This document provides instructions for building business credit without a personal guarantee or personal credit check. It recommends starting by establishing a credible business setup, then applying for credit with starter vendors who report to business credit agencies. Once 5 accounts are reported, apply for store credit cards. With 10 total accounts, apply for cash business credit cards. The key is to build credit linked to the business EIN instead of a personal SSN to avoid personal liability. Following these steps can provide a business with access to loans and lines of credit to support growth.

1. How to Get a $10,000 BusinessHow to Get a $10,000 Business
Credit Card Without a PersonalCredit Card Without a Personal
Guarantee or Personal Credit CheckGuarantee or Personal Credit Check

2. YOUR LOGO AND
CONTACT INFO

3. Business Credit
• You are obviously familiar with consumer credit
• This is credit that’s linked to you personally
based on your SSN
• Business credit is another type of available credit
for business owners
• Business credit isn’t linked to you personally,
instead it’s linked to your business based on your
EIN

4. Business Credit Benefits

5. Business Credit Benefits
• Per SBA, business credit card limits
are 10-100 times that of personal
cards… this means you can get
A LOT more money with business
credit
• And this also means you can have personal credit
cards at stores… and now have a 2nd
card at the
same stores for your business
• And you won’t need collateral, cash flow, or
financials to get business credit

6. Business Credit Benefits
• ALL lenders look at your business credit to
determine your approval for business loans
• And anybody who wants to can easily and
cheaply look at your business credit
including…
• Your clients
• Your prospects
• Even your competitors

7. Business Credit Benefits
• When done properly, you can build business
credit with no personal guarantee… so you
aren’t liable for your business debts
• Having business credit also increases the value
of your business, making it easier to sell when
the time comes
• Most importantly, EVERY highly-successful
business in the United States has business credit

8. Business Credit Benefits
• You do NOT have to be big to get business
credit…
• But you DO have to have business credit to
get big!

9. How Not to Build Business Credit
• You can’t start building a consumer or business
credit profile at banks or in stores
• If you go into Staples with absolutely no credit
established, they’ll deny you credit
• If you go into your bank and apply with no
credit, they’ll turn you down
• But if you go into either with a well-established
credit profile, you’ll get approved
• The KEY is to not apply until you have
credit built

10. Building Business Credit
• YES, you need credit to get credit… both on
the business and consumer side
• On the consumer side, most use SECURED
credit accounts to build their initial credit
• In the business world, we do this with
VENDOR accounts… trade vendors who will
give you credit with Net 30 terms that reports
to the business credit reporting agencies

11. Building Business Credit… Step 1
• But before you start applying, you first should
setup your business where you can be
approved
• When you have credit established, your credit
is reviewed and used as the main determining
approval factor
• But when you have NO credit established, it’s
the information you entered on your
APPLICATION that’s used to determine your
approval

12. Building Business Credit… Step 1
• This is why the first true step of building business
credit is to insure your business is setup credibly
to meet lending guidelines… BEFORE you actually
apply
• By doing this you can insure you meet the credit
issuers approval standards before applying,
dramatically increasing your chances of approval

13. Building Business Credit… Step 1
• Take a look at things lenders and credit issuers
look at to insure your business is credible…
• Your business address… must be a business
address not a P.O. or UPS box or home address
• Your phone… must be a business phone not a
home or cell phone
• Your website and email should be professional
• You should have proper licensing for your
company

14. Building Business Credit… Step 1
• You should have your EIN number, entity setup,
and your business bank account established
• Your business name should be the same on all of
these documents, including your licenses, and
including any DBAs
• You should have a toll free phone number, and a
fax number

15. Building Business Credit… Step 1
• Basically, every field on the application should
reflect that you have a successful and
established business
• REMEMBER, this is what’s solely looked at to
determine your approval, so your business
most be represented in a positive, and
credible light

16. Building Business Credit… Step 2
• Now that you are setup credible, you can qualify
for new credit that reports to the business credit
reporting agencies
• But there is only a VERY small percentage of
vendors who will actually approve you at this
stage of the process
• These are STARTER VENDORS, and they will all
require you buy something first, then they’ll give
you credit

17. Building Business Credit… Step 2
• Some starter vendors include…
• Quill
• Uline
• Reliable Office Supplies
• All of these will require you place 2-3 orders
first before getting a net 30 credit line
• Apply for credit, get denied, still buy about
$50 worth of items, then try again, and again,
and usually on your 3rd
application you’ll be
approved

18. Building Business Credit… Step 2
• Some other starter vendors include…
• Laughlin and Associates
• Monopolize Your Marketplace
• These will require you buy their services, then
they’ll finance those services and give you Net 30
terms to pay
• The benefit is you won’t need to place three
orders
• The drawback is that you’ll have to buy their
stuff…. Maybe even stuff you don’t really want or
need

19. Building Business Credit… Step 2
• Once approved, use that credit, then pay your
bills
• Once you pay your bills your accounts should
report within 30-90 days… or 3 reporting cycles
• You’ll need at least 5 accounts to start getting
approved for store revolving credit accounts
• Do NOT apply for store or cash credit unless
you have these 5 accounts

20. Building Business Credit… Step 3
• With 5 reported accounts, now you can move
on to revolving store credit cards
• These are just like normal store cards you’re
accustomed to at places like Best Buy,
Amazon, Walmart, Lowes, BP and Chevron,
and most other retailers

21. Building Business Credit… Step 3
• Some stores like Home Depot and
Staples require you have a LOT more
credit or time in business of 3 years or
more for approval… most sources
don’t have these requirements if you
have tradelines and scores
established
• The keys to most store credit are…
• You have established trade lines on
your business report
• You then have a credit profile
established
• You then have a credit score
established… and if good you can

22. Building Business Credit… Step 4
• With 10 total accounts established,
then and only then can you start to
get real cash credit cards
• These are like Visa, MasterCard, and
AMEX cards that you can use
anywhere… in your business name
and linked to your business EIN
number
• You also should have one of those
store accounts with a $10,000 high

23. Building Business Credit… Step 4
• Cash credit cards are actually not easy to find
• Home Depot has a great one you can apply for
• So does Sam’s Club
• Even Race Trac offers a great fleet card
• And you can check with your bank to see what
they also offer
• Your approval limits will mimic your other
accounts… which is why you shouldn’t apply
unless you have a revolving store card with a
$10,000 limit or higher

24. Building Business Credit… Step 4
• Just keep in mind, do NOT apply for any of this
credit and put your SSN on the application
• If you do this they WILL pull your personal
credit to make the lending decision
• And you’ll be personally guaranteeing your
business debts… something you don’t want to
happen

25. Building Business Credit… Step 4
• No matter how much credit you build, you’ll still
always get applications that ask for your SSN
• You just need to get used to not putting it on the
application when applying for credit for your EIN
• It will still be needed for bank loans and larger
credit lines you might apply for… but it won’t be
needed for credit cards you get for your
business… even higher-limit cards

26. Building Business Credit
• Building business credit fundamentally isn’t that
different than building consumer credit
• Start building your credit using vendor accounts
• Once they report and you have a credit profile and
score, use that to start to get revolving store credit
cards
• Finally once you have 10 total tradelines, start
applying and getting cash credit
• Do all of this leaving your SSN off of the
application so your EIN can build the
credit
• Enjoy building a business with access to
money!

27. YOUR CONTACT INFO
LINK TO YOUR WEBSITE