How to Find the Best Business Loans for Disabled People

Those with disabilities run businesses every day. While there are not a lot of business funding resources available specifically for those with disabilities, some loans work better for them than others.  Typically, you would have to wade through everything that’s out there to find the best business loans for disabled people. That could take forever. … Continue reading How to Find the Best Business Loans for Disabled People

How to Find the Best Business Loans for Disabled People

Those with disabilities run businesses every day. While there are not a lot of business funding resources available specifically for those with disabilities, some loans work better for them than others.  Typically, you would have to wade through everything that’s out there to find the best business loans for disabled people. That could take forever. We try to narrow it down a little. 

Where to Start to Find the Best Business Loans for Disabled People

Of course, there are some highly variable factors at play.  Whether you are disabled or not, your credit score will make a difference when looking for business loans. Other factors will come into play as well, such as length of time in business and annual revenue.  For traditional lenders, credit is still king. The best business loans for disable people with a high credit score (650 or over) include the following. 

Best Business Loans for Disabled People: USDA Business Loans

These are loans from the United States Department of Agriculture.  They don’t provide loans directly. Rather, they guarantee loans from lenders and provide funds to agencies that act as intermediaries. Since a large share of disabled Americans are in rural communities, the USDA’s focus on these areas is a bonus.

The most popular of the USDA’s many business loan programs is the Business and Industry Guarantee Program. The USDA helps guarantee loans made to businesses in rural areas through this program.  By USDA definition, a rural area has fewer than 50,000 residents. Therefore, if your business is located in an area that fits this definition, you could qualify. However, you will also need good credit, adequate business revenue, and potentially some collateral. 

Learn business loan secrets and get money for your business. 

Best Business Loans for Disabled People: SBA 7(a) Loans

Another option for disabled people with good credit is an SBA loan.  Like the USDA, the SBA does not issue loans directly.  They guarantee loans made through specific lenders. The 7(a) loan program is the SBA’s most popular.  It offers up to $5 million in funding and repayment terms that go up to 25 years.  

Entrepreneurs can use these funds to buy commercial real estate, expand a business that is already in operation, start a new business, buy equipment, and more.  Not everyone will qualify however. In addition to a credit score of 650 or above, businesses operating for at least two years and already producing revenue are more likely to get approval. Collateral is also a likely requirement.  The process takes several weeks. 

Best Business Loans for Disabled People: SBA Microloans 

The really cool thing about these loans is that you can qualify with credit that is between 550 and 650.  They offer up to $50,000 in funding, so they are a great option for micro or home-based businesses. They can be used for hiring, launching a new location, and even remodeling your office.  Accion, one of the partner lenders, will work with scores as low as 575. They focus more on the expected income during the loan term than current financial position.  

Best Business Loans for Disabled People: SBA Community Advantage Loans

The goal of these loans is to get funds to business owners in underserved groups.  This, of course, includes disabled people. They go up to $250,000, so large investments work well with these funds.  The application process works the same as with other small business loans in that you need to find an SBA partner lender. Use this tool to find a lender

Business Loans for Disabled People: Non-Traditional Lender Options

The SBA works with traditional lenders to help get loan funds in the hands of those that may not be able to qualify under traditional requirements.  While the government guarantee helps, sometimes it still isn’t enough. If you find this is the case with your, business consider applying for loans from non-traditional lenders. 

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OnDeck

With OnDeck, applying for financing is quick and easy. Apply online, and you will receive your decision once application processing is complete. Loan funds will go straight to your bank account. The minimum loan amount is $5,000.  The maximum is $500,000.

You must have a personal credit score of 600 or more.  Also, the business has to be in operation for at least one year. There is an annual minimum revenue requirement of  $100,000 as well. In addition, there can be no bankruptcy on file in the past 2 years and no unresolved liens or judgements. 

StreetShares 

StreetShares began as a service to veterans.  These days, they offer term loans, lines of credit, and contract financing. They also offer small business loan investment options. The maximum loan amount is $250,000.  Pre Approval only takes a few minutes. They use a soft pull on your credit so it doesn’t affect your score. 

