3. BUSINESS CREDIT
Business credit is credit tied to your company’s EIN (Tax ID
Number) and not your Social Security Number
Therefore your business builds credit to buy the goods and
services it needs
Inquiries for business credit do not go on your personal
credit reports
Your business and personal credit scores are independent
and can diverge dramatically
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
4. GETTING STARTED WITH
BUSINESS CREDIT
Your business needs to be legit to lenders and vendors
This means a professional-looking website and email
address
And business phone and fax numbers listed on 411.com
Plus the business phone number should be toll-free (800
exchange or comparable)
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
5. BUILDING BUSINESS
CREDIBILITY
You’ll need a bank account
devoted to your business – this
assures you are not commingling
funds
You must have all licenses
necessary for running your
business
And they all have to be in the
exact, correct name of your
business, with the same business
address and phone numbers
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
6. WORKING WITHTHE IRS
One of your first stops should be at the IRS website
You need an EIN for your business – they’re free
You also need to select a business entity such as
corporation, LLC, etc.
You can start off as a sole proprietor but you will probably
want to eventually change to a form of corporation or
partnership in order to minimize risk and maximize your
tax benefits
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
7. BUILDING BUSINESS CREDIT
Business credit is not automatic
It must be built
However, it can be done easily and quickly – much
more quickly than you build up your consumer
credit scores
Vendors are a big part of this process
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
8. BUILDING BUSINESS CREDIT
If you skip ahead, you will be turned
down repeatedly
You won’t start at the top with
business credit
Fortunately, we know the steps you
can take
And we know the order in which you
need to take them
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
9. STARTINGTHE BUSINESS
CREDIT REPORTING PROCESS
Start with heading to the D&B website and getting your free D-U-N-S
number
This is how D&B gets your company into their system, to eventually
generate a PAYDEX score
No D-U-N-S number, no record and no PAYDEX
Once you are in D&B’s system, search Equifax and Experian’s sites for your
business
You can do this at https://www.creditsuite.com/reports/
If you don’t have records with them, move onto the next step in the process
This way Experian and Equifax will have something to report on
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
10. TRADE CREDIT
You start off with trade credit
Also called trade lines
This is often Net 30 day terms
It’s for the things you buy all the
time, like coffee and shipping
boxes
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
11. TRUE STARTER CREDIT
Not just any old vendor credit will do
You want vendors which will approve you with little
effort
You also want them to be reporting to one or
more of the big three CRAs:
Dun & Bradstreet
Equifax
Experian
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
12. TRUE STARTER CREDIT
You want five of these or more to move onto the next step
Which is revolving store credit
You may have to apply more than once to these vendors
And you may need to buy some things you don’t need, to
prove you are responsible and will pay on time
Consider donating unneeded items to charity
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
13. QUILL OFFICE SUPPLIES
Find them online at https://www.quill.com/
They sell office, packaging, and cleaning
supplies
They report to D&B
You must place initial order first unless D&B score is
established
Usually they’ll put you on a 90 day prepayment
schedule
If you order items each month for 3 months, they
typically approve you for a Net 30 account
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
14. ULINE SHIPPING SUPPLIES
Find them online at https://www.uline.com/
They sell shipping, packing, and industrial supplies
They report to D&B
You must have your DUNS number
They will ask for 2 references and a bank
reference
First few orders might need to be pre-paid to
initially get approved for Net 30 terms
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
15. MONOPOLIZEYOUR
MARKETPLACE
Find them at: https://www.mymonline.com/
Everything you need to know about marketing and business 10
audio CD set
They report to Experian
TRUE starter account
Upon check out choose the “4 equal payments of $59.99” option
First charge takes place in 30 days
Need bank account, EIN, deliverable address
30-60 days for reporting
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
16. NON-REPORTING
TRADE ACCOUNTS
While you do want trade accounts to report to at least one of the
CRAs, a trade account that does not report can still be of some value
Non-reporting accounts can be tapped for trade references (just
ask!)
Plus credit accounts can help you to better even out your business
expenditures, making budgeting easier
These are companies like PayPal Credit,T-Mobile, and Best Buy
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
17. MONITORYOUR
BUSINESS CREDIT
Know what is going on with your
credit
Make sure it’s being reported
Address errors as soon as possible
Get in the habit of checking your
credit reports and not just your
scores
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
18. MONITORYOUR
BUSINESS CREDIT
D&B: https://www.dandb.com/credit-builder/
Experian: http://www.smartbusinessreports.com/Landing/1217/
Equifax: http://www.equifax.com/business/business-credit-monitor-
small-business
Experian and Equifax are $19.99; D&B ranges from $49.99 to $99.99
We can help you monitor your business credit at Experian and D&B for
only $24/month: https://www.creditsuite.com/business-credit-
monitoring
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
19. REVOLVING STORE CREDIT
Once you have 5 or more vendor trade accounts
reporting to at least one of the CRAs, you can
move onto revolving store credit
This is companies likeWalmart and Dell
These companies are more likely to have goods
you need
Use your EIN on these credit applications
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
20. FLEET CREDIT
Got 8-10 accounts reporting?
Then move onto fleet credit
These are companies like BP and Conoco
Use this credit to buy, repair, and maintain vehicles
Make sure to apply using your EIN
If you have enough trade lines reporting, then even
time in business or revenue requirements won’t
matter
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
21. CASH CREDIT
Have you been responsibly handling the credit
you’ve got so far?
Then move onto cash credit
These are companies likeVisa and MasterCard
Keep your SSN off these applications; use your
EIN instead
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
22. RESPONSIBLE
CREDIT MANAGEMENT
Always use your credit
responsibly
Don’t borrow more than what
you can pay off
Keep track of balances and
deadlines for payments
Paying off on time and in full will
do more to raise your scores than
nearly anything else
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
23. BUILDING BUSINESS
CREDIT PAYS DIVIDENDS
Good business credit scores help you get loans
Your lender knows you can pay your debts
They know your business is legitimate
Your EIN connects to high scores and lenders
won’t feel the need to demand a personal
guarantee
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
24. VENDORS WHO HELP
BUILD BUSINESS CREDIT
Legitimacy is everything, and most of it is easy
and/or free to do. Make sure to do this early
Trade accounts will approve you quickly but you
need to make sure they report to at least one of
the big business CRAs
As always, use your credit responsibly
We can help
www.creditsuite.com/EIN
25. Contact Us for More Information
877-600-2487
info@creditsuite.com
Vendors who Help
Build Business Credit
www.creditsuite.com/EIN