Smart Business, Stupid Business: Interview with New York Times Best Seller Diane Kennedy

March 22, 2010 By Marco Carbajo

Smart Business, Stupid Business

Recently, I spoke with my good friend and New York Times Best Seller Diane Kennedy about her brand new book ‘Smart Business, Stupid Business’. She offers excellent insight into the $40 billion dollar problem that puts most small business owners out of business.

Here’s part of the interview I did with Diane Kennedy.

What inspired you to write this book?

Many people have come to realize that having their own business means the only real control they can have over their financial future. The number of new home-based businesses has sky-rocketed. Yet, there is very little training and information available about what you need to know to run your business from a tax, accounting and legal perspective.

How did you come up with the title?

Everyday a business owner stands at a crossroads. They can have a smart business or a stupid business. A stupid business fails, on average, in less than 5 years. A smart business grows, and touches lives in positive ways. A smart business owner knows how to read important stats on his business, stand up to an IRS audit and stop employee theft cold!

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating Smart Business, Stupid Business?

I was shocked to learn that somewhere between $400 billion – $600 billion is stolen by employees every year. It’s the single biggest reason that businesses fail! Yet, there are some very simple things that business owners can do that cost little or no money and that will dramatically reduce the risk of employee embezzlement.

These are the type of strategies that smart business owners can put into place today and that they’d know about if they only had the time and resources to study up on all the financial, accounting, tax, and legal information they needed.

What is a word of advice that you have for small business owners operating as sole proprietors?

In one word: DON’T!!

There are 4 reasons to RUN away from the Sole Proprietorship for your business:

(1) you put everything you own personally at risk.
(2) You will pay an extra 15.3% tax on income from the business.
(3) You can’t build business credit.
(4) You have a 1 in 3 chance of an IRS audit.

I can’t think of a single reason why you SHOULD have a Sole Proprietorship.

Of the books that you have written, which is your favorite?

Without a doubt, “Smart Business, Stupid Business” has been my favorite.

Let’s face it; we’re in a deep recession. A lot of people have lost their homes, their investments, their pension and their jobs. And they know the only way to brighten their financial future is by taking charge. And, that means starting their own business.

But then what? Most businesses fail in the first 5 years.

But it doesn’t have to be like that. There are things you can do to protect your assets, create cash flow quick, find loans, build value, turn lazy assets into income, protect against employee theft, create systems that work so you don’t have to and learn how to foretell your business’s financial future.

My other books were about taxes and I love that, but it’s only one part of having a business. In “Smart Business, Stupid Business”, it’s about taxes PLUS all the other things a Smart Business Owner needs today.

I believe that Smart Business Owners are the only thing that can save this economy. I’m proud to give them a little help with some quick and easy tools to make their business stronger.

I want to thank Diane for this interview and I highly recommend this book for every business owner. The timing and the message couldn’t get any better!

To listen to my Eights Steps to Ulimate Business Credit seminar hosted by none other than my good friend Diane Kennedy submit your name and email below for details and receive this free audio seminar ($597 value) =>

Marco Carbajo is a business credit expert, author, speaker, and founder of the Business Credit Insiders Circle. He is a weekly columnist for Dun & Bradstreet Small Business Solutions, a business credit blogger for All Business & American Express Small Business and author of “Eight Steps to Ultimate Business Credit” and “How to Build Business Credit with No Personal Guarantee.” His articles and blogs have also been featured in Business Week, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Tribune, Scotsman Guide, Alltop, Entrepreneur Connect, and Active Rain. Follow Marco on Twitter @MarcoCarbajo and read more of his insights on building small business credit.

Business Credit Insiders Circle -What Can I Expect?

March 20, 2010 By Marco Carbajo

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How to Establish Business Credit with a Reporting Bank Loan

March 18, 2010 By Marco Carbajo

Establish Business Credit with a Bank Loan

When you build business credit nothing looks more powerful on your business credit file than a business loan. The reason behind this is because lenders and creditors know how difficult it can be and the level of scrutiny your business undergoes in order to get a bank loan approval.

While the majority banks are declining loan applications you’re probably wondering how you can possibly get approved for a business loan.

Well I have good news for you because there is a sure fire way to establish business credit with a reporting bank loan even if you are Startup Company with less than perfect credit.

So what is this sure fire bank loan strategy?

It’s called the CD secured bank loan and provides a powerful way to establish corporate credit and bank credit for your business.

So how does it work?

Basically you are securing a loan with a certificate of deposit at the bank willing to offer this type of business loan. You make a deposit into a CD account at a bank that’s SBA approved and your business loan will match 100% of the value of the CD.

When you apply for these loans make sure the exact name of your company is on the application along with your Federal Tax ID. Banks will report your payment history on this loan to Small Business Equifax and Corporate Experian.

