Business Charge Card

Even though business credit cards allow you to make purchases and carry a balance from one billing cycle to the next the disadvantage of having to pay interest on that balance can become pretty costly.

 Another kind of credit card for your business that may be a better alternative is the business charge card.

 A business charge card is a specific kind of credit card that has all the convenience of a credit card without the costly interest. The balance on a charge card account must be paid in full when the statement is received and cannot be rolled over from one billing cycle to the next like a credit card. Because you can’t carry a balance, a charge card doesn’t have a periodic or annual percentage rate, so there is no rate for a charge card issuer to disclose.

 The specific impact to your business credit bureau is significant because charge cards will not allow you to incur a revolving debt like a credit card will. The larger the balances you carry on your business credit cards the more harm it can cause in your overall debt to credit utilization.

 Here is a list of several business charge cards available in the marketplace:

• OPEN from American Express offers business card members the OPEN Savings program designed for companies with 100 or fewer employees. Some perks include 5 percent to 20 percent discounts on shipping, travel and business services.
• Diners Club International has been a leading charge card for business travelers since the 1950s. Features include club rewards, cash access, airport lounge program, a 24-hour emergency travel hotline and a rental-car insurance program.
• Universal Air Travel Plan is accepted by over 250 airlines and thousands of travel agencies for air travel, service fees and management fees. It’s best for companies that want to restrict charging to airline-related expenses.
• The American Express Corporate Meeting Card allows all event-related expenses to be charged centrally, so hotel rooms, meals, transportation, and so on, all go on a single bill.

 While using a business charge card makes much more sense than a business credit card there several other important things to consider.

First, a business charge card should only report your payment experience to the business credit bureaus and not your personal credit files. This prevents you from putting your personal credit scores at risk every time your company makes a purchase using your company charge card.

Secondly, some charge cards like Diners Club International will self contain your payment experience and will only report to the business credit bureaus if your account becomes delinquent. While this is good for protecting your personal credit scores it does not help your business credit file because they do not report your positive payment history.

Keep this in mind if you decide to start shopping around for a new business charge card that does not impact your personal credit. Pay special attention to the fine print and don’t hesitate to call and ask questions pertaining to how your payment experience is reported.

One of my favorite types of charge cards is ones that base their approval solely on your business’s credit worthiness. This type of card is the best of both worlds! Once approved your payment history reports solely on your business credit and there is no personal guarantee keeping the liability strictly tied to your business.

I encourage you to be as proactive as possible by selecting business charge cards that report to the business credit bureaus. Don’t hesitate to inquire with vendors, suppliers, and leasing companies how they report your payment experience with them as well. Bottom line it’s smart business to use business charge cards in order to save thousands of dollars in interest and build business credit history.

To Your Success!

Marco Carbajo

About the Author

Marco Carbajo is a business credit specialist, author, speaker, and founder of the Business Credit Insiders Circle. Want to learn more about how you can start business credit? Become a member and gain access to Marco’s business credit secrets, sources, and information on how to obtain unlimited financing for your business without a personal guarantee? Claim his FREE ‘Eight Steps to Ultimate Business Credit without a Personal Guarantee’ audio seminar ($597 Value), for a limited time by submitting your name and email below =>

I have assembled my ‘Top 10 Credit Reporting Agencies Every Business Owner Should Know’ in order to full educate the entrepreneur and small business community on what’s available in the marketplace to grow and maintain their credit files.

 
While the majority of consumers are fully aware of the three main consumer credit reporting agencies known as Equifax, Transunion, and Experian there are a few that realize that there are six other separate business credit reporting agencies that specifically collect data on businesses. 

The tenth reporting agency is extremely important as it has to do with you’re ability to open up a checking account with a financial institution. Banks use a reporting agency known as ChexSystems which is a network comprised of member Financial Institutions that regularly contribute information on mishandled checking and savings accounts to a central location.

Here are a few examples of the difference between a personal credit rating and business credit rating.

