Home
>
Small Business
>
How To Build Business Credit

How To Build Business Credit

Having their own business is something many millions of people dream of doing. Many do, of course, but so many others never quite get around to it. One of the factors that may discourage people from getting that business off the ground, is a lack of start up capital; and another may be the risk of losing their own money.

With a bit of thought, planning and effort, though, it may be possible for you to not only raise some start up capital, but do so through business credit. In other words, borrow against the business rather than personal assets.

You may be thinking that you have no business yet. That may be so, but it does not mean you cannot obtain business credit to get your plans started

Building business credit is completely different from building personal credit, and it is best to keep them separate if possible. Some credit reporting agencies will sell a business FICO score based on both the risk of the business and the personal credit of the owner. In some instances, the owner's personal credit is linked to the business credit, separate credit records are profitable. You should also bear in mind that you do not have the same credit protection laws with business credit as you do with personal credit.

There are some important steps to follow in building a good business credit record. Here are a few for you to take into account:

1. Prepare Business Plan And Structure

You are now in the world of business credit, not consumer credit. This means that you are trying to project yourself in a business-like way. In preparing yourself to do this, you will have the added bonus of preparing yourself for the transition from being an employee to being a business man or woman. The more business-like you become, the better your business will do in the future.

But first things first. Your first job is to convince potential lenders you are going to have a viable business. The quality of your preparation is important; if you go seeking business credit without doing your homework, you will be sent back to the drawing board.

To begin with, set up a proper business structure, and if you require any licenses, make sure those are in place. Also, prepare a business plan, with the aid of an advisor if necessary. You can use this to show that you have thought about the business: the products, the markets, the competition, pricing, and all the other elements of the business. Be prepared to defend your projections for sales, and your estimate of start up and running costs.

Again, this has the added bonus of being a good preparation for you, regardless of seeking credit for your business. You will become a better business person for preparing your business plan. Hopefully, that will stand you in good stead as your business grows successfully. Planning will become a part of your monthly or annual routine.

Another preparatory move that will help you is, in the US at least, getting a business credit profile. This can help you to build up business credit without using your personal credit. The benefits in having a business credit profile are many. Most importantly, you will have more cash for the business, convenience in purchasing, protection of your personal assets, limiting of personal liability from the business, and the ability to prepare your business for future lending needs.

2. Become A Good Credit Customer

You will, of course, need to buy equipment, services, stocks and other materials for your new business. If you can find vendors who will grant you credit, all the better; but is best if they are companies who will report your credit history to the major business credit reporting agencies. Dunn and Bradstreet is probably the best know internationally. Unlike with personal credit ratings, or FICO scores, with business credit scores income or income potential play an important roll. The top scores are reserved for the large stable businesses, but with careful and diligent business and crdit practice, you too can achieve a good credit rating.

3. Obtain A Credit Assessment

In order to enter the business credit market, it is best to do a credit assessment. This will determine if you comply with the lender and credit bureau's requirements. Once you have done that, look for businesses that issue credit without the need for established business or personal credit checks or guarantees. Once you have transacted business with vendors on credit, you can utilize those references to build your credit profile with the credit reporting agencies.

In many US states, there are non-profit organizations and/or government organizations that will help you with obtaining business credit. Often there are loans available for start-up businesses or even government grants. Check your state government, or national government if not in the US, web sites for such organizations.

Many retired, or semi retired, businessmen volunteer to help start-up businesses. If you can, take advantage of such help; it will all build your knowledge as you set out on the road to a successful business with a good credit standing. Experienced business people will forewarn you of many of the pitfalls of starting your own business, and you will be better prepared.

This how to build small business credit article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner author of the Eliminate Credit Card Debt Now website. Roy is a former finance and business professional, now a full time online author.

spring cleaning service Arlington Heights ...

In The News:

Uber teen accounts now feature live video streaming from the driver's camera, but encrypted recordings stay on Uber's servers for up to 14 days.

Router firewalls and software firewalls serve different roles in protecting your home Wi-Fi from unwanted traffic and suspicious connections.

A Chrome extension with 70,000 users and a 4.7-star rating began injecting fake update warnings after a threat actor acquired and weaponized it.

Amazon's Alexa+ rolls out free to Fire TV devices across the U.S., but hands-free microphones and stored voice data raise key privacy questions.

Meta's new teen accounts settlement sets a default two-hour daily limit on Instagram and Facebook, plus night mode and school mode restrictions.

The CareCloud data breach exposed Social Security numbers, banking information and medical records belonging to more than 3.75 million people.

Waymo reveals its custom 5-nanometer chip and dual computing systems designed to take over instantly if the robotaxi's primary computer fails.

Identity theft now includes account takeover, phone hijacking and payment card exposure. Here's what to look for in identity theft protection services.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

The FBI and Justice Department seized domains tied to QScan and QTRouter, tools allegedly used by China-linked hackers to breach NASA and other agencies.

Uber Eats drone delivery launches later this year through a Zipline partnership, starting in Dallas and Houston with a goal of one million daily flights.

Medicare Open Enrollment scams start with data broker targeting months before October. Learn why August is the time to remove your personal info.

The World Humanoid Robot Games' crashes show how far the technology still needs to go to be useful, "Survivor" reality TV star and robotics scientist Christian Hubicki says.

X-Humanoid's TianGong Ultra ran 100 meters in 9.32 seconds at Beijing's World Humanoid Robot Games, beating last year's winner by more than half.

A tap-to-pay charity scam is turning small $15 or $20 donations into charges of nearly $5,000, with victims losing thousands before they notice.

Kurt Knutsson shares seven emergency preparedness lessons from surviving Hurricane Katrina inside a New Orleans hotel as conditions turned desperate.

A contractor stored credentials in a Google Doc set to "Anyone with the link," and Google Search autocomplete eventually surfaced the password string.

New Orleans 911 uses Carbyne AI to triage repeat auto crash calls, but strict limits keep human call-takers in control of all other emergencies.

A single card skimmer can generate $1 million in stolen funds, and Secret Service video shows criminals installing them in under two seconds.

ChatGPT, Meta AI and Google now use memory, connected apps and past chats to personalize ads and responses in ways most users overlook today.

MagicalAuth by Glide.id uses cryptographic SIM credentials to verify bank logins without sending SMS OTP codes that scammers can intercept or phish.

A humanoid robot named Lightning Bolt ran 100 meters in 9.39 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, edging Usain Bolt's record.

An AI agent using Claude AI canceled another person's gym booking after finding a security flaw in the reservation system's authorization checks.

Trump signed a memorandum allowing vetted private U.S. companies to conduct cyber operations against foreign criminal organizations under oversight.

Your Social Security number appeared in a breach, but exposure and identity theft are not the same. Here's how identity restoration actually works.

How To Build Business Credit

Small Business