Admittedly, building business credibility is not easy with low personal credibility. But it can certainly be done with the right approach.
Here are some specific strategies on how to build business credit with poor personal credit to make yourself a more attractive borrower.
Establish an EIN
A good starting point is to establish an employee identification number (EIN).
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This is a nine-digit number assigned by the IRS to companies doing business in the United States and its territories.
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EINs are used for multiple purposes, including “filing company tax returns, opening business bank accounts, applying for licenses and permits, and applying for business credit,” the Small Business Administration said.
Having an EIN is convenient because it gives you another way to reach your business credit limit and you can use your EIN to open a business bank account instead of using your personal information.
EIN kills two birds with one stone. Not only does it help get small businesses back on track, but it also serves as a workaround for bad credit.
So if you haven’t established one yet, now is a great time to do so. All the information you need to apply for an EIN can be found here.
Join Dun & Bradstreet
The three major credit bureaus for reporting personal credit information are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, but business credit is a little different.
Information will continue to be reported to Equifax and Experian. However, instead of TransUnion, other major reported credit bureaus include Dun & Bradstreet.
Another important part of establishing business credit is registering with Dun & Bradstreet applying for a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number.
It’s free and easy to do, and you can do it from the Dun & Bradstreet website (here).
Just complete 4 basic steps and after your information is verified, you will receive your 9 digit DUNS number.
Once obtained, lenders and credit bureaus use it to verify your legal status as a small business owner from the Dun & Bradstreet database and assess your credit profile.
This, along with setting up a business bank account, is essential to “legalizing” your business. It should also open up opportunities to partner with other companies and pave the way for building business credibility.
As a result, small business loans, business lines, lines of credit, and other forms of business financing are more likely to be approved. This brings us to the next point.
Apply for Tradeline with Vendor
Tradelines is useful for most small business owners. But they are especially useful for new business owners who are just starting and need to earn some credit.
Even with low credit ratings, vendor trade lines should be a viable way to generate trade credit that can get you going in the right direction.
Vendor tradelines set up accounts with vendors who have payment terms that require invoices to be paid within an agreed timeframe.
For example, with Net 30 terms, the invoice is due for payment in 30 days. Under net-45 terms, payment is due in 45 days. Net 60 terms have a payment term of 60 days.
As long as you pay your bills on time and the vendor reports it to the corporate credit bureaus, your bad credit should start mitigating and boost your corporate credit score.
And if you develop the habit of making consistent and prompt payments, your business’ credit will continue to grow, ultimately helping you overcome a poor credit history.
Make sure the vendor reports the payment to the business office. Ideally, choose one with a short payment term. This will help you build credit faster.
Apply for a business credit card
One of the main factors in determining business credit is your payment history. In fact, most experts agree that this is the most important overall.
Another good way to build credit quickly, besides paying your vendor trade lines on time, is to apply for a business credit card and use it responsibly.
And just like a person’s credit score, credit usage is relevant here as well. In other words, you need to keep your credit card usage low.
The combination of fast payouts and low credit utilization can quickly build good business credit and negate bad personal credit scores.
Please note that if you do not qualify for an unsecured credit card, you may need to select a secured business credit card first.
Make sure your secure business credit card is reported to business credit bureaus. No to a personal credit information agency. This is worth noting, as not many business credit cards are safe to report to business credit bureaus.
When you’re just starting out, you may need a personal guarantee or a higher interest rate than your lender wants.
However, as your business’s creditworthiness improves, you’ll have more options and may be able to get a better credit card on better terms.
Pay your business bills on time
Again, your payment history is the most important factor in determining your business’ credit score.
Just as it’s important to pay your vendor statements, business loans, and business credit card bills on time, you should get into the habit of paying all your business bills on time.
And whenever possible, pay upfront to always have the upper hand.
Establishing strong corporate credit is to create a virtuous cycle of good credit.
Keeping track of your bills can help you avoid falling into debt or falling behind on payments. This makes you a more attractive borrower to lenders and helps you negotiate better business loan terms and repayment options.
Over time, this may help you achieve a good business credit score and give you access to the best business credit cards.
When you’re navigating a bad credit situation and trying to generate cash flow, it can be tough at first, but it should get easier over time.
Regularly monitor business credit reports
Just as it is important to monitor your personal credit regularly, so is your business credit score.
As such, you should get into the habit of regularly monitoring your business’s credit reports so that you know what’s going on with each major credit agency.
This has two important advantages.
First, you’ll get a baseline assessment of how you’re handling business credit and what your overall trajectory is like.
You may not be in an ideal position at first due to your low personal credibility, but over time your trajectory should improve and you’ll know exactly where you stand.
Second, we need to be able to identify incorrect information and detect errors.
Each major credit bureau does a very good job with credit checks, but mistakes can happen.
In the event of a problem, staying on top of your business’s credit report will help you find issues quickly so you can dispute errors before they damage your business’s credit score.
Just contact the credit bureau that made the mistake with a formal letter.
keep working on your personal credit
Personal credit may be low right now, but that doesn’t mean it needs to last long.
Your credit is constantly fluctuating, both personal and business, and it’s never too late to get your ship right.
This starts with first understanding the factors that contribute to an individual’s credit score, according to FICO.
- Payment History – 35%
- outstanding amount – 30%
- Length of credit history – 15%
- Credit mix – 10%
- New Credit – 10%
The other part of the equation is following basic best practices:
- Consistently pay on time or in advance
- Keep credit utilization below 30%
- Diversification of credit
- Do not close credit card accounts (this leads to a longer credit history and lower credit utilization
- Don’t apply for too many new accounts at once (this can be a red flag for lenders)
I spoke with Forrest McCall, personal finance expert and founder of Don’t Work Another Day. Months ahead instead of comparing yourself to others.
McCall recommends watching your credit over time and making small changes to how you manage your money so you can see your score go up.
You may also consider applying for a credit limit increase on your business credit card as you become a more reliable borrower. This should also reduce credit utilization.
That way, you should be able to steadily improve your personal credit score while establishing win-win business credit.
at the end
Building credit as a business owner with low personal credit can certainly be difficult. But it is by no means an insurmountable obstacle.
Even when your personal finances are bleak, understanding your priorities and having a clear strategy can help you quickly build business credibility and set the tone for a thriving company. increase.
Article Author: Garit Boothe, Due
About the author
Garit Boothe is a financial blogger and entrepreneur. George of Washington, DC He studied economics for a year at the University of Washington before dropping out to become a missionary in Argentina. After he returned to the US, he worked in various jobs, side jobs, and businesses until he embarked on his digital marketing. He currently runs his digital marketing his agency focused on fintech companies and writes for his personal finance blog.