Now keep in mind not all banks offer these types of loans and the ones that do will require a minimum loan amount which is typically $5,000. When you have a bank loan that reports on your business credit files you can establish business credit scores and profiles that will enable your business to obtain the cash financing it needs.

Not too long ago I covered how to build a strong business credit file by having the right blend of credit. By adding a reporting bank loan along with vendor credit lines and revolving credit you can imagine how this will look in the eyes of lenders and creditors when they view your file.

Adding a bank loan on your file also helps categorize your file with other businesses with bank loans as well. This will help when creditors and lenders purchase lists from the business credit bureaus for marketing pre solicited credit offers.

This strategy works as long as your personal credit scores are in the mid 600 range. If your scores are low then you may want to consider speaking with a local banker or even use the transfer of ownership strategy.

Once you secure the $5,000 or more you can always deposit the money from the loan and use it exclusively to re-pay itself. Remember your money is in a CD earning interest so it’s best to keep making your loan payments for at least 12 months before paying it in full. If you pay your loan off in a couple of months you will not build enough payment history with the bank and your credit file.

This strategy will help your business establish corporate credit and qualify for offers like pre approved no pg business credit cards.

To access banking contacts that provide CD secured loans consider joining my Business Credit Insiders Circle and add a bank loan to your business credit file today!

To access business credit insider secrets, premium vendors, leasing companies, business credit cards, and lenders that report to all the major business credit bureaus become a member of my Business Credit Insiders Circle. Submit your name and email below for details and receive a free audio seminar ($597 value) =>

Marco Carbajo is a business credit specialist, author, speaker, and founder of the Business Credit Insiders Circle. He is a weekly columnist for Dun & Bradstreet Small Business Solutions, a business credit blogger for All Business & American Express Small Business and author of “Eight Steps to Ultimate Business Credit” and “How to Build Business Credit with No Personal Guarantee.” His articles and blogs have also been featured in Business Week, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Tribune, Scotsman Guide, Alltop, Entrepreneur Connect, and Active Rain.

Experian Triple Score Business Report Product Review

March 15, 2010 By Marco Carbajo

Experian Triple Score Business Report

In a press release today Experian makes a strategic move by announcing the industry’s first online triple score business report available from three business credit bureaus in a single report.

It’s no surprise that Experian is utilizing the first mover’s advantage by offering a service like this for business owners which is similar to the tri-merge credit score reports that consumers have been able to purchase for years.

While the scores in the triple score business report are provided in a simple letter graded format from A through E with A being the lowest possible risk to E being the highest risk the report itself provides more of a broad assessment rather than a detailed one.

For example, the D&B score provided in the Triple Score Business Report by Experian is not your actual paydex score but rather a predictive score which measures the risk of severe delinquency over the next 12 months.

Another letter graded score in the report is based on the Oxxford Business Report which derives its information and risk assessment from broader issues and data but not from the business itself. Instead it reviews the industry risk, classification, and the potential for a business like yours to have delinquent payments within the next couple of years.

While I can appreciate the idea of making it easier for business owners and creditors alike to review business credit scores in a single and easy to read format I would like to have seen the triple score business report include Small Business Equifax plus the actual scores rather than Experian’s letter graded system.

To take it a step further what I think would take the business credit reporting industry to another level would be introducing a tri merged business credit report with scores from all three major business credit bureaus – Corporate Experian, Equifax Small Business and Dun & Bradstreet.

Now that would be a report that business credit lenders and banks would take advantage of. This would also open up much more opportunities for businesses to obtain financing based on their company’s creditworthiness rather than their personal credit scores.

Today, lenders have limited access to tools that provide a complete overall risk assessment for a business. Instead they pull a single business credit report for the company and pull a merged file report with scores on the business owner.

Unfortunately business lending decisions are driven more by consumer credit reports than business reports which should not be the case.

Doesn’t it make sense that if lenders look to extend credit to you as a consumer they pull a tri merged credit report with all three scores to assess the risk. Why don’t lenders have the same type of tri merged reports and scores to assess the creditworthiness of a business?

While Experian is first to move into the right direction with its triple credit score business report I think it needs to go back to the drawing board and introduce a tri merged business credit report with actual scores from the three main business credit bureaus.

The Triple Score Business Report is available for $29.95 and you can also order a complete Experian smart business report for $49.95.

To your Business Credit Success!

