Get the Truth about Unsecured Business Loans

Unsecured business loans can save you. Here’s how.

Bad credit does not have to be a dead weight around your company’s proverbial neck. However, it does make it more challenging to obtain a small business loan. For a brand-new small business in particular, your company credit will be poor as a matter of course.

This is because you just will not have the sort of history and seasoning which can make your commercial credit score rise. And, then, make lending institutions want to lend your business funds).

Hence, lenders are not going to be too thrilled about offering your business a business loan. This is because they genuinely have no clue if your small business will be able to repay the loan. But you are still, with good reason wondering how to fund a small business with poor credit.

Unsecured Business Loans: UCC Blanket Liens

As a result of this, lenders will typically obtain a UCC blanket lien in case they do give your company a loan. A UCC blanket lien is a notification which goes on your credit report. It says that the lender has an interest in all of your company’s assets until you repay the loan completely. Thus, there could be unfortunate consequences if you need to default.

Plus, most of these loans will also entail personal guarantees.

But That’s Different! What are Unsecured Business Loans?

Having said that, if a loan does not require a personal guarantee, then your small business is generally going to be looking at unsecured business loans, and those are coupled with excessive interest rates.

These sorts of small business loans can be short-term. So you must pay them back promptly. Or they can be receivables financing. And this is where you are able to get a loan based on business you anticipate to be coming in because you have due billings which your customers have not paid out to you yet. Or, they might be merchant cash advances.

These all come with interest rates which are often 40% or higher.

Advantages of Unsecured Business Loans

The biggest advantage is that you do not need to put up a personal guarantee or accept a UCC blanket lien. If you end up defaulting on the loan, then your residential property and any other personal possessions will not be seized, and neither will your inventory.

Hence the term ‘unsecured’, which effectively means ‘no collateral necessary’.

Nevertheless, this also indicates that you often have to have strong revenue or a significant amount of time in business. In general, your personal credit must be fair or better. So, that’s even without having a personal guarantee requirement.

Disadvantages of Unsecured Business Loans

It’s all about the interest. According to Nerd Wallet, Kabbage can offer an unsecured business loan – yet the APR can possibly be as much as 99%! If you think that’s usury, think again. In Ohio, the usury laws don’t apply to unsecured loans.

Time in Business Requirements

Another drawback (though not everyone will view it in this manner) is that unsecured business loans often demand that your company has been in operation for at least six months, or that you have no personal bankruptcies, or your business has to demonstrate a minimum annual earning amount – which means opening up your records to your lending institution. If any of these requirements have already been met by you, then you possibly won’t see this as a real disadvantage.

But if your small business is brand-new, and you do not yet have a regular clientele and profit, and you have had personal bankruptcy problems, then you could be shut out of your few remaining alternatives.

Unsecured Business Loans: The Alternative: Building Business Credit

Not enough time in business? Or do you not have enough revenue? Then it’s time to start business credit building.

Every Business Needs Small Business Credit Establishing

Business credit is credit in a company’s name. It doesn’t attach to an entrepreneur’s personal credit, not even when the owner is a sole proprietor and the solitary employee of the business.

As a result, an entrepreneur’s business and consumer credit scores can be very different.

The Benefits

Considering that small business credit is distinct from personal, it helps to protect an entrepreneur’s personal assets, in case of legal action or business bankruptcy.

Also, with two distinct credit scores, a business owner can get two different cards from the same merchant. This effectively doubles purchasing power.

Another benefit is that even new ventures can do this. Visiting a bank for a business loan can be a formula for disappointment. But building company credit, when done correctly, is a plan for success.

Consumer credit scores depend on payments but also other elements like credit utilization percentages.

But for small business credit, the scores truly only depend on if a small business pays its bills on time.

Discover our business credit and finance guide, jam-packed with new ways to finance your business without emptying your wallet.

The Process

Establishing small business credit is a process, and it does not occur without effort. A company will need to actively work to develop business credit.

Nevertheless, it can be done readily and quickly, and it is much more rapid than building consumer credit scores.

Merchants are a big part of this process.

Undertaking the steps out of order will lead to repetitive denials. No one can start at the top with business credit. For instance, you can’t start with retail or cash credit from your bank. If you do, you’ll get a denial 100% of the time.

Company Fundability

A company has to be fundable to credit issuers and merchants.

For this reason, a business will need a professional-looking website and email address. And it needs to have website hosting bought from a company like GoDaddy.