To be eligible, you have to be in business for at least 12 months with annual revenue of $25,000. Exceptions are possible however.  For example, with loans to companies in business for at least 6 months that have higher earnings, they make decisions on a case by case basis. The borrower’s credit score must be at least 620. For more on StreetShares, see our in-depth review

Kabbage 

Kabbage is an online lender. They offer a small business line of credit that can help businesses meet their goals quickly. The minimum loan amount is $500, and they do not exceed $250,000. You must be in business for at least one year and have $50,000 or more in annual revenue, or $4,200 or more in monthly revenue, over the last 3 months. 

Learn business loan secrets and get money for your business. 

Kabbage is  great if you need cash quickly. Also, their non-traditional approach puts less weight on your credit score, so they may work better for some borrowers than other lenders.

Business Loans for Disabled People: Business Credit Cards

Business loans for disabled people are not easy to get.  If your personal credit is totally shot and you are having trouble getting enough funding through business loans, business credit cards can help.  Of course, you’re thinking if your credit isn’t good enough to get loans, how are you going to get credit cards?  

First, credit cards are easier to get regardless.  Those with poor credit scores can still get cards, they just have higher rates and lower limits.  However, if you build credit for your business, known as business credit, you can get great business cards and fund your business quite successfully without bringing your personal credit into the picture at all.

Why Should Disabled Business Owners Build Business Credit?

Not just disabled business owners, but all business owners should build credit for their business that is separate from their own. Here’s why.  If you have strong business credit you can get business credit cards with favorable terms and nice rewards regardless of what your personal credit looks like.  Also, if your business runs into problems, your personal credit will be protected and you will still be able to do things like buy a car or a house. 

Business Loans for Disabled People: How to Build Business Credit to Apply for Business Credit Cards

The first thing you have to do is ensure accounts in your business name report to your business credit report and not your personal credit report.  Do this by setting up your business as a fundable entity apart from yourself. Start by making sure your business has its own phone number and address that is not the same as yours.  Be sure to get these listed in the business 411-directories.

Then, you need to get an EIN.  You can do that at the IRS website for free.  You’ll use it to apply for credit in place of your SSN.   After that you have to incorporate. You can do so as a corporation, S-corp, or LLC.  Do some research to determine which option will work best for your budget and liability protection needs, but you have to choose one. 

There are just a few more things you need to do to make sure your business stands on its own credit wise: 

  • Get a D-U-N-S number
  • Open a separate business bank account
  • Put up a professionally designed and hosted business website.  Make sure you have a business email address with the same URL as the website as well. 

Business Loans for Disabled People: Build Business Credit

You cannot just apply for business credit cards in your business name right away. First, you have to establish tradelines with starter vendors. These are vendors in the vendor credit tier that will issue invoices with Net 30 or longer terms. While you may need to make a few initial purchases with these vendors to establish yourself as a customer before they will extend these terms, there is no personal credit check. They do sometimes want to see a certain amount of time in business however. 

As you pay the invoices consistently and on-time, these vendors will report your payments to the credit reporting agencies, thus establishing your business credit profile. Some of the most common and easiest to start with are Uline, Quill, and Grainger

Why Start Here?

These are the easiest to start with simply because they sell products that most any business can use on a daily basis. Items such as paper, toner, pens, pencils, packing supplies, and even janitorial supplies. After you order from them a few times, apply for net 30 terms, pay on time, and watch your business credit score start to build like a snowball rolling downhill.

Once you have 8 to 10 tradelines reporting your on-time payments to the credit agencies, you can start to apply to creditors in the other credit tiers. 

  • Retail Credit Tier– Credit attached to specific stores such as Amazon, Home Depot, and Best Buy. 
  • Fleet Credit Tier– Companies that offer credit for fuel purchases as well as automobile repair and maintenance.
  • Cash Credit– These are the large, well-known credit companies such as Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. 

As you can see, it all starts with building trade lines through the vendor credit tier. Then a whole credit world opens up to you!

