Sometimes debt is cheaper than VC money, if you have the cash flow to pay it back. If sales tank, and your cash flow slows down, you'll learn how quickly debt is not always cheaper :) In the article, the first company mentioned talks about how sales doubled in a year. Well, and an anything that grows that fast can shrink that fast, too. VC money can have really favorable payment terms for a company that needs to keep cash within the company to grow.