Building Business Credit: The 20 Essential Questions to Focus On

November 15, 2010 By Marco Carbajo

Building Business Credit

Do you know where your company stands in the business credit building process? building business credit

One of the most important things you should first learn to do is ask the right questions. One of the classic mistakes that many small business owners tend to make is moving forward without having the proper framework in place.

Instead you can end up feeling scattered and spend lots of time trying to back track and correct mistakes you’ve made.

So in order to help you prevent from making those costly errors here are 20 essential questions you should focus on when establishing business credit:
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Top 10 Myths about Building Business Credit- Part 1

February 23, 2010 By Marco Carbajo

Building Business Credit Myths

Building business credit is one of the greatest opportunities for small business owners. It provides our business with the ability to obtain financing for unforeseen expenses, operations, expansion costs and investments.

There’s so much going on with building corporate credit that there are several different fields devoted to servicing it, including business credit cards, small business loans, accounts receivable factoring, merchant account cash advance, business lines of credit, equipment financing, secured/unsecured loans and many others.

These types of financing have been around for a long time, so you’d think that by now we would know all there is to know about building small business credit. After years of studying and applying every aspect of it, there are still many facets of business credit that remain secretive. And because building business credit is complex, we tend to simplify information about how it works in order to make it more understandable.

This has resulted in many myths about establishing business credit. Let’s look at the 10 myths that have been circulating about business credit, beginning with, of all things, its starting line.

10: Sole proprietorships can establish business credit

A sole proprietorship is not considered a separate legal structure. Instead, it is considered a personal extension of you so you don’t have any protection from them. So every time you apply for credit for your business you will need to supply your social security number as the number that identifies your business.

As a result you are responsible for all debts and agreements you enter into in the name of your business; you’re also on the hook for all of your partner’s actions in the name of your business as well.

9: Using personal credit for business has no effect on the corporate veil

When you use your personal credit for the benefit or operation of your 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.

8: Obtain unlimited business credit for real estate investing

There are certain industries like real estate investing that are flagged as a high risk with the business credit bureaus. If you plan on investing in real estate then you will want to make sure that the company you are building corporate credit for is not “real estate investing”. Most banks will automatically turn you down because your company is operating in a high risk industry. You still will be able to invest in real estate but you may have to set up a business that does business development, business management, business consulting, marketing & advertising, training and development, etc. and then operate your real estate investing from a separate division of the company.

7: Credit repair is illegal and cannot be done.

False. Consumers have every right to repair their own credit in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. If you choose to use a credit repair company be sure to verify their track record with the BBB. Also, if you are paying for the service before its rendered be sure the company is in compliance with the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA). *Non Profits and Credit Union Service Organizations (CUSO) are exempt from CROA.

Read part 2 of the Top 10 Myths about Business Credit

Business Credit Resources

» Start Business Credit

» Business Credit Builder

» Business Credit Blog

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 Insider’s 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.

Establishing Business Credit with a Secured Business Credit Card

January 25, 2010 By Marco Carbajo

Secured Business Credit Card

Recently I posted how credit restoration is a viable strategy for small business owners in personal credit recovery. In addition to repairing your personal credit you should also focus on building and if necessary repairing your business credit as well. One of the best ways to start establishing business credit is through a secured business credit card.

These types of credit cards are specifically designed for businesses with no credit or less than perfect credit history. When you apply you are required to submit a security deposit that will establish an initial credit line. In most cases a minimum deposit of $500-$1,000 is required and once you begin using your card you will receive invoices like a standard unsecured business credit card.

As you pay your invoices your payments will get reported to the business credit bureaus. I always encourage my members to use a secured business credit card along with vendor credit lines because it will allow you establish a strong blend of account types on your files.

Some of the secured business credit cards we have listed report solely to one bureau like Corporate Experian while others report to two or all three of the major business credit bureaus. Keep in mind that your deposit is only used to pay off the debt in the event that you default on making payments.

As soon as you receive your card you can start using it to make purchases for your business. When you charge a purchase just simply pay the invoice when it comes due. Now remember the whole purpose of using the card is to build credit so don’t be late on your payments. After six months you can request that your account be reviewed for a credit limit increase without requiring a larger security deposit.

Some other benefits of a secured business credit card include:

Universal Acceptance
Cash Back Programs
Online Expense Management
Easy Funding Options

Before you apply you will need to have your company’s business license, articles of incorporation, address verification, federal tax ID#, banking reference and general business information. You will also need to list authorized users and how many cards you are requesting.

You can send your security deposit via wire transfer and typical turnaround times take 7-10 business days. Keep in mind that before you select any secured business credit card make sure you read the terms and conditions completely and verify which business credit bureau they report to.

Another advantage to using secured business credit cards is the separation between your personal credit and business credit. In my opinion these types of business credit cards are ideal for every small business owner because it not only establishes business credit but also controls spending, eliminates personal liability and protects your personal credit files.

Looking for the best secured 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 secured business credit cards, vendor lines of credit, fleet cards, business credit cards with and without a personal guarantee, 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) =>

Marco Carbajo

Marco Carbajo is a business credit specialist, author, speaker, and founder of the Business Credit Insider’s Circle. He is a business credit blogger for AllBusiness.com, a subsidiary of Dun and Bradstreet and author 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.