Learn business loan secrets and get money for your business. 

Business Loans for Disabled People: Assistive Technology Business Loans

If you have a disability that makes it necessary for you to use assistive technology to run your business, you could benefit from one of these loans.  An example of this would be if you need an automobile that is wheel-chair accessible to make deliveries. Another example would be braille-compatible software, or a hands-free device to make business calls.  

Most often these types of loans come from local lenders, and requirements for eligibility vary.  The National Disability Institute offers assistive technology loans in New Jersey and New York that range up to $30,000. It is important to note that your credit can affect your ability to get these loans, but if you can show you have sufficient income to pay it back that will help a lot. 

Business Loans for Disabled People: Disabilities Don’t Have to Stop You from Funding Your Business

Over the course of a lifetime, a disability can affect a person in a number of ways.  You can feel like you are not able to do the same things others can. While this may be true in some cases, often having a disability doesn’t make a difference in what you can do.  The difference that has to be made is how you do it. The vision impaired can read, just with their fingers instead of their eyes. The hearing impaired can talk, either with their hands or their mouths.  Similarly, those with disabilities can fund a business, they just may have to go about it differently. There are resources for disabled business owners out there, but you have to know where to look.

While it can seem that your disabilities stop you from many things in life, they do not have to stop you from owning and running and successful business.  There aren’t a ton of business loans for disabled people exclusively, but there are plenty of options that work well for all types of business owners. Take the time to do the research you need to and figure out what’s out there, what you qualify for, and what you actually need.  In the meantime, start building your business credit so you can access business funding at any time. You’ll be glad you did. 

The post How to Find the Best Business Loans for Disabled People appeared first on Credit Suite.

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The Tale of Elusive Minority Business Loans: Where to Find Them and What It Takes to Get Them

Minority Business Loans are Out There, You Just Have to Know Where to Look

The United States is full of those considered to be “in the minority.” In fact, in some areas the majority of the population is considered to belong to a minority group! This is why minority business loans are more important than ever. Ensuring minority business owners have the funding they need to help their business thrive is vital to the economy.

The thing is, if you do not know where to look or what you are looking for, it can be difficult to snag one minority business loans. We are here to help you have a successful hunt.

The Best Sources for Minority Business Loans

There really are several sources for minority business loans. It is necessary to know the specifics of each however, before you can move in for the kill. Some only offer minority business loans to those in certain cities. Some are only available if you are looking to land government contracts. Each have their own requirements, and it takes a ton of time and research to figure it all out. We have a lot of research here to save you time. You do not have to start from scratch.

Business Consortium Fund, Inc.

This program is designed specifically for minority businesses. It is certified by the US Department of the Treasury. Businesses can qualify for $75,000 to $500,000 after approval. Amounts above $500,000 are on a case by case basis.

Funds can be used for working capital, equipment financing, and contract financing. To apply, you have to certify your business through National Minority Supplier Development Council. Additionally, you must have a supplier relationship with the Council.

National African American Small Business Loans

These loans are only available to low- and medium-income communities in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. The  NASBLF provides capital to African American minority-owned businesses not eligible for traditional financing.

Loans range from $35,000 on the low end to $250,000 on the high end. Technical assistance and financial consultation services are also available to business owners. Allowable fund uses include expansion, equipment purchases, and cash flow. They only have $30 million total to loan out in a year, unless more grant funds become available to the program.

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Accion

Accion offers funding in all states for minorities, veterans, women, those with disabilities, and low to medium income business owners. Loan amounts range from $200,000 to $300,000. They work to help build businesses from the beginning, and can put owners in contact with other banks, non-profits, and government resources that help build a network of support.

The minimum credit score for these loans is 575, and you cannot be 30 days late on credit cards, loan payments, or bills. In addition, you will not qualify if you have any late rent or mortgage payments over the past year.

Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI)

This group lends to those communities that are traditionally underbanked, including business owners that are minorities. Since the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, banks are required to offer funding in communities that find it hard to qualify for traditional funding. Big banks often fund minority business owners indirectly through their CDFI partners.