A personal credit score is based only on credit history whereas a credit rating for a business takes into consideration other factors like company size as determined by assets and number of employees.

Also a personal credit score is based on financial information provided by credit card companies, retail stores, and financial institutions whereas a business credit report and rating is determined by information supplied by the business owner and gathered from vendors, suppliers, and other trade accounts.

For this reason, potential lenders may be different from one another in their evaluation of a business’ credit history by emphasizing certain qualifications more than others.

Here are the Top Business Credit Reporting Agencies Every Entrepreneur Should Know About

Dun and Bradstreet (D&B)

D&B is the primary business credit reporting agency. For years, D&B has offered a variety of ratings tools that can be used to determine whether to engage in business with a particular company and to determine loan terms. The most commonly used business credit score for vendors to determine a businesses’ credit worthiness is based off of D&B’s Paydex score.

 
Equifax Small Business Enterprise

Equifax, one of the three primary consumer credit rating agencies, also provides business credit evaluations for over 22,000,000 small businesses and corporations. Equifax has developed its own business credit score known as the Small Business Credit Risk Score^TM. This evaluation is based on a combination of reported financial transactions, including banking, leases, trade accounts, public records, as well as the demographics of the business. The Financial Services Credit Risk Score^TM assigns a score from 101-992 with the highest score indicating the lowest risk of delinquency and the lowest score indicating the highest risk of delinquency. The Suppliers Credit Risk Score^TM assigns a score from 101-816 with the highest score indicating the lowest risk of delinquency and the lowest score indicating the highest risk of delinquency. These scores also include explanations of why a particular business earned that score based on a series of reason codes provided in the report.

 
Experian SmartBusinessReports^TM

Experian is another one of the three primary consumer credit rating agencies who provides business credit evaluations. Unlike D&B and Equifax, Experian’s SmartBusinessReports^TM doesn’t assign a business credit score. Given this information, it would be up to the lender to interpret the risk associated with this type of payment history.

 
Credit.net

Credit.net is a division of InfoUSA® that generates credit reports on approximately 15,000,000 businesses. There are 6,000,000 of the reports in their database that have been completed on small businesses with four employees or less. The credit analysis provided by Credit.net relies on four criteria: years in business, number of employees, public records, and stability within the industry. Its business credit score is a grading system from A through C (70-100) and is awarded as an evaluation of the company’s credit history.

 
Accurint^TMBusiness

This is a new business that is a combination of forces between The Better Business Bureau (BBB) and LexisNexis, one of the leading providers of business services and information. AccurintRBusiness is like Experian in that they provide public and business profile information, including credit history based on payment patterns of small, medium, and large companies. This company provides a payment history only with no type of unique business credit scoring system.

 
ClientChecker

This is a credit reporting bureau that started in 2003 and specifically targets small businesses, freelance professionals, and contractors seeking information to help them determine which other businesses they should do business with. Rather than providing a fixed business credit score, ClientChecker compiles information based on feedback from its members.

*Another business credit reporting agency worth mentioning is Paynet

Paynet is the premier provider of risk management tools and market insight to the commercial credit industry, collecting real-time loan information from more than 200 leading U.S. lenders.

The company’s proprietary database is the richest and largest collection of commercial loans and leases, consisting of more than 14 million current and historic contracts worth $645 billion.

These business credit reporting agencies allow a business to establish its own credit profile, scores, and payment history. The challenge for entrepreneurs and small business owners is realizing that a business credit file will not be established unless the file is initially set up and activated by the business owner.

I encourage all entrepreneurs and small business owners to separate your personal credit from your business credit and position your business for unlimited financing potential.

Remember – The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life. ~ Plato

To Your Success!

Marco Carbajo

About the Author

Marco Carbajo is a business credit specialist, author, speaker, and founder of http://www.startbusinesscredit.com . Want to learn more about how to build business credit and obtain unlimited financing for your business? Claim Marco’s popular FREE business credit seminar ($597 Value), available by simply submitting your email below =&gt

Let me be the first to tell you that businesses are still getting cash credit and business financing today but lenders have adopted new criteria and stricter guidelines that many business owners fail to recognize or adapt to.

