Past studies highlighted those small and medium-scale enterprise's contributions to nations economies have been minimal due to their inability to access sufficient funds for their operations. The challenge is that small business owners lack the right strategies to raise the finances required for business operations. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of small and medium-scale enterprise owners in raising finances from lending institutions. The conceptual framework emphasized the concept of the business environment, financing institutions, knowledge, and experience of small business owners related to small and medium scale enterprise funding. The research questions explored small business owners ' lived experiences in sourcing finances for their operations. A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted with 15 small business owners drawn from small business owners who recently accessed finances from lending institutions. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews through Zoom. Data analysis was done using a deep machine learning analysis technique to extract emergent themes that provided answers to the research questions. The findings show that the development country business environment is harsh and exacerbated by financing institutions that are non-supportive of small business owners. This forces small business owners to seek alternative funding sources such as debt financing, turning to venture capitalists, which is the most common form of financial source for new ventures, including small and medium scale enterprises and family and social networks for funding. The study findings will contribute to positive social change by creating awareness amongst small and medium-scale business owners on the best financial strategies to fund their operations to remain profitable and sustainable.

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