To locate a CDFI, contact the local business development center or your local Small Business Development Center office. They can hook you up.

While the application process can be lengthy, they do offer assistance to prepare for future bank loans. In addition, their rates are competitive within the U.S.

Union Bank Business Diversity Lending Program

This program from Union Bank assists minority business owners with loans and lines of credit. To qualify as a minority for this program you must be Hispanic, American Indian, Latino, Asian, Alaskan Native, African American, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islander.

A business that has revenue of up to $20 million could qualify for a loan of up to $2.5 million. However, you must be in business for at least 2 years, and the minority business owner must own at least 51 percent.

Indian Affairs

Businesses owned my Native Americans can get financing from the federal government through the Indian Affairs branch. An individual can fill out an application for up to $500, 000, but business entities and tribal enterprises my apply for more.

Potential borrowers can apply with any lending institution, they just have to use the Indian Affairs application. If the funds are used for construction, renovation, or refinancing, there are additional requirements. Generally, a list of collateral, a credit report, and an analysis of business operations are required.

Camino Financial

They are an online lender that offers minority-owned businesses loans and business solutions. They process all of their lending online, which makes it easy and convenient. Their microloans range from $5,000 to $50,000. They also offer small business loans between $10,000 to $400,000.

There is no collateral requirement. Also, you can pay off the loan any time with no penalties or fees. Pre-qualification happens within 24 hours, and since all documents are submitted online, you do not have to make unnecessary trips to turn in or sign papers.

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Other Options for Minority Business Loans

If you do not qualify for any of those already mentioned, or if you need more funding than what you can get with them, you may need a plan B. There are other options out there, but first you should know that traditional big banks are probably not on the list.

Why Big Banks Probably Will Not Work

Big banks are what most people think of as the first stop when it comes to getting a loan. That is true for some, but for most small business owners they are not the way to go. This is true whether they are looking for minority business loans or business loans in general.

Here’s why:

● Small businesses represent small loans with higher failure rates than larger businesses. Most are not at ease lending to companies with less than $1 million in sales.

● Big banks like collateral, and small businesses are less likely to have sufficient collateral for the loans they need. They are more likely to be leasing assets than larger businesses may own and offer as collateral.

● They also like to see a personal credit score of at least 680. Many small businesses, especially those that are less than 3 years old, do not have this.

So, what are small businesses to do if they need funding? What if the specific minority business loans are not enough? Consider these other options.

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Community Banks: Minority Business Loan Heroes

Community banks can be a great option. They are more easily accessible to small businesses in general. They tend to have better customer service and care more about the people involved than the bottom line. Often, they are more interested in building relationships with their lenders than their big bank counterparts are. However, their rates and terms are typically just as good as those with the larger lenders.

The downside is, as a brick and mortar financial institution they are still going to be slow. You will have to make multiple trips to the bank, and the whole process can be kind of long and drawn out.

The Small Business Administration

The Small Business Administration, or SBA, offers a number of options for minority business loans. They do not lend funds themselves, but rather work with lenders to offer security, so that they can make loans to those business owners that may be considered higher risk than what they would normally consider approving.

SBA Community Advantage loans:

Community advantage loans from the SBA are designed for businesses in underserved communities that need less than $250,000. You can find lenders that work with the SBA on this program using the SBA Lender Match tool.

SBA microloans

They also have microloans available of up to $50,000. These are offered through nonprofit organizations. With interest rates ranging from 8% to 13% and maximum repayment terms of six years, they can work well for those need minority business loans

One of the SBA’s partners in this program is The Opportunity Fund. According to them, of its borrowers, 90% are minority business owners.

SBA 8(a) business development program

If you are a small business interested in government contracts, an 8(a) certification can help. Your business must be at least 51% controlled by individuals that are “socially and economically disadvantaged.” This includes minorities, veterans, and women.

SBA 7 (a) Loans

These are not specifically for minorities, but they are available to minorities as well as everyone else. They are 10-year loans of $30,000 to $350,000. Rates range from 9.7% to 11.04%, and they can turn around in as little as seven days, though they more often take up to several weeks.