It’s more important now than ever to be pro active and informed on what is required to obtain business financing for your business. I don’t recommend anyone to wait until you need financing to start because the business credit building process takes time and doesn’t happen overnight.

Ever heard the phrase ‘Dig your well before you get thirsty?’

I’ll even give you the shovel!

Fair enough?

Great!

It’s important to understand that the biggest benefit to building business credit is not just having access to cash credit. One of the greater benefits is obtaining cash credit that does not report to your personal credit profiles. However, before any business credit building  begins you’re business must meet certain corporate conformity guidelines in order to prevent it from getting red flagged by the business credit bureas.

When you start building business credit and progress in the process by establishing trade credit and eventually cash credit it’s important for you to understand that is not the end result that you should be shooting for. After building your business credit foundation the cash credit that you obtain should only be just the beginning!

You can be assured that you will obtain as much cash credit for your current needs when you follow the right steps but whether your business obtains $50,000 or $200,000, if you continue to follow the right step-by-step process you will be able to increase your cash credit lines to double or even triple the initial amount.

‘Eight Steps to Building Ultimate Business Credit’

1. Corporate Conformity

This is where you’re business credit foundation is set up and it’s critical not to take short cuts or side steps because you’re ability to obtain financing can be hampered. At this stage it’s vitally important to structure your business entity properly from both a tax and asset protection standpoint. In additon, both the business credit bureaus and lending institutions will verify certain information about your business that must meet specific lending guidelines. In order to achieve the best business classification ratings make sure you meet all the requirements before moving on to the next step in the business credit building process.

2. Business Plan

This is not a mandatory step, but it’s necessary for your overall business success as well as a door opener for specific lenders. 

3. Business Credit Profile

Once you have completed corporate conformity you will be ready to set up your business credit profile with Dun & Bradstreet as well as steps to activate your business credit profile with Corporate Experian and Business Equifax.

4. Tier 1 Trade Accounts

This is the first step where you will be setting up trade accounts for your business that are known to grant small amounts of credit to businesses that have no credit history.

*Please note -

Even if you have been in business for several years doesn’t mean you have business credit history. After setting up your business credit profile there will be no history so you will need to start small and gradually build it to larger amounts over time.

5. Tier 2 Trade Accounts

At this point you set up business trade accounts for your business that are known to grant credit to businesses that have little business credit history. Because most Tier 1 accounts will now be reporting on your business credit profile you can now apply for Tier 2. When Tier 2 vendors pull your business credit report they will see that you have some good history so they will grant additional credit in amounts higher then approved for in Tier 1.

6. Tier 3 Trade Accounts

These companies will grant credit in higher amounts than what was granted from Tier 1 and Tier 2 accounts. Those members with good personal credit history may also be ready for bank financing at this stage. Each tier builds upon the previous tier. Many of my clients who want to apply for bank financing at this stage can but at this stage they will need to use their personal credit scores for approval and will need to be in the 680+ range. If personal credit scores are below the necessary range then I suggest enrolling in a credit restoration program.

7. Tier 4 Cash Credit Accounts

Tier 4 accounts consist of vendors who will grant your business cash credit cards, typically with a Visa or MasterCard logo. Benefits to you include no personal guarantee and affect on your personal credit profiles.

8. Advanced Business Financing

At this stage of the process your business credit file is built, you have history, business scores, rating; access to funding and you can continue to obtain even larger amounts of financing by following my advanced business credit building strategies. There are many different advanced strategies to obtain additional capital with and without a personal guarantee at this stage.

Remember it’s not only about how much cash credit you obtain initially, it’s about setting up yourself for much larger amounts of capital for your business. This is accomplished by following a proven simple step-by-step process to building ‘Ultimate Business Credit!’

