subject: Steps for Building Corporate Credit [print this page] When you start your own business, you soon find that the capital you started out with is not sufficient to sustain the business in the long term. You need fresh infusion of funds for expansion and diversification to take advantage of new market opportunities. To keep getting ever increasing sums for your business requirements, you need to start building corporate credit as early as possible.
While starting a company is no mean task, building business credit requires an entirely different set of skills. Some of the steps needed to be taken to start a business and obtain small business loans are the same. These can range from simply registering your business and getting it a corporate identification number to more complex tasks such as formulating a viable business plan. Another thing that lenders check for is the existence of a business phone number listed in the Yellow Pages.
Approach the Professionals
If you anticipate requiring funds soon, you should approach a business credit builder, who will tell you exactly how to build credit. While, you can also do this on your own, a professional with a credit builder program will be able to achieve a credit rating of 80 for your business within a few months. All you need to do is follow the instructions given to you.
Do it Yourself
If on the other hand you want to start building corporate credit on your own, you need to start small. First ask a few vendors to extend you credit and ensure that you repay them on time. Ask them to report the positive payments habits of your company to the credit rating agencies. You can also apply for company credit cards and use these for expenses such as gas. Again, key corporate credit concepts say that you need to pay your credit card dues in full each month. These small steps will help build a positive credit history for the company, helping you leverage this for a greater loan amount.
Your company's business credit profile is compiled in much the same way as your personal credit profile. By first taking small loans against company property and repaying these on time, you will soon be able to convince potential lenders of your ability and intention to repay all loans.
Start Early
As, it will be difficult to start building corporate credit after you are in a jam for cash or have a great business opportunity, it is best to establish credit lines as early as possible. Approach the bank where your company has an account and ask for credit based on your business plan, your balance sheet, and IT returns. A banker, by looking at these figures and projections, will be able to advance your business at least some cash. Use this to increase your turnover, and repay the loan as per the schedule you had agreed to. This will enable the banker to increase their exposure to your business, thereby making it easier for you to obtain funds.
