COVID-19 threw our economy into a tailspin, and the resulting recession isn’t leaving anytime soon.  However, even during a recession period funding is available.  You just have to know how to get it.

Business Loans are Possible Even with Bad Credit in a Recession Period

In a recession period, if you need a loan you need it fast. There is no time to wait when the recession cloud looms.  Business failure can feel imminent. There is hope however, and bad credit doesn’t have to get in the way.

Traditional business loans are rarely fast, and if you have bad credit, they usually aren’t even an option.  Throw all these issues into a recession period and you may feel like you are sinking fast. There is hope however. There are a ton of options outside of the realm of traditional business loans, and many of them work even if you have bad credit.

Of course, the need for business loans during a recession may not mean you are growing. It could be a desperate last plea to simply make it through the troubled waters alive.  Either way, bad credit can weigh you down like an anchor.  You have to break free, which is even harder during economic downturns.  To be able to cut off the anchor of bad credit however, you need to understand what its made of, and how you got tethered to it in the first place.

Find out why so many companies are using our proven methods to improve their business credit scores, even during a recession.

What is Bad Credit?

Sometimes you don’t even know you are sinking until you need financing and find that you cannot get it due to bad credit. When it comes to regular business loans, bad credit can be a major issue. Typically, a score of over 700 is good credit, but with a score over 650, you can still find financing. If your credit score is below 650, you may have some problems. A recession period can cause you to sink into bad credit before you know it’s happening.

If this is the case, you will need to look for alternative lenders to help you out. They can offer a life preserver so you can make it safely through until the waters calm down.

Personal Credit vs. Business Credit

If you are a new business owner, you may find that it isn’t so much an issue of bad credit, but rather no business credit. This is easily enough remedied over time, but if you need business financing and have bad credit or no credit, it can be a real problem. You don’t have time.

You could try finding financing based on your personal credit. That is, if your personal credit is any good. If it is over 650, you can probably get a credit card that will keep you afloat until you can figure out something better.  You may also be able to simply get a personal loan to bail you out, and then work to build business credit going forward.

The problem with this is that it puts even more stress on your personal finances during the recession period.  In addition, if your business does end up sinking, you could very well go down with it if your personal credit is tied to it.

How Do You Know Your Credit Score?

When it comes to your personal credit score, it’s easy to know what it is.  Not only can you get a free copy of your credit report annually, but there are also a number of companies that will allow you to monitor your credit on a regular basis.

Business credit score monitoring is not as easy.  There are no free business credit reports.  You can, however, purchase your credit reports from Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, Equifax, and the lesser known business credit reporting agencies for between $50 and $250 each.

Credit Suite can help you monitor your business credit at Dun & Bradstreet and Experian for a fraction of what it costs with them directly.  Go here to find out more.

Personal Credit Not an Option?

However, if you are stuck with bad personal credit and bad business credit, you may have to pursue an alternate route. You may not have an obvious flotation device.  That means you are going to have to grab onto whatever you can find and hold on tight.

It sounds brutal, but it may be worth it if it saves your business. What are your options? Essentially, the best option is invoice factoring. This only works if you have a significant amount in open invoices. It is the fastest of all the options other than a friend or family member just handing you cash. This would be similar to a large piece of drift wood conveniently floating by.

Invoice Factoring Options

Not only is invoice factoring the fastest way to cash, it is also an option that depends very little on your credit, personal or business. It even works well in a recession period, though maybe not as well as at other times, as the ability to collect could decline somewhat.  Sometimes though, there isn’t even a minimum credit requirement for invoice factoring. They may pull a credit score, but they make decisions based more upon the strength of your invoices.

Find out why so many companies are using our proven methods to improve their business credit scores, even during a recession.

The lender will gather information to help them determine the likelihood of the invoices being repaid. If they find that the invoices are strong, they will lend money based on the total amount of the invoices minus a premium. The borrower can usually either repay the loan or the lender can keep the invoices and collect from them.

Fundbox

Fundbox offers invoice financing for amounts less than $100,000. There is no minimum credit score, and there are options for a 12- week or 24-week repayment term. They collect 7% on a 12-week repayment and 15.7% on 24-week terms.

BlueVine

If you have a larger amount in open invoices, like up to $5 million, you can get invoice financing from BlueVine. They charge a weekly fee of .5% to 1%, but the fee drops a little if your clients pay their invoices on time.

