building business credit

[Jamie Dzierwa]

Hello there,

We are a new LLC, and I was just trying to find some insight as to how to start to build business credit? Obviously, we are not going to go and get approved for a substantial amount right off the bat, but was just wondering what works best. Thanks. This site is wonderful.

[Dustin Lyle]

My brother writes a financial blog with subject matter concerning business credit... Here is his introductory, step by step guide to building business credit..

Establishing business credit is tough, especially for a new business. But remember: It CAN be done, and it`s easier than you think. Follow these steps, and you`ll be on your way to an excellent credit profile.

Here is what I have learned:

~Set up a Corp business. Smart to protect yourself and the only type of business that allows you to keep your business credit and personal credit seperate. LLCs and Sole are okay for contract work or property investment, but you still should get a Corp to manage them.

~Once you get your EIN, through registrastion, set up your business phone. You will need to make sure it is at an address not the same as your home (because it is not looked upon favorably by the lending world) and the phone will need to be registered in the 411 directory. Quite a few have had success with calling the local phone company and getting a call forwarding number. It is a business number that automatically forwards to any desired phone. Make sure it will list with 411 before signing up however.

~After receiving your first phone bill, go to www.staples.com and fax in copy of application along with copy of phone bill to apply for business credit. Use professional letterhead for coversheet. You should receive the standard $750 credit line with no personal guarentee (herein referred to as "PG").

~Also during this time go to www.dnb.com and register your business to receive a D&B number. It will take 30-40 days to receive it in the mail. If you want to establish business credit sooner, you can pay for the credit builder ($399), but it`s not required. After you have at least 5 business accounts reporting, you`ll receive a paydex rating (similiar to FICO for personal credit).

*REMEMBER - a paydex score will only take into account your payment history. Unlike personal credit, this is counted in days. For example, if you pay your invoices 14 days late, it will be reported as such. If you pay your account off before the statement or invoice comes, it will be reported as such. The bottom line: Pay your invoices on time, and you will get a better paydex score.

~Set up the following business accounts, and make at least one purchase, you want to pay this off BEFORE the first statement hits:

*1. UPS - www.ups.com

2. FedEx CONTACT Revenue Services Department 1-800-622-1147 press 4 then 1

3. Barnes & Noble CONTACT Purchase order department 1-212-414-6000

4. Quill Corporation 100 So Schelter Lincolnshire, IL 60069 CONTACT Credit Department 1-800-634-3090

*5. Viking 8200 East 32nd St No. Wichitas, KS 67226 CONTACT Credit Department 1-888-454-5457

6. Rapid Forms 301 Grove Rd Thorofare, NJ 08086 CONTACT Billing Departement 1-800-257-5287

*7. Nebs - www.nebs.com

*11. Office Depot www.officedepot.com Apply online

(*- Really easy to get)

~Need a cell phone? Once you have a EIN and D&B# apply for a business account. Usually T-Mobile is the easiest to get credit with, but I`ve heard that Sprint, cingular, and Verizon are easy to get as well. Nextel? Good phone, but you have to jump through a lot of hoops, and you usually have to put down a deposit.

~If you have at least 30-45 days to use, the following companies automatically report to D&B creating your business file:

-FedEx

-UPS

-Staples

-Viking

-Nebs

-Office Depot

~Once you have a paydex score of 75+, you can apply for Lines of Credit (herein referred to as "LOC") or business Credit Cards without any sort of PG. The cards/accounts desired are:

Enterprise Rent a Car (Corp. Rental) www.enterprise.com

Wells Fargo Bank (Visa/Mastercard) www.wellsfargo.com

Bank of America (Visa) www.bankofamerica.com

American Express (Green/Gold) www.americanexpress.com

Chevron www.chevron.com

Mobil www.mobil.com

MBNA Bank www.mbna.com

Wells Fargo (Line of Credit) www.wellsfargo.com

Bank of America (Line of Credit) www.bankofamerica.com

Union Bank (Line of Credit) www.unionbank.com

Cal Fed www.calfed.com

United California Bank www.unitedcalbank.com

Most companies will not ask to see financials for loans of 50k or less.

I hope this helps, and I wish the best of luck to you in your pursuit of credit

Best Buy - Status; 1-800-811-7276
Borders (734) 477-1039 - Fax Application (877) 254-9229 - Status Update
BP/Amoco Status Update (800)365-6204
Chevron/Texaco Business Card Status Update (888) 243-8358
Citgo Fleet; (734) 477-1039 - Fax Application (877) 254-9229 - Status Update
Citi AA: 888-662-7759
Citibank Status:800-645-7240, 800-288-4653, 800-750-7453
Conoco - Status Line, automated 1-866-289-5622
Experian Business:888-211-0728
ExxonMobil Business Card(800) 903-9966
HD Commercial800-685-6691
HDMC Sondee 877-969-9030.
Home Depot MC:877-969-9039 (Sondee/Sedonia?)
Key Bank:800-254-2737
Lowes - Status; 1-800-445-6937
Lowes - Underwriter;1-866-232-7443
Lowes Fraud/UW: 800-444-1408
MBNA - 1-800-673-1044
Meijers MC (801) 517-5560
Office Depot - Staus Line, automated 1-800-767-1358
Office Depot;800-767-1358, 800-729-7744 automated line to check status.
Office Max - Status Line, atomated 1-800-283-7674
OFFICEMAX STATUS: (800) 283-7674
Philips 66: 866-289-5630, 800-610-1961
Phillips 801-779-7369
Radio Shack;1-800-442-7221
Sam`s UW:800-301-5546, 866-246-4282
Sears - Status; 1-800-599-9710
Shell Fleet Card Status Update(800) 223-3296
Shell: 800-223-3296, 866-438-7435
Shell; 800-377-5150
Staples - Status Line, automated 1-800-767-1275
Staples: 800-767-1291, 800-282-5316
Sunoco Corporate Card(800) 935-3387,(800) 278-6626
Sunoco: 800-310-4773
Target: 800-440-5317
Tiffany:800-770-0800
VALERO (800)324-8464 ACCOUNT STATUS
Valero;1-877-882-5376
Walmart;800-301-5546, underwriting 877-294-7548
Wright Express; 888-743-3893

These links will take you to the application page, or a page that has the application link on it.
• Amazon.com - www.amazon.com
• Best Buy - www.bestbuy.com - www.bestbuybusiness.com
• Citgo Fleet - www.citgo.com
• Conoco / Phillips 66 / 76 - www.conoco.com
• Dell Computers - www.dell.com
• FedEx / Kinkos - www.fedexkinkos.com
• Home Depot - www.homedepot.com
• HD Expo - www.expo.com
• Home Depot Master Card - www.homedepot.com
• Lowes Commercial - www.lowes.com
• Nebs.com - www.nebs.com
• Office Depot - www.officedepot.com
• Office Max - www.officemax.com
• Quill.com - www.quill.com
• Rapid Fuel - www.rapidfuel.com
• Shell Fleet - www.shell.com
• Staples - www.staples.com
• Sunoco Corporate - www.sunoco.com
• TechDepot - www.tectdepot.com
• TigerDirect - www.tigerdirect.com
• Uline - www.uline.com
• Wright Express - www.wrightexpress.com