And also, business telephone and fax numbers must have a listing on ListYourself.net.

Likewise, the business telephone number should be toll-free (800 exchange or similar).

A company will also need a bank account dedicated strictly to it, and it must have all of the licenses necessary for running.

Licenses

These licenses all must be in the particular, accurate name of the small business. And they need to have the same business address and telephone numbers.

So keep in mind, that this means not just state licenses, but possibly also city licenses.

Dealing with the IRS

Visit the IRS web site and acquire an EIN for the company. They’re free of charge. Choose a business entity such as corporation, LLC, etc.

A company can get started as a sole proprietor. But they will more than likely want to switch to a variety of corporation or an LLC.

This is in order to decrease risk. And it will maximize tax benefits.

A business entity will matter when it comes to taxes and liability in the event of litigation. A sole proprietorship means the business owner is it when it comes to liability and taxes. No one else is responsible.

Sole Proprietors Take Note

If you operate a company as a sole proprietor, then at the very least be sure to file for a DBA. This is ‘doing business as’ status.

If you do not, then your personal name is the same as the small business name. Consequently, you can wind up being personally liable for all small business debts.

In addition, according to the IRS, by having this structure there is a 1 in 7 chance of an IRS audit. There is a 1 in 50 probability for corporations! Steer clear of confusion and significantly decrease the odds of an IRS audit at the same time.

Beginning the Business Credit Reporting Process

Start at the D&B website and get a cost-free D-U-N-S number. A D-U-N-S number is how D&B gets a small business into their system, to generate a PAYDEX score. If there is no D-U-N-S number, then there is no record and no PAYDEX score.

Once in D&B’s system, search Equifax and Experian’s sites for the small business. You can do this at fastcs.wpengine.com/reports. If there is a record with them, check it for accuracy and completeness. If there are no records with them, go to the next step in the process.

By doing so, Experian and Equifax will have something to report on.

Vendor Credit Tier

First you need to establish trade lines that report. This is also called the vendor credit tier. Then you’ll have an established credit profile, and you’ll get a business credit score.

And with an established business credit profile and score you can begin to obtain credit in the retail and cash credit tiers.

These kinds of accounts tend to be for the things bought all the time, like marketing materials, shipping boxes, outdoor work wear, ink and toner, and office furniture.

But to start with, what is trade credit? These trade lines are credit issuers who will give you starter credit when you have none now. Terms are generally Net 30, rather than revolving.

Therefore, if you get an approval for $1,000 in vendor credit and use all of it, you will need to pay that money back in a set term, such as within 30 days on a Net 30 account.

Discover our business credit and finance guide, jam-packed with new ways to finance your business without emptying your wallet.

Details

Net 30 accounts must be paid in full within 30 days. 60 accounts have to be paid fully within 60 days. In contrast to with revolving accounts, you have a set time when you have to pay back what you borrowed or the credit you made use of.

To start your business credit profile the proper way, you ought to get approval for vendor accounts that report to the business credit reporting agencies. When that’s done, you can then make use of the credit.

Then pay back what you used, and the account is on report to Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, or Equifax.

Vendor Credit Tier – It Makes Sense

Not every vendor can help like true starter credit can. These are vendors that will grant an approval with a minimum of effort. You also want them to be reporting to one or more of the big three CRAs: Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax, and Experian.

You want 5 to 8 of these to move onto the next step, which is the retail credit tier. But you may have to apply more than one time to these vendors. So, this is to verify you are trustworthy and will pay punctually.

Accounts That Do Not Report

Non-Reporting Trade Accounts can also be helpful. While you do want trade accounts to report to at the very least one of the CRAs, a trade account which does not report can yet be of some worth.

You can always ask non-reporting accounts for trade references. Additionally credit accounts of any sort will help you to better even out business expenditures, consequently making financial planning less complicated. These are companies like PayPal Credit, T-Mobile, and Best Buy.

Retail Credit Tier

Once there are 5 to 8 or more vendor trade accounts reporting to at least one of the CRAs, then move to the retail credit tier. These are service providers which include Office Depot and Staples.

Only use your SSN and date of birth on these applications for verification purposes. For credit checks and guarantees, use the company’s EIN on these credit applications.

One example is Lowe’s. They report to D&B, Equifax and Business Experian. They need to see a D-U-N-S and a PAYDEX score of 78 or more.