Remember – “People only see what they are prepared to see.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Marco Carbajo

About the Author

Marco Carbajo is a business credit specialist, author, speaker, and founder of http://www.startbusinesscredit.com . Want to learn more about how to build business credit and obtain unlimited financing for your business? Claim Marco’s popular FREE business credit seminar ($597 Value), available by simply submitting your email below =>

I felt that by sharing some insight with you on shelf corporations and what are the key business credit building advantages will better prepare you in making a more educated decision if this is an option you’re thinking about.

Now, let’s first cover the basics.

What is a shelf corporation?

A “Shelf Corporation, also known as an “Aged Corporation” (or “Aged Company” when referring to an LLC, for example) is a corporation that is already formed, but not in use, and ready for “purchase” by a new owner. There are many reasons that people purchase shelf corporations, and there are certain things to look out for when considering one of these “ready-made” corporations which I will cover shortly.

Now one of the questions I’m sure you’re thinking is “Why should I purchase a Shelf Corporation?”

Shelf corporations allow you to engage into business, credit, or real estate agreements as an established company without having to go through the long waiting period of establishing a brand new corporation.

Most potential creditors or business resources are less likely to extend credit or lend to new or up-start corporations. By approaching them as an established corporation or company, the more likely your business has the chances of more access to credit lines, banking relationships, leases, and so on.

For example, during the initial stages of building business credit there are some vendors that will only extend credit to companies that are at least 2 years in business. In some cases they also require a personal guarantee if the business is less than a year old. By purchasing a shelf corporation that’s three or even ten years old can drastically increase the number of credit opportunities available to you.

Now don’t worry if your existing corporation is less than 2 years old because you’ll still be able to obtain business credit, but the amount of banks that you can apply at will be limited. If you’re planning on starting a corporation or setting up another corporation then this may be an option to entertain.

Shelf corporations can also offer a large increase in borrowing power as well as enhanced credibility for your business when talking to customers and lenders.

Remember the age of the owners does not necessarily correspond with the age of the company.

When the H.J. Heinz Company advertises that it was established in 1869, it doesn’t mean that all of the shareholders are well over 100 years old. It simply means that the company was filed in that year. You can take advantage of similar credibility benefits when advertising to customers.

The age of your company can give greater credibility to customers and lenders than a business that was recently established. So, purchasing companies with established credit and existing credit lines can give the business a big financial boost.

Here are the Top 5 Advantages of a Shelf Corporation

1. Saving time and expense of forming a brand new corporation

2. Instant access to contract and government contract bidding. Most states require that your company be in business for a specified minimum length of time.

3. Instant credibility and an appearance of corporate history.

4. More attractive to potential investors and investment capital.

5. Faster and easier access to banking relationships and lines of credit.

If you currently have a shelf corporation then you can use it to obtain credit card funding. As far as purchasing a shelf corporation, given the current credit crunch, banks want to see more than even being a 2 year old corporation. So if your only interest is in applying for bank financing keep in mind Shelf Corporations have no business history, tax returns, financials and existing revenue.

Caution!

There are many companies that sell shelf corporations that have done business in the past, DO NOT buy these! If a shelf corporation has done business in the past and you purchase it you also assume all past liabilities of that company. So if the company has had any lawsuits brought against the corporation from the past you are now liable because you now own the corporation.

It’s critically important that the shelf corporation you are considering not have any inherent or lingering liabilities. For the most part, this can be assured by looking into the history of the corporation and ensuring that the extent of its business activities were limited or non existent except for the application of an Employer Identification Number and maybe the formation of a bank account.

Shelf corporations can be a great option if the proper due diligence is taken and there are many aged shelf Nevada corporations, Delaware corporations, Wyoming corporations, offshore corporations and Canadian Corporations that are available but be sure you do your homework.

Are you considering a shelf corporation?

 P.S If you are interested in a LLC Shelf corporation that’s 1-2 years old let me know and I would be happy to help you. I have several Nevada LLC’s with Wells Fargo bank history. Email ceo@startbusinesscredit.com if you’re interested.

