Do you know how to get business credit? It is not hard to get. It does take a little work, but it doesn’t have to be a mysterious process relegated to the top executives of Fortune 500 companies. Anyone can create business credit no matter how big or small their company is.
Who Are You?
Before you can even start to build a credit rating for your company, you have to have the proper building blocks in place. You need to separate yourself from your business by creating an entity. Your business needs to be established as a real “thing”. One of the best ways to do that is to have a separate address for your company. Many businesses will automatically have that, but for those people operating their new company out of the garage, basement or bedroom that’s not possible. However, you can still create an identity by adding a separate, dedicated phone line to your business.
Make sure you are up to speed with any local licenses you need to have, and get an Employer Identification Number (also known as EIN) from the IRS. It is easy to get a number and you can do it all online in a matter of minutes on the IRS website. Get a DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet. You will need a DUNS number to get business credit and it is the one that all outside creditors will use to report your credit transactions, both good and bad, and will help create a business credit rating.
Making a Plan
Even when you know all about your business it is important to be able to communicate what your business is about and that you understand it well to others. That is exactly what a business plan is made for. A business plan is a detailed overview of who you are and what you bring to the company, what your company is about, and how you plan to meet your goals. Lenders will want to see your business plan when considering your company for funding, especially if you are not using your personal credit to back the loan.
Bank Score
Something many people do not know is that when you have a bank account, usually a checking account, you get a bank score that actually weighs pretty heavily on your ability to get loans in traditional ways. Your business can have its own separate bank score. Open an account in your business name, with its own identification numbers, not yours. Operate all of your daily expenses, making deposits from income, paying your bills and making purchases etc, from that account. Within a few months you can have a very good bank score that will help you get loans and credit cards that allow you to get business credit.