Fleet Credit Tier

Are there 8 to 10 accounts reporting? Then move onto the fleet credit tier. These are businesses like BP and Conoco. Use this credit to buy fuel, and to repair, and maintain vehicles. Just use your SSN and date of birth on these applications for verification purposes. For credit checks and guarantees, make certain to apply using the business’s EIN.

One such example is Shell. They report to D&B and Business Experian. They want to see a PAYDEX Score of 78 or better and a 411 business telephone listing.

Shell may claim they want a specific amount of time in business or profits. But if you already have enough vendor accounts, that won’t be necessary. And you can still get an approval.

Discover our business credit and finance guide, jam-packed with new ways to finance your business without emptying your wallet.

Cash Credit Tier

Have you been sensibly handling the credit you’ve up to this point? Then move to the cash credit tier. These are businesses like Visa and MasterCard. Only use your Social Security Number and date of birth on these applications for verification purposes. For credit checks and guarantees, use your EIN instead.

One example is the Fuelman MasterCard. They report to D&B and Equifax Business. They need to see a PAYDEX Score of 78 or better. And they also want you to have 10 trade lines reporting on your D&B report.

Plus, they want to see a $10,000 high credit limit reporting on your D&B report (other account reporting).

Additionally, they want you to have an established company.

These are businesses such as Walmart and Dell, and also Home Depot, BP, and Racetrac. These are commonly MasterCard credit cards. If you have 14 trade accounts reporting, then these are doable.

Monitor Your Business Credit

Know what is happening with your credit. Make sure it is being reported and address any inaccuracies ASAP. Get in the habit of checking credit reports and digging into the particulars, and not just the scores.

We can help you monitor business credit at Experian and D&B for 90% less than it would cost you at the CRAs. See: fastcs.wpengine.com/monitoring.

At D&B you can monitor at: www.dandb.com/credit-builder. At Experian, you can monitor your account at: www.smartbusinessreports.com/Landing/1217/. And at Equifax, you can monitor your account at: www.equifax.com/business/business-credit-monitor-small-business. Experian and Equifax cost about $19.99; D&B ranges from $49.99 to $99.99.

Update Your Record

Update the info if there are errors or the info is incomplete. At D&B, you can do this at: https://iupdate.dnb.com/iUpdate/viewiUpdateHome.htm. For Experian, go here: www.experian.com/small-business/business-credit-information.jsp. And for Equifax, go here: www.equifax.com/business/small-business.

Fix Your Business Credit

So, what’s all this monitoring for? It’s to challenge any problems in your records. Mistakes in your credit report(s) can be corrected. But the CRAs usually want you to dispute in a particular way.

Get your company’s PAYDEX report at: www.dnb.com/about-us/our-data.html. Get your company’s Experian report at: www.businesscreditfacts.com/pdp.aspx?pg=SearchForm. And get your Equifax business credit report at: www.equifax.com/business/credit-information.

Disputes

Disputing credit report inaccuracies normally means you send a paper letter with copies of any proof of payment with it. These are documents like receipts and cancelled checks. Never send the originals. Always send copies and keep the originals.

Fixing credit report errors also means you precisely spell out any charges you contest. Make your dispute letter as clear as possible. Be specific about the problems with your report. Use certified mail so that you will have proof that you sent in your dispute.

Dispute your or your business’s Equifax report by following the instructions here: www.equifax.com/small-business-faqs/#Dispute-FAQs.

You can dispute inaccuracies on your or your business’s Experian report by following the instructions here: www.experian.com/small-business/business-credit-information.jsp.

And D&B’s PAYDEX Customer Service contact number is here: www.dandb.com/glossary/paydex.

A Word about Building Business Credit

Always use credit responsibly! Don’t borrow beyond what you can pay off. Track balances and deadlines for repayments. Paying off in a timely manner and in full will do more to elevate business credit scores than pretty much anything else.

Growing small business credit pays off. Great business credit scores help a business get loans. Your loan provider knows the company can pay its financial obligations. They know the business is for real.

The small business’s EIN links to high scores and credit issuers won’t feel the need to request a personal guarantee.

Business credit is an asset which can help your company for many years to come. Learn more here and get started toward growing business credit.

Unsecured Business Loans: Takeaways

For each of these alternatives, you will definitely have a preferable rate of interest  if your credit score is better than poor. And you will most likely have more options, so you can shop around and compare plans.

If your business can stand by until your credit– either company or personal or both– improves, then your alternatives will significantly improve, too. In the meantime, unsecured business loans can help.