Remember – “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” ~ Jim Rohn

About the Author

Marco Carbajo is a business credit specialist, author, speaker, and founder of http://www.startbusinesscredit.com . Want to learn more about how to build business credit and obtain unlimited financing for your business? Claim Marco’s popular FREE business credit seminar ($597 Value), available by simply submitting your email below To Your Success! =>

Many business owners across the country have experienced the cold shoulder from their banks and seen their credit lines reduced as a result of rising losses, the credit crisis, and economic uncertainty.  Are credit cards for small business on the rise or decline?

While major credit card issuers like Advanta have left the business earlier this year it’s refreshing to see that banks like J.P. Morgan Chase card services announced today that it plans to launch four more credit cards specifically targeted at small-business owners! Among them will be a credit card that requires the cardholder to pay their balance in full each month similiar to Amex’s card.

Richard Quigley, president of Chase Business Cards said “It’s really going to be small businesses that are going to help pull the U.S. out of the recession.” Now we have all known this from the very beginning of this financial mess but it’s about time that these national banks realize it and do something about it.

Even though this is good news for small business owners there are some that see this as a strategy that banks are pushing simply because business credit cards aren’t covered under the new regulations that restrict issuers from raising rates and fees on consumer credit cards. Whatever the reason is I believe that the more options small business owners have when it comes to credit cards the better. Hopefully Chase will roll out some true business credit cards but I do like that they are positioning themselves to compete with American Express.

Competition is a good thing and when it comes to small business credit cards the winner is the small business owner! For example, Chase’s Ink Bold card—the first charge card offered by a Visa or MasterCard issuer—is aimed at business owners who want to avoid paying interest charges. It comes with a variable credit line that automatically adjusts to the business owner’s spending patterns. Annual fees are $95, but the first year’s fee is waived.

Here are some other aspects to Chase’s new small business credit cards compared to Amex.

Chase’s Four New Small Business Credit Cards – Ink Bold, Ink, Ink Plus and Ink Cash

*They are accepted at twice as many locations worldwide as American Express

* InkSM Bold – Chase’s first pay-in-full  charge card with no interest
      charges 

- Ink Bold has no annual fee for the  first year and $95 thereafter

*InkSM — Developed for small business  owners seeking business-sized
      credit limits, flexible payment options  and online expense management
      tools with the ability to earn rewards  from business purchases with no
      limit on how many points may be earned  and the points do not expire.

-Ink has no annual fee.

*InkSM Plus — The solution for  small business owners seeking
      business-sized credit limits, flexible  payment options, online expense
      management tools and the ability to  earn rewards from business purchases
      including extra travel benefits  with no limit on how many points may be
      earned and the points do not  expire. Rewards points also are worth 25
      percent more when redeemed  for air travel through Ultimate RewardsSM and
      cardmembers  can earn an annual spend bonus of up to 25,000 points.

-Ink Plus has no  annual fee for the first year and $60 thereafter.

*InkSM Cash — Designed for small  business owners seeking unlimited cash
      back and accelerated earnings  on everyday business purchases: dining,
      fuel, home improvement and  office supplies. Ink Cash provides
      business-sized credit limits,  flexible payment options and online
      expense management tools.

-Ink Cash  has no annual fee.

Ouch! I’m sure Amex doesn’t like to see this!

If you like to stay informed and here about the latest news regarding business credit be sure to subscribe to my blog. 

Better yet CLICK HERE to become a business credit member and discover what business credit can do for you!

By the way, what would you like to see more of on this blog? Any questions? Let me know

To Your Success!

Marco Carbajo

About the Author

Marco Carbajo is a business credit specialist, author, speaker, and founder of http://www.startbusinesscredit.com . Want to learn more about how to build business credit and obtain unlimited financing for your business? Claim Marco’s popular FREE business credit seminar ($597 Value), available by simply submitting your email below To Your Success! =>

Recently I shared the benefits of building business credit with each of the business credit agencies. Separation of personal and business credit is a must for small business owners in order to eliminate personal liability and protect the integrity of the corporate veil.

