd never heard of the company. He searched "Slope Amazon" and found news coverage about the J.P. Morgan credit facility backing the program.

"If we see something in the Amazon portal, it's well vetted and something Amazon trusts. And when we were able to see that backing by J.P. Morgan, we could tell it's legitimate."
– Phil Sklar, CEO

The application took under two minutes. Slope pulled his Amazon performance data and approved a $170,000 revolving credit line. After submitting additional paperwork, the line increased to $250,000.

Phil's Slope account representative, Aidan, responds quickly by email — a contrast to other financing products where support is self-serve only. The dashboard shows available balance, outstanding amounts, payment due dates, and APR with no guessing. Each draw can have its own repayment terms — installments for one purchase, net terms for another.

"You can go in there Wednesday or Thursday and request it and you know you'll have it. It's not a waiting game or uncertainty of whether it's actually going to get approved."
‍— Phil Sklar, CEO

The Impact

Phil's first Slope draw went toward paying off an existing merchant cash advance. The goal: eliminate MCAs from his business entirely.

• Projected annual savings: Tens of thousands in interest compared to MCA rates
• Revolving access: Draw as you pay down, no waiting for full repayment
• Transparent pricing: One APR with exact payback amounts shown upfront — no fees deducted from principal
• Predictable credit line: $250,000 available and visible, unlike fluctuating credit card limits
• Planning confidence: Known amounts, known repayment dates, ability to forecast cash flow

The credit line also serves as a backstop for opportunities. Phil doesn't always draw from it, but knowing it's available lets him say yes to licensing deals and projects he might have passed on before.

"Even if we weren't to use it, it would be there as an option. It's a great feeling as a business owner."
‍— Phil Sklar, CEO

The Recommendation

When asked what he'd tell another business owner considering Slope:

"I would just tell them to sign up. Ease of use and cost of funds are the two key ones. There's not a lot of options out there where you have that ability to draw up to that amount where it's pretty much instant and you're not paying a crazy fee or interest rate. Slope sort of checks all the boxes."
‍— Phil Sklar, CEO

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Disclosure: Slope is a financial technology company, not a bank. Business-purpose loans made by Lead Bank, Member FDIC, and subject to credit approval. Application and personal guaranty may be required. Subject to minimum revenue and business requirements. Fees vary based on risk assessment and loan term.