Working Capital Loans

If you really need funding fast, invoice factoring is your best bet. If you have a little more time you could seek out working capital loans from alternative lenders. This is also a good option if you do not have open invoices.

Some alternative lenders pull a credit report, but they have a low minimum score requirement. For example, Fundbox offers working capital loans to businesses that have been in operation for at least 3 months and have at least $50,000 in revenue. They lend amounts up to $100,000, and there is no credit check.

Kabbage offers something similar if you have been in business for at least 1 year and have $50,000 in revenue. They will lend up to $250,000. There is no minimum credit score here either, but most approvals have over 500. You also have to have either a business checking account or use an online payment platform.

Find out why so many companies are using our proven methods to improve their business credit scores, even during a recession.

Quarterspot will lend up to $250,000 if you have been in business for at least one year and have at least $200,000 in annual revenue. They will do a soft credit pull, but it does not affect your credit. The minimum score is 550.

Don’t Sink, Hold on Through the Recession Period

Once you find something to keep you from sinking, whatever it may be, hold on tight until you can reach the shore. Be forewarned, if you handle things incorrectly you could end up in much worse trouble that you are already in. You have to use your credit wisely.

If you fail to do this, you may end up floating so far away you never see land again. Make certain you use the financing the way you need to, but that you also pay it back in a consistent and timely manner.

Stay out Troubled Waters

The way you do this is by establishing and building strong business credit. Not only will this keep you out of trouble, but it can make things even better in the long term. You will find that getting what you need to make it through another recession period is a cinch if you follow these tips.

Establish Your Business as Its Own Entity

Your business has to have its own identity, apart from yours, if it is going to have its own credit score. The first step in this process is to incorporate your business. You can choose from a corporation, S-corp, or LLC.

Then list your business in all the directories with its own name and contact information. After that, open a business bank account. Run all your business transactions through this account, so that business finances are separate. Pay bills, make purchases, and apply for credit using this account.

After your business has an identity all its own, it is all up to how well you manage whatever credit you can get. Whatever financing you are able to find, be sure you make your payments on time.

You might also consider looking into vendors that will allow you pay invoices net 30. This starter credit has a lot to offer. Sometimes you will have to prepay for a certain amount of time to get approval. If they give you 30 days to pay an invoice and report to the credit bureaus, this can fast track your credit score. That’s assuming you pay on time of course.

Be Prepared

To be fair, an economic downturn is hard with or without bad credit. Things happen. The key is to be prepared with what you need to get through at all times. Then, you don’t have to worry about trying to scramble to find a business loan you qualify for. You can simply whip out what you already have and climb back on the boat.

What does this look like? Once you have a strong business credit score, you can apply for a business line of credit or a credit card. Find one with the best terms possible, and if it is a credit card, perks and rewards are nice too.

Tools such as these can help you over a rough patch. If you already have them in place, they will not cost you the same way bad credit business loans will. Bad credit can mean higher interest rates, seriously unfavorable terms, and much more. If you already have credit in place, you can simply access that and enjoy the terms and rates your good credit warrants you.

Bad Credit Doesn’t Have to Stop You, Even During a Recession Period

You do not have to sink during a recession, even if you have bad credit. There are options for financing without great credit. Do some research to determine which one is best for you.  Once you find it, the real hard part begins.

This is when you have to figure out how to best use the money to move you into a better place. You must be sure to use the debt to build stronger credit. Handle it wisely and do not slip into the cycle of non-payment and further credit score trouble.

If you need the funds to bridge a cash gap, make sure you don’t have a cash leak.  Are you relying on financing to handle daily activities that you can’t fund yourself?  Figure out how to fix that problem.  Are you growing and just need the funds to do so?  Great! Don’t forget to pay your bills though.  If you do that, you can be out of the water and back on the path to success before you know it.

Don’t stop there though.  Once you are back on solid ground, take the time you need to prepare for future funding needs.  Build credit, put a recession plan in place, and make sure that the next time there’s a storm, you don’t get knocked overboard.

Note: Lender information can change without notice.  Be certain to check with individual lenders for the most up-to-date information.

The post Recession Period Business Loans: Don’t Let Bad Credit Stop You appeared first on Credit Suite.