Alternative Lenders and Minority Business Loans

While not necessarily only for minorities, many alternative lenders offer loans that meet the challenges often faced by those seeking business loans. One of the greatest issues for small business owners when it comes to small business financing is credit score. The following loans are available with a lower credit score than what is typically required by traditional lenders.

Fundbox

There is no minimum credit score, but if you have at least $50,000 in annual revenue you can qualify for a line of credit from Fundbox. You also need to be in business for at least 3 months. Amounts range from $1,000 to $100,000 with rates from 10.1% to 79.8%. Terms are for 12 weeks, and you can have your funds as quickly as the next business day.

Kabbage

Another lender that will make loans on credit scores as low as 500 is Kabbage. Terms are for 6, 12, or 18 months and amounts range from $2,000 to $250,000. Interest rates are higher, at 24% to 99%. Funding can take several days, but sometimes happens in just a few minutes.

QuarterSpot

QuarterSpot is another option, and it is preferable for many as the terms go up to 18 months. Loans range from $5,000 to $250,000, but rates are pretty high at 30% to 70%. Approval can happen in as little as 24 hours.

Credibility Capital

Loans with Credibility Capital range from $50,000 to $400,000. Terms are for 1,2, or 3 years, and rates range from 10% to 25%. Funding usually takes around 7 days.

SmartBiz

SmartBiz offers low cost financing for expansion. These are SBA loans, but with SmartBiz funding happens a lot faster than with traditional banks. In fact, they can take a few weeks rather than a few months.

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Business Credit is Better

These minority business loans are heavily dependent on personal credit scores. That’s well and good, and if you qualify and need funding now, go for it. Regardless of whether or not you qualify for these loans however, you need to be building business credit.

Business credit is credit that is not connected to your personal credit score. It is based on the merits of your business alone. It is much better to use business credit than personal credit to fund your business. For one thing, if your business goes bust, your personal credit will not be affected directly. However, handling business transaction using your personal credit can negatively affect your credit score even if you make all of your payments on time.

This is due to the fact that, by nature, personal credit limits are lower than business credit limits. At the same time, business transactions are more expensive than personal ones. This means that if you fund business transactions on personal credit, you will always be close to maxing out your credit. That raises your debt-to-service ratio, which in turn lowers your credit score.

How Do You Get Business Credit?

The first step is to make your business look fundable. That means separating it from yourself in all ways possible. There needs to be a business address that is separate from your own, as well as a dedicated business telephone number through a toll-free exchange.

In addition, you need to incorporate. That means choosing between a corporation, s-corp, or LLC. A sole proprietorship or partnership will not work for business credit building. Next, apply for and EIN. It functions similarly to an SSN, but for your business.
There are a ton of other steps to establishing business credit, but these will give you a great start.

Don’t Give Up on Minority Business Loans

One thing is for certain, there are a ton of options out there for minority business loans. The only catch is that not all of them will work well for every minority owned business. We have given you enough to get you started, now get moving figuring out which ones will work for you. In the meantime, start building business credit so you can fund your business using its own credit and not your personal credit.

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A Smart Business Women’s Guide to Small Business Loans: Stock Up on Tools to Help Find Loans for Women to Start Business

A Comprehensive Guide for How to Get Loans for Women to Start Business

Research shows that forty percent of brand-new business owners in the United States are ladies. Furthermore, the variety of businesses owned by women is growing at twice the rate of those possessed by males, according to Kauffman. You may assume this indicates that there are more loans for women to start business. That isn’t the situation however.

As a matter of fact, according to research done by Fundera, 3 out of 4 female local business owners do not even apply for company financing. Those that do are requesting much less than their male counterparts.

Are There Business Loans Just for Women?

Not really.  There are not a lot of specific business loans for women to start business.  There are, however, a ton of resources to help women find loans. Organizations exists that work toward helping women business owners access all their resources and find the funding they need. Also, some loans work better for women business owners than others, and these organizations can help you find the best ones for you.