While this strategy creates a Paydex, Small Business Credit Risk Score, and Intelliscore for your business it’s not the only rating you should pay close attention to.

Your business will also need to establish effective ‘Bank Credit’.

Bank credit is totally separate from building business credit and in no way affects your ability to build strong business credit scores.

“Bank Credit” makes your business more credible in the eyes of lenders.  In this post, I want to share with you the ‘3 Main Components of Building Bank Credit’ which are:

• Business Bank Account & History
• Bank Rating Number
• Obtaining Your First Business Bank Loan

So let’s get started!

Business Bank Account

The first step in establishing positive bank credit is to make sure that your business name and mailing address, as listed on your business bank account, matches exactly how your business name and address appear on any legal paperwork that’s been filed with the State. It must also match exactly with the name and address that appear on your Federal EIN paperwork. If it doesn’t match you’ll have to correct it immediately!

Business Bank History

Most lenders also determine the age of your business by the date you first opened your business bank account and not the date that appears on your Incorporation, LLC, or EIN paperwork.  However, in some instances banks may also require 24 months seasoning from the start date of your business as well.

Your business banking history is vital to your ability of being able to secure larger business loans with banks. Lenders will look to see how long that relationship has been established, so once you get your account set-up don’t change banks!

The longer your business banking history, the better the borrowing potential you have.

Bank Rating Number

 Your business bank account reflects how you manage your cash flow. Lenders want to know that your business cash flow is capable of handling the business debt and expenses on a consistent basis. Bank accounts with low average daily balances, or that show many NSF returned checks, can get your business loan applications declined right away.

If a loan amount requires a $1,000 month payments then lenders need to see at least a “Low 5″ bank rating. Your “Bank Rating” is based on your average daily minimum balance over the last 3 months.

1.  The first factor is your balance rating. This rating is your average minimum balance maintained in your account over a three (3) month period. $10,000 will rate as “Low 5″, $5,000 rates as “Mid 4″, $999 rates as “High 3″, and so on.  You need to maintain a minimum “Low 5” bank rating ($10,000) for at least 3 months. Unfortunately, without at least a “low 5″ rating, most lenders will assume your business has little ability to repay.

2.  The second factor is the bank rating cycle which is three (3) months. You’ll want to have at least a low 5 for the three months prior to applying for larger loans.

3.  The third and final factor has to do with how you manage the account.  NSF (bounced) checks destroy bank ratings.  From this point forward, NSF checks are something you can’t let happen. I would suggest that you add overdraft protection to your account as soon as possible.

Obtaining Your First Business Bank Loan

Getting your first business loan from a bank can seem like an impossible task. The majority of the business loan applications at banks get declined because banks won’t lend to just anybody … or will they?

This one business bank loan strategy provides a powerful boost to building business credit fast. The business bank loan needs to be in the exact name of your company. It should be under your Federal EIN and report to the business credit agencies, specifically Equifax Small Business and Corporate Experian.*

So how do you accomplish this? Under this Bank Loan Program you will be securing a business loan with a certificate of deposit (CD) at the bank that is extending the business loan.  You’ll make a deposit into a CD account at an SBA preferred lending bank. Then, you receive a business loan for 100% of the value of the CD.

This process works very well and works every time as long as you’re personal credit scores are not in the low 500 range. If your scores are in the low 500’s, it’s best to try smaller business banks and talk to an individual banker first.

The Benefits of a Secured Bank Loan

• It will appear on your business credit report just like any other loan.
• There will be no note in the file, or on credit reports, that show it as “secured”.
• It will make your business credit report stand out to other lenders and creditors who obviously know how difficult it is to get a business bank loan.

If you’re personal credit is a large issue and you just can’t find a business bank to do the CD program for you … don’t worry. You can still build your business credit without the bank loan; the bank loan just makes it faster. 