To access business credit insider secrets, premium vendors, leasing companies, business credit cards with no pg, and lenders that report to all the major business credit bureaus become a member of my Business Credit Insiders Circle. Submit your name and email below for details and receive a free audio seminar ($597 value) =>

sp_image-435950341-1242740704.pjpeg Marco Carbajo is a business credit specialist, author, speaker, and founder of the Business Credit Insiders Circle. He is a corporate credit blogger for All Business.com, a subsidiary of Dun and Bradstreet and author of “Eight Steps to Ultimate Business Credit” and “How to Build Business Credit with No Personal Guarantee.” His articles and blogs have also been featured in American Express Small Business, Business Week, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Tribune, Scotsman Guide, Alltop, Entrepreneur Connect, and Active Rain.

No Personal Guarantee Business Credit Cards

March 11, 2010 By Marco Carbajo

No Personal Guarantee Business Credit Cards

Are you searching for no personal guarantee business credit cards? Let me be the first one to tell you that the credit card issuers for these types of cards do not advertise! Only the most creditworthy small businesses qualify and receive a pre approval invitation.

Some credit cards like the Sam’s Club Discover Business account will waive a personal guarantee if your company has less than $5 million in annual sales or revenues or is less than 2 years old or has fewer than 10 employees.

Now if you’re designated as a sole proprietorship or partnership then you automatically disqualify and must provide a personal guarantee for this card. That should give you all the more reason to incorporate your business.

Keep in mind there are high limit business credit cards that will report only to your business credit reports. After establishing a positive record with these issuers you can apply for a second round of funding without supplying a personal guarantee depending on the issuer. But let me remind you that regardless of what you’ve read or heard it takes much more than simply generating a paydex score to qualify for these cards let alone be invited to apply.

Recently I shared with you the top 10 biggest myths surrounding business credit and the 80 paydex score was ranked #1.

The reason for this was that an 80 paydex score with Dun & Bradstreet is said to be like having a 720 personal credit score. While that may have some truth to it there are some key details that get left out. For example, you can have four positive trade lines reporting with only $200 being the highest credit limit on all four accounts and still generate an 80 paydex score.

This is because Dun & Bradstreet’s rating system requires only four positive trade references but if the four you have are small limits then this hardly qualifies your business as creditworthy in the eyes of these exclusive credit card issuers.

Business Credit Blog » Business Credit » No Personal Guarantee Business Credit Cards – business credit cards without a personal guarantee

As result of this misinformation it’s easy to get frustrated and just throw up your hands and say there is no such thing as business credit cards without a personal guarantee. Wrong!

While the Sam’s Club Discover Business card is just one example not a personal recommendation, I want you to see firsthand that these types of cards do exist.

It’s not locating the cards that are difficult when you have access to the right source; like my Business Credit Insiders Circle. We provide these no personal guarantee business credit cards to our members in our business credit builder system.

The problem lies in getting business owners to understand what it takes to qualify. The other day I received an email from a business owner boasting about his 80 paydex score asking for a list of my no pg business credit cards. The first thing I asked was what types of credit has he established in the company’s name and what was the highest limits being reported.

It was no surprise to hear that he was only listed with Dun & Bradstreet and had 5 positive trade lines with the highest credit limit of $2,500. He was definitely not in a position to apply for a no pg card and it was apparent to me that he read from another source that all you need is a strong paydex score.

This brings me to another point in qualifying for business credit cards without a personal guarantee. Having only a Dun & Bradstreet file is like having only one personal credit file with the credit reporting agencies. Let’s say all you have is a personal credit file with Equifax but have no file with Transunion or Experian. You would never be able to get approved for a mortgage because you don’t have a complete financial picture for lenders to review your creditworthiness.

Same thing applies to business credit lenders and credit card issuers. You can qualify for a business credit card with no personal guarantee but to be considered a credit worthy business you must establish a strong credit file with the three main business credit bureaus. This includes a good blend of credit like vendor credit lines, a business loan, lease credit and revolving credit.

Do you have the best small business credit cards for building a creditworthy company while protecting your personal credit?

Looking to obtain no personal guarantee business credit cards? Become a member of my Business Credit Insiders Circle and gain access to a proven step-by-step business credit building system. A system that provides you access to vendor lines of credit, fleet cards, business credit cards with and without a PG, funding sources and lenders that report to all the major business credit bureaus. Submit your name and email below for details and receive a free audio seminar ($597 value) => =>

To Your Success In Business and in Life!

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About the author

Marco Carbajo is a business credit expert, author, speaker, and founder of the Business Credit Insiders Circle. He is a business credit blogger for Dun and Bradstreet Credibility Corp, the SBA.gov Community, About.com and All Business.com. His articles and blog; Business Credit Blogger.com, have been featured in ‘Fox Small Business’,’American Express Small Business’, ‘Business Week’, ‘The Washington Post’, ‘The New York Times’, ‘The San Francisco Tribune’,‘Alltop’, and ‘Entrepreneur Connect’.