According to a survey by the Reserve bank, women owned businesses have better chances of getting funding at smaller banks. As a matter of fact, 67% of loans for women to start business are authorized at smaller financial institutions. This compares to only 50% at large banks. Those that have loans with smaller banks are generally more satisfied with the service they receive.

What’s that mean?  It’s probably best for female local business owners to stick to smaller, community banks.  There are other options though.

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Pack Your Tool Bag

The key is to have a stock of tools you can use to help you find loans for women to start business.  These are sources and resources that every small company proprietor needs in their arsenal to enhance their chances of funding approval, especially women.  Some are even designed specifically to help women, though not all offer funding.  Those that do not, however, definitely know how to help you find and get the funding your need.

The Everyday Essential: Small Business Administration

While the SBA exists for all small company owners, their Office of Women’s Business Ownership exists to help women local business owner particularly. According to SBA.gov, The Office of Women’s Business Ownership’s is here to enable and empower business owners that are women via advocacy, outreach, and education as well as assistance.

They work with firms to make sure the best resources are available to women business owners at all stages. Whether starting a business, looking for a company financing, enhancing a currently developed business, or trying to find government agreements, their mission is to support the female company owner. If that’s you, go here first.

National Female’s Service Council

The NWBC is a federal advising council. It works as a resource of guidance to the government on women’s organization problems. The objective is to encourage campaigns, programs, and policies to sustain females in service at all phases, from startup to growth, and hopefully to expansion and sustainability.

Other Tools to Consider

Along with those firms listed above, these agencies provide support to women owned businesses.

The AWBC runs a network of business centers geared toward women.  These centers labor to help women succeed by offering training, business development, financing, and mentoring opportunities.

This organization, also known as NAFE, sponsors events, provides training, and offers other resources to help female business owners achieve success.

The NAWBO works across the country to offer training, events, and other resources to women owned businesses nationwide.

With more than 300 chapters and 10,000 volunteers, this is the country’s largest network of expert business mentors that volunteer their time.  They match female business owners with mentors, or they can participate in a workshop to help them learn what they need to know to be successful.

Hit the jackpot with our best webinar and its trustworthy list of seven vendors who can help you build business credit.

But What About the Loans for Women to Start Business?

Most females carry a bag of some sort, and women business owners need a bag of tricks and tools to help them get the funding they need.  It’s not all black and white, and if the statistics listed earlier are any indication, it isn’t always fair either.  At some point, all businesses need financing, and these tools are designed to help level the playing field with it comes to getting loans for women to start business.

Make use of these resources for assistance and education, and get prepared for what the lenders will want to see.

What Other Tricks Do You Need in Your Bag to Get a Business Loan?

Now, as for traditional business finance, the best thing to do is be prepared. A lot of loan providers need to see the following:

– Company financial statements or income tax return for the past 3 years.

– Personal Income tax return for the past 3 years.

– A professional business strategy.

– They will certainly run a credit history check, and though 680 is standard, minimal credit rating varies by lender.

– Various other info at the discretion of the lender.

– Constantly ask about the application process on the front end so you can have any type of extra documents prepared.

The more of this you have prepped to go, the faster and smoother the process should run. This info is typical of what a standard loan provider may ask for. There are non-traditional lenders that may call for more, or less, info. You would certainly be hard pushed to find a typical lender that does not need a personal credit history check, but there are other choices.

The Secret Weapon: Business Credit

Business credit is a vital secret weapon to have in your bag of tools. There are choices for funding that count on your business credit rating as opposed to your individual credit score. What is a business credit score? It is like your personal credit, except it is based only on the credit history of your company. It is not influenced by your individual credit report. Also, your personal history is not impacted by anything that is reporting on your business credit history.

This is beneficial for a few reasons. First, you can access funding for your business despite an inadequate credit rating. That one is obvious. What some do not recognize is, even if you pay on time, utilizing your personal credit history for company purchases can be detrimental.