 *N.E.C. members are provided access to our list of banks who have done the CD-Secured Business Loan program

Remember – The secret of business is to know something that nobody else knows. ~ Aristotle Onassis

Marco Carbajo

About the Author

Marco Carbajo is a business credit specialist, author, speaker, and founder of http://www.startbusinesscredit.com . Want to learn more about how to build business credit and obtain unlimited financing for your business? Claim Marco’s popular FREE business credit seminar ($597 Value), available by simply submitting your email below =>

Using your personal credit, also known as you’re “Consumer Credit Profile,” instead of establishing Business Credit is a bad idea on many fronts.

Here are my ‘Top 4 Reasons Why You Should Not Use Personal Credit for Business.’

Reason 1

It impacts your personal debt to credit limit ratios, credit scores, and personal finance capacity for you and your family.

This reason alone has caused severe personal credit damage and liability to small business owners across the country who have lost their businesses due to the recession and have used personal credit and personal guarantees for all their business financing. Just ask Kirk Brown, owner of Buck’s Shoes in Fremont, who knows firsthand what using personal credit for business can do.

When you properly separate your personal credit from business credit the debt you accumulate for your business should only report to your business credit file not your personal credit file. More importantly you protect you and your family from personal liability when you get approved solely on your businesses’ credit file.

 
Reason 2

When you use your personal credit for the benefit or operation of the company it can lead to an “alter-ego” decision by regulatory or a financial organization, and a piercing of the corporate veil.

This would directly endanger the owner’s personal assets and make the owner or owners directly liable for the penalties or repayment of any debts incurred by the business or corporation.

It’s always a good idea to build business credit rather than abandon it through the co-mingling of funds–and this includes the “co-mingling” of credit profiles.

Many entrepreneurs believe that a corporation protects them because corporations are viewed as separate legal entities but you can jeopardize that protection when you use personal credit for the benefit or operation of your corporation!

Reason 3

Another disadvantage of using your personal credit in place of proper business credit is the fact that the use of personal credit for the operation of a company can make your company appear improperly funded or operated, or may incorrectly establish that your business credit is unstable, unreliable, or overextended.

Reason 4

Last but not least what might be perfectly normal and acceptable for a business credit profile, such as submitting multiple applications for business credit, can have a serious negative impact on personal credit because of what’s called excessive inquiries.

Solution:

Start building business credit for your corporation separate from your personal credit and improve your company’s image, protect you and your family’s assets, credit capacity, and personal liability.

Remember – To be prepared is half the victory. ~ Miguel De Cervantes

To Your Success!

 Marco Carbajo

About the Author

Marco Carbajo is a business credit specialist, author, speaker, and founder of the National Entrepreneur Club.  Click here to visit his blog and signup free to get strategies, resources, and response-boosting tips with blog updates, news, and more! To start building business credit join his business credit community today and Click Here.

When lending small amounts of money under $50,000 typically the qualification depends solely on personal and business credit scores. Depending on the personal and business credit scores, they either will or will not approve the loan.

When deciding to extend credit to a business lenders use the ‘Four Factors for Lending Approval’:

Capacity

Collateral

Conditions

Character

Each of these areas helps the lender to determine the overall risk of the loan. While each of the C’s is reviewed, none of them on their own will prevent or guarantee access to financing. There are really no automatic formulas or guaranteed percentages that are used with the Five C’s. They are only a variety of factors lenders use to evaluate and decide how much of a risk the potential borrower is.

Let’s cover these 4 Factors in greater detail.

Capacity

This is an evaluation of your ability to repay the loan. Capacity is evaluated by several components including cash flow, payment history, and additional cash sources. The best way to show your capacity is with a strong business credit profile, a strong bank rating (typically a low 5), a well designed business plan and/or prior year(s) financials that show you can produce enough cash to repay the loan. 

If your loan is under $50k most banks will grant an approval if you have a strong business credit rating, a favorable personal credit score, and a low 5 bank rating.

CLICK HERE for a free business plan course 

Collateral 

Heavy machinery, inventory, equipment, stocks and bonds, and other expensive business assets that can be sold if a borrower fails to repay the loan are considered collateral. One of the easiest ways to obtain a business loan for building business credit and bank credit is using the CD-Secured loan strategy.

