When Stephanie and Wesley Klaus started looking for a business loan they needed to launch Omaha's first Lenny's Sub Shop franchise, they quickly became overwhelmed.

The couple set off in search of a $240,000 bank loan in March 2011 and expected an easy process that would take two months, tops.

Those two months came and went in a hurry, and nine months later, the Klauses were still searching for answers after three approved financing deals crumbled at the last minute, said Stephanie Klaus, 31.

"We were actually at the point where we were going to give up on it," Klaus said. "There are thousands and thousands of banks and it was next to impossible for us to pick one out."

Then, early this year, the Klauses were approached by officials from Lenny's corporate headquarters in Memphis, Tenn., about a new online product, called BoeFly, that the company had just started using to secure financing for other franchisees.