That is because organization transactions are, naturally, big. Individual credit limits are typically much lower than company credit limits. Due to this, business transactions can max out individual credit scores rapidly. Consistently bringing the balances close to your credit limits negatively impacts your debt- to- credit ratio. That, in turn, lowers your credit score even if you are making consistent, on-time payments.

How to Get Business Credit: The Secret to the Weapon

Business credit opens doors to various other choices if the conventional route isn’t working out for some reason. If you have a good company credit report, your business is fundable.

The very first step in developing a business credit report is to ensure your company is recognizable as an entity separate from yourself. It needs to stand on its very own. You have to incorporate instead of operating as a sole proprietorship or partnership. You can organize as an s-corp, LLC, or corporation. They each have their own advantages and costs, but for the purposes of establishing business credit, they work similarly.

Next, you will need to take a few other actions to lay the structure for a business credit rating.

– Obtain a separate company address and also telephone number. Ensure the contact number is via a toll-free exchange, and list both in the directories under the business name.

– Get an EIN. This is a number that identifies your business so you do not need to connect it with your Social Security Number. Obtain one completely free at IRS.gov.

– Get a DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet. It’s cost-free on their web site, but beware. They will attempt to offer you a bunch of things you do not require. Put on your blinders and power through. All you need is the free number.

– Open a specialized company checking account. Take care to run all organization transactions through this account.

– Set up a professional web site and also committed business e-mail address. The email address needs to have the same URL as the website, and it must not be from a cost-free e-mail service. Gmail and Yahoo will not work right here.

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Forging the Weapon

Once you have the foundation for a business credit report, you can begin forging your business credit score. This is performed in layers, or tiers. For example, the initial tier is the vendor credit tier. This is the beginning point because these vendors will extend net 30 terms without a credit score. Then, they will report your payments to the business credit reporting agencies. This is exactly how you start to construct a company credit score without involving your personal credit. By applying with your EIN as opposed to your social security number, you keep your personal name out of the formula entirely.

How do you find these starter vendors?  There are loads of vendors that will work with you in this tier. A few of the easiest to get started with are here. They each offer products that pretty much any business can use on a regular basis, so it’s simple to open an account and begin doing business with them.

After you have 5 or so accounts reporting from the vendor credit tier, you can apply for business credit cards from the retail credit tier. These are store cards from retailers such as Best Buy, Amazon, and Office Depot.

Get 10 or more of these reporting and you can apply to cards in the fleet credit tier. Cards from companies like Fuelman and Shell are in this tier. They can be used for automobile maintenance and gasoline purchases.

After that comes the cash credit tier. Once you have enough accounts reporting on time payments from these three tiers, you can apply for general business cards from companies like MasterCard, Visa, and American Express. At this point, your business credit is pretty well established, and it is not attached to your personal credit in any way.

Wielding the Weapon

So, say you have used every tool in your box and you still come up short.  What then?  That’s when you whip out this secret weapon you forged known as business credit.  If you have followed the steps properly and worked through all the tiers, you have business credit cards you can use to fund your business. You also now have other options.

You can use that business credit to help improve terms and interest rates on traditional loans.  They may still look at business credit, but stellar business credit can only help, not hurt, when it comes to loans for women to start business.

Hit the jackpot with our best webinar and its trustworthy list of seven vendors who can help you build business credit.

In addition, a strong business credit score can help you out when it comes to loans from non-traditional lenders.   They can help you with approval and improve your terms and rates.  Sometimes alternative lenders will even accept a business score in place of a personal credit score.

Wield Your Weapon Wisely

Even though loans for women to start business specifically are not really a thing, there are options to make the process easier women.  A lot of resources are available to help women business owners be successful and find the funding they need.  In addition, the challenges female business owners face can be mitigated by solid preparation and education.

Having a strong business credit score is important too. This will open up a world of funding options that would not be available otherwise. Business credit cards and products from non-traditional lenders are a valid option if you find yourself facing issues. Do not be afraid to jump into the fire and forge that business credit weapon.  Once you have it, do not be afraid to use it.  Not only can it tear down your funding foes, but it can also serve as a key to open the doors to the kingdom.

 

 

 

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