*There are specific banks that do these types of loans that can allow you to grow your access to capital at a much faster rate.

Conditions

Be prepared to prove that the conditions are right for your business. Make sure there’s a market, an industry, positioning, competitiveness, and experience to back up your plan.

Character

Lenders have to believe that a business owner is a reliable individual who can be depended on to repay the loan. Some areas they look into include personal credit history, education, and work experience.

When applying for a small business loan, don’t forget the importance of personal relationships. Apply for a loan at a bank where you already have a positive business relationship. Also, make an attempt to meet with the person who will be evaluating your application, such as a bank’s lending officer, rather than the teller who handles your day-to-day banking transactions.

If you want to succeed in getting a loan, be sure to also check out Elements of a Successful Small Business Loan Application.

*Gain access to my private list of banks that do CD-Secured loans when you join our business credit community.

Remember – To succeed in business, to reach the top, an individual must know all it is possible to know about that business. ~ J. Paul Getty

To Your Success!

 Marco Carbajo

About the Author

Marco Carbajo is a business credit specialist, author, speaker, and founder of the National Entrepreneur Club.  Click here to visit his blog and signup free to get strategies, resources, and response-boosting tips with blog updates, news, and more! To start building business credit join his business credit community today and Click Here.

While small business credit card usage is on the rise according to the 2009 Small Business Credit Card Survey the majority of all small business owners fail to understand the importance of what’s in the fine print.

Statistics even show that over 65% off all small businesses use credit cards on a regular basis; but the problem is less than half of those credit cards are actually in the business name.

I hope to provide you with some insight into business credit cards and what you should pay close attention to when applying.

First, you should be aware that there are over 500 business credit cards available in the marketplace but less than 70 report your payment history to the business credit bureaus.

In addition, there are less than 40 business credit cards that will extend cash credit cards to your business without a personal guarantee.

Here are my ‘Top 4 Types of Business Credit Card Applications’ you should know about

The Business Credit Card Wannabe

This business credit card is by far the worst and in my opinion very misleading. It doesn’t matter how much fluff or creative sales copy is used by these particular companies what matters is what’ in the fine print! In a nutshell this business credit card application is nothing more than a glorified personal credit card.

How to identify?

The application requires your personal information, social security number, and business name only.  No Tax ID# or Duns# is required.

Disadvantages

Personally liable for all debt

All charges and debts are reported on personal credit files

Impacts personal debt to credit limit ratios

The Business Credit Card Poser

This business credit card is doing its best to be a true business credit card but it doesn’t quite make the grade. In a nutshell this card still requires a personal guarantee but what makes it appealing is the payment history and credit card balance are solely reported to the businesses credit reports not personal.

How to identify?

The application requires your business information, Fed Tax ID#, Duns#, personal information and social security number.

Disadvantages

Personally liable for all debt if the business defaults

The True Business Credit Card

This is the real deal business credit card and what truly represents what every business owner should have. A card that is tied to the business and completely separate from personal credit. This card is the best of both worlds! The payment history and balances report solely on the business credit reports and there is no personal guarantee keeping the liability strictly tied to the business.

How to identify?

The application requires your business information, Fed Tax ID#, Duns#, personal information but no personal social security number. (No personal guarantee)

Disadvantages

NONE

*Keep in mind there are also business credit cards that allow you to apply with business information only and no personal credit check. However, if you’re business credit scores and files are not strong enough they may require a personal guarantee for approval. I call this the ‘Two Faced Business Credit Card’.

Remember – The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life.  ~ Plato

To Your Success!

Marco Carbajo

About the Author

Marco Carbajo is a business credit specialist, author, speaker, and founder of the National Entrepreneur Club.  Click here to visit his blog and signup free to get strategies, resources, and response-boosting tips with blog updates, news, and more! To start building business credit join his business credit community today and Click Here.