Business credit

Build a business lenders can understand.

Set up the foundation, establish reporting accounts, verify what reports, and prepare for funding—without confusing an EIN with automatic borrowing power.

Start the checklist →Learn the foundation
Choose where you are now

What do you need to do?

01Set up the foundationEntity, EIN, bank account, records→02Build reporting historyVendor terms, payments, verification→03Fix a reporting problemAudit bureaus, vendors, identity, UCCs→04Prepare to seek fundingCash flow, documents, terms, lenders→
Free checklistNo account requiredPlain EnglishNo tradeline hypeReality firstApproval is never guaranteed
// topics

The business credit playbook.

// topic 01 — live

Foundations

Entity, EIN, banking, records, and bureau identity—the clean base every lender expects.

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// topic 02 — live

Building Business Credit

Useful vendor terms, reporting verification, payment discipline, and careful graduation.

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// topic 03 — live

Business Credit Remedy

Audit and correct business bureau, vendor, payment, identity, and UCC information.

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// topic 04 — live

Funding Readiness

Capital planning, underwriting documents, cash-flow tests, terms, and lender comparison.

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// the process

How business credit building works.

// step 01

Incorporate

Form a legal entity (LLC or C-Corp), obtain an EIN from the IRS, and establish your business identity separate from your personal credit profile.

// step 02

Register

Get a DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet, register with business credit bureaus, and open a dedicated business bank account.

// step 03

Build

Start with Net-30 vendor credit lines, graduate to store cards, then business credit cards and term loans — building trade references that report.

// the core principle

Separation is everything.

The entire business credit system rests on one principle: your business is a separate legal entity from you. If your personal credit and business credit are tangled — personal guarantees on every account, personal cards used for business expenses — you have no business credit at all.

Business credit means your EIN stands on its own. Lenders, vendors, and bureaus evaluate your business's creditworthiness based on its own history — not yours. That separation is what limits your personal liability and unlocks funding that doesn't touch your personal credit profile.

Every playbook on this page is designed to build that separation systematically.

// the bureaus

Business credit bureaus.

// bureau 01

Dun & Bradstreet

The dominant business credit bureau. Issues the DUNS number and Paydex score. Most vendor tradelines report here first.

// bureau 02

Experian Business

Maintains business credit reports with the Intelliscore — a blended risk score that may factor in personal data for small businesses.

// bureau 03

Equifax Business

Business Risk Insight score and payment index. Less commonly referenced by vendors but monitored by lenders during funding applications.