The 8 Questions You Must Ask Before Working With Any Business Credit Building Company

There are few business credit building companies out there, however, those that are out there are taking advantage of the lack of knowledge from the general public regarding business credit and how to get a business loan.DON’T LET THEM RIP YOU OFF!I’m going to try to show how to get unlimited capital for your business…Without risking your personal assets, lowering your personal credit score, or damaging your personal credit historyThese 8 Simple Questions will ensure Your Success Building Business Credit when looking for a Small Business LoanThere are simply too many people who hire business credit building companies that are not happy with the results. Before choosing another company, if you ask these 8 questions you will be assured that you will be working with a legitimate company who can help you build business credit and more importantly get the small business loan you seek. Getting that business loan is after all what you’re looking for, isn’t it?Why is it so important to work with knowledgeable advisor? Why can’t you do it on your own? The Fair Credit Reporting Act does not apply to the business credit bureaus; this means that if you make a mistake, skip a step, try and take a short cut, your business credit file can be “Red Flagged.” This means your company is prohibited from receiving credit and perhaps that elusive business loan.There is a proven step-by-step process that MUST be followed if you plan on properly building your business credit and getting working capital. If you don’t follow the proven process then you can be put into the “High Risk” category. When that happens, no lending institution will give you a cash advance or small business loan and there is nothing you can do to remove it.Make sure to choose a honest credit building company that has the knowledge, experience and proven systems to support you, before you decide whom you will work with, make sure to ask them these 8 vital questions.Question #1Will I be obtaining only trade credit or CASH credit?Be careful, there are a number of companies out there that will only help you obtain trade credit. Trade credit can only be used with the individual creditor, and nowhere else. This is great if you need $3000 of paper products, but is useless if you need payroll loans, inventory loans, or simply to cover business expenses or expand your company.And if it is CASH credit, will I always need to personally guarantee the application?”If the company says you will always have to personally guarantee all types of credit – then you are NOT receiving the full benefit of business credit. Keep in mind, the solution must introduce you to business funding services that will not require a personal guarantee, however these non traditional lenders will still be checking your personal credit and need your social security number. They do this to stay in banking compliance.Question #2:Will a trained coach show me, step by step, how to incorporate my business and build business credit with an eye to getting that merchant loan or business loan?My guess is that if you wanted to figure out the intricacies of incorporating your business, and building corporate credit on your own… you would have already done so. (I’ve done it. And believe me… this is NOT stuff you want to muddle through on your own.)So if you won’t be receiving step-by-step instructions supported by a trained credit coach, resulting in a predictable successful outcome, call another company. (I’ll spell out each step for securing business loans without traditional personal guarantees in crystal clear detail in a later article).Question #3:If I get stuck while I’m taking all those necessary steps, will I have to pay you hundreds or even thousands to help me figure it out?Many companies charge low fees up front and continue to tack on heavy, additional charges each time you call or write for help.Make sure they deliver everything you need to know to secure a bad credit business line of credit or high risk business loans, all without the traditional personal guarantee. Make sure you will have access to a dedicated coaching advisor and who places no limits on how often you can speak with them.Question #4:Will you have the ability to set up capital loans, and monitor the development of your business credit score with all major business credit agencies all within your coaching platform?Why work with an advisor who is trying to blindly lead you!Question #5:When companies promise to get you cash credit, ask them this pointed question: “What type of paperwork is required to get cash lines of credit?Beware of companies that say it is not required to furnish any financial statements, tax returns, business plans, bank statements, etc., to obtain a small business loan without a traditional personal guarantee. When it comes to getting approvals for cash advance without a traditional personal guarantee, you will need to show that your company is financially responsible and you do this by showing it earns revenue, pays its bills on time and has establish good business credit.If the company tells you that you can obtain this type of financing without providing any real documents, don’t bother working with them, they are not being honest.Think about it, is a lender really going to give you hundreds of thousand of dollars without a traditional personal guarantee without you having to show them that you are a “safe-risk?” Over time I will show you exactly what you need to do in order to become a safe risk and secure a small business loan.Question #6:How are your coaches paid?This is a really important question! How would you like to work with someone that could care less if you obtain the business loan you desperately need? Think about it!Question #7:When it comes time to apply for a business loan, are you going to pass me off from lender to lender?This is another very important question. Virtually every credit building company will, when it is time to apply for a business loan, pass you off to one lender to apply, and then tell you to go and apply at the next lender and so on. They literally end up sending you on a wild goose chase and just hope that one of the non traditional lenders can obtain capital loans for you. Does this sound like something a real business credit and financing expert would do?Question #8:What kind of a guarantee do you offer?”It’s critical to get the specifics about guarantees. Because most companies that offer guarantees or promise only that your corporation will get a 80+ Paydex score. While this is a start, it’s not good enough -If after completing your program, you should have:Corporate Compliance and documentation reviewD&B file and a D&B ratingD&B Paydex ScoreBusiness credit file with Corporate Experian with an intelliscoreBusiness credit file with business Equifax with the appropriate business credit score.Trade accounts and/or Vendor Accounts with and without a personal guarantee.A Business Credit that can be used to leverage financing opportunitiesThis is not, by any means, a comprehensive list of all the questions entrepreneurs should ask when it comes to building corporate credit. But if you address these costly and dangerous errors, you will be on your way to building a safe, secure, and financially sound business-the business you always dreamed of!Hopefully, these 8 questions will help ensure that you work with a credit building company that will be honest, upfront as well as help you successfully establish your business credit and leverage it into new small business loans and opportunities for your business.

Using The Internet To Market Your Window Cleaning Business

You’re tired of struggling financially and you need to create an alternative source of income. After considering the options, you decide to start a window cleaning business. You’ve scoured the internet for information on how to clean windows and you’ve practiced at home until you feel confident enough to offer your services to others. You have the money to invest in some squeegees, a couple of ladders and some business cards. Now what?Time To Advertise!Using the internet to market your window cleaning business offers a lot of advantages over traditional advertising. Advertising on the internet is absolutely the most cost-effective means of marketing available today and it can be very effective. In March of 2010, BIA (bia.com) and The Kelsey Group (kelseygroup.com) reported that, ”nearly all consumers (97 %) now use online media when researching products or services in their local area…”Having an internet presence means that your business information is available to anyone at anytime. As potential customers browse the internet, they can discover your business and the services you offer at a time that’s convenient to them and without any obligation or any of the pressure some people associate with ‘being sold’.If you’re starting your business with a limited budget, the most attractive advantage of internet marketing is probably the cost.Free AdvertisingIn some markets, using the free local listing sites on the internet may be enough to get you going. Potential customers are already searching for the goods or services you provide – they just need to be able to find you.Google PlacesSigning up for Google Places is simple and offers an opportunity to make sure your business can be found on Google and on Google Maps. With a Google Places listing, you can create an online presence even if you don’t have a website. It only takes a couple of minutes and it’s completely free.Start by reading the Google Places quality guidelines to make sure your listing will be approved. Then go to Google Places and sign in with your Google account. If you don’t already have a Google account, sign up for one, they’re free. Google keeps track of the number of times your listing is viewed during a Google search so you can track how effective the listing is. Once your account is verified, you can continue to edit the listing as often as needed to insure the best results.Yahoo Local ListingsYahoo local listings operates much in the same way as Google Places. Again, this is an opportunity to create a web presence that doesn’t require having a website. You can list your business name, address, contact information and the unique selling opportunity that your business offers. Your listing can include your products, services and brands in up to five categories.Start by going to the Yahoo Local signup page. If you don’t already have a Yahoo account, sign up for one. There is no charge for a Yahoo account and it only takes a few minutes to register.Bing Local ListingsMicrosoft also has a free local listing service similar to Google Places and Yahoo Local Listings. Start by going to the Bing Local Listings signup page and enter your information. Again, if you don’t already have a Bing account, you can sign up for one in a couple of minutes and there is no charge.Bing Local Listings lets users look for services in their local area which makes it easy for new customers to find you. Once your listing is verified you can log on to the Bing Local site and edit your listing to match any changes you may want to make as your business grows.Online ReviewsAll of the free local listing sites mentioned here also allow your customers to leave a brief review of their experience with you and your company. This can be a great tool to drive business from the internet to your front door. Most people today already have an email account with one of the ‘big three’, Google, Yahoo or Bing. Be sure to ask your customers if they would mind taking a few minutes and leaving a review of your company’s service on one of the local listing sites. If they’re happy with your service they’ll probably be glad to.After your window cleaning business has generated some income you may want to enlarge your internet presence with a business website. While the free listing sites do a great job of getting you started, a business website designed to target your local market is a definite must if you want to continue to grow your business and increase your income.More about business websites in the next article.

Business Loans In Canada: Financing Solutions Via Alternative Finance & Traditional Funding

Business loans and finance for a business just may have gotten good again? The pursuit of credit and funding of cash flow solutions for your business often seems like an eternal challenge, even in the best of times, let alone any industry or economic crisis. Let’s dig in.

Since the 2008 financial crisis there’s been a lot of change in finance options from lenders for corporate loans. Canadian business owners and financial managers have excess from everything from peer-to-peer company loans, varied alternative finance solutions, as well of course as the traditional financing offered by Canadian chartered banks.

Those online business loans referenced above are popular and arose out of the merchant cash advance programs in the United States. Loans are based on a percentage of your annual sales, typically in the 15-20% range. The loans are certainly expensive but are viewed as easy to obtain by many small businesses, including retailers who sell on a cash or credit card basis.

Depending on your firm’s circumstances and your ability to truly understand the different choices available to firms searching for SME COMMERCIAL FINANCE options. Those small to medium sized companies ( the definition of ‘ small business ‘ certainly varies as to what is small – often defined as businesses with less than 500 employees! )

How then do we create our road map for external financing techniques and solutions? A simpler way to look at it is to categorize these different financing options under:

Debt / Loans

Asset Based Financing

Alternative Hybrid type solutions

Many top experts maintain that the alternative financing solutions currently available to your firm, in fact are on par with Canadian chartered bank financing when it comes to a full spectrum of funding. The alternative lender is typically a private commercial finance company with a niche in one of the various asset finance areas

If there is one significant trend that’s ‘ sticking ‘it’s Asset Based Finance. The ability of firms to obtain funding via assets such as accounts receivable, inventory and fixed assets with no major emphasis on balance sheet structure and profits and cash flow ( those three elements drive bank financing approval in no small measure ) is the key to success in ABL ( Asset Based Lending ).

Factoring, aka ‘ Receivable Finance ‘ is the other huge driver in trade finance in Canada. In some cases, it’s the only way for firms to be able to sell and finance clients in other geographies/countries.

The rise of ‘ online finance ‘ also can’t be diminished. Whether it’s accessing ‘ crowdfunding’ or sourcing working capital term loans, the technological pace continues at what seems a feverish pace. One only has to read a business daily such as the Globe & Mail or Financial Post to understand the challenge of small business accessing business capital.

Business owners/financial mgrs often find their company at a ‘ turning point ‘ in their history – that time when financing is needed or opportunities and risks can’t be taken. While putting or getting new equity in the business is often impossible, the reality is that the majority of businesses with SME commercial finance needs aren’t, shall we say, ‘ suited’ to this type of funding and capital raising. Business loan interest rates vary with non-traditional financing but offer more flexibility and ease of access to capital.

We’re also the first to remind clients that they should not forget govt solutions in business capital. Two of the best programs are the GovernmentSmall Business Loan Canