Building Good Business Credit After Bad Credit

Can you establish good business credit if you have bad personal credit? The answer is yes...but with a few caveats.

Business credit reports and personal credit reports are generally completely separate databases for legal reasons. However, there are some exceptions in terms of how independent that information may be:

-- If you are operating as a sole proprietor or Limited Liability Company, it is difficult to separate your personal and business credit. A corporation is a much better structure to build a completely independent business credit report.

-- Experian sells a credit score that is a combination of the business owner's personal credit history and the businesses' credit history.

In the early years of a business, the owner will almost certainly be required to personally guarantee loans. However, as you establish a strong business credit rating for your enterprise, you'll have more leverage to negotiate for a loan without your personal guarantee.

A warning: some people try to use business credit file to repeat bad credit habits.

"I've seen people who ruined their own credit go out and start a business, enlist the help of people with good personal credit to be executives in the company, and get major credit cards. They didn't have a real product or service, and the objective was to just get credit. They would inevitably default on the corporate credit lines," says Erik Salmon, Director of Business Credit Services for Innovative Business Services (IBS) and an experienced business credit coach. If that's your intention in establishing a business credit rating, you're better off taking some personal finance courses to learn how to manage your money.

If, however, you legitimately want to make a go of a business, have a solid plan, and are willing to do what has to be done to get it off the ground, then you should let a bad personal credit rating stop you. Building or rebuilding good credit - whether it's personal credit or business credit - is a process. Be patient as you work on both your personal and business credit. The results will be worth it. For more information, visit www.businesscreditsuccess.com.

Gerri Detweiler is considered one of the country's top credit experts. She has been interviewed for thousands of radio, television and print newstories including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Dateline NBC and many others. She has testified before Congress several times and worked on reform of the national credit reporting laws.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Credit Information:

Related Articles


When You Are Eligible For A Free Credit Report
By Federal law, you are entitled to one free credit report per year directly from a credit-reporting agency only if you certify that:1. You are unemployed and seeking employment in the next 60 days.
Ways to Look Good without Selling Your Soul to the Credit Card Sharks
1. Buy clothes at thrift stores.
Tips For Getting Your First Credit Card
Most of us get a credit card on our name when we go to college or when we are in our senior years of high school and all of us stumble into the same types of difficulties when it comes to finding an issuer and managing the credit card. Most banks ask for a prior type of credit history that most of the time lacks and for some type of warranty that we will be good payers.
How Does a Creditor Determine Whether to Grant You Credit?
Credit 101How does a creditor determine whether to grant you credit? For many years, creditors have been using credit scores and credit scoring systems to determine if you'd be a good risk for a loan or credit card. More recently, credit scores have been used to help determine what rates you pay for insurance.
Making Sense of Credit Card Fees
In addition to the APR (annual percentage rate) and the finance charges, most credit cards have a number of 'fees' associated with their use. Some fees are unavoidable with a particular card (like an annual fee or a program participation fee), while others are triggered by certain circumstances.
Secured Credit Cards- Consumer Tips
Whether you have no credit or damaged credit, secured credit cards are a good tool for building a good credit history.Several months ago Tom, a member of CreditBoards.
Top 5 Reasons To Check Your Credit Report Regularly
#1 Make sure mistakes aren't hurting your credit.Reviewing your credit report can help you avoid costly errors.
Credit Card Dirty Tricks
There are many of us that have been badly stung by credit card companies that have charged exorbitant fees to use their credit cards. Several years ago an APR of 25% to 29% was common place which in simple terms means that if you borrow £1,000 your interest on that money would be £250 to £290 a year.
Do You Know Whats On Your Credit Report ?
It is important to know your credit rating for a number of reasons. Believe it or not there may be errors in your credit report, and it is essential that you repair them immediately.
Common Credit Score Myths
A lot of credit score myths about fico score ratings get spread around and some of them are just outdated information. Sometimes even lenders can give you the wrong advice and it can get confusing.
Trade Credit: How to Determine if You Should Offer Net-30 Terms to Your Customers
What is trade credit?One of the major differences between consumer and commercial transactions is that most, if not all, consumer transactions are paid in cash or by credit card at the time of sale. Because of this, most consumer businesses never have to worry about extending credit to a customer and can run their operations on an "all cash" basis.
Beat Credit Card Companies at Their Own Game!
Have you ever wondered how much money a credit card company makes? Have you ever wondered how much of that comes from late fees? Everyone has and if you haven't you should because most likely you own a credit card, which means that these late fees has or could directly affect you.As you have probably taken notice, credit card late fees are on the rise and have been so for awhile.
Do you Know the Benefits of Checking your Credit Report?
Do you know why you should check your credit report?Of course you do, because you have undoubtedly experienced one working in your life!No matter where you roam, your credit report follows you through life, updating all aspects of your life: your employment, where you live, your opened credit accounts, your closed accounts, your payment history, and even public records on you.In this country, a good credit history brings you benefits of all kinds--a home mortgage, an apartment lease, an auto loan, or even more credit--with ease.
Saving Money: Quick Cash, High Cost
I didn't think it was possible. But it is.
Save Money and Lower your Payments by Improving or Repairing Your Credit
Having a better credit score not only represents easier access to money from lending institutions, but more importantly represents instant money in your pocket.This probably sounds like something obvious for most of people, but it isn't until you start thinking in terms of real examples and real dollars that most of us start to understand the magnitude of the benefits associated with a good credit score.
Credit Card Traps: How To Spot Them On The Spot!
They arrive in your mail - a conspicuous looking mail piece from some "official looking" bank claiming that you have been Pre-Approved for a Mastercard or VISA credit card.Of course, you don't have to have any credit.
Choosing the Best Low Interest Credit Card
With so many low interest credit cards on offer, how do you know which one to choose? Here is a brief guide for choosing your low interest credit card.The Chase Manhattan MasterCard is a great choice, for those with an excellent credit rating.
How Your Credit History Can Affect Your Life
Your credit history is an important aspect of your life. Maintaining your credit rating is very important to your future and to your lifestyle.
Collection Agency Secrets for Collecting on Bad Debt
Getting worried that one of your clients, customers or patients will never pay? Have you given up on a customer who's essentially said he won't pay? Congratulations--being stiffed by a customer or patient is a milestone in the growth of a business or medical practice. But even the most hopeless of bad debts can sometimes be collected-collection agencies have been doing it for years.
Can Credit Search Entries Affect Your Ability to get Approved for a New Loan in the UK?
About Search Entries:Every time a lender checks your credit history from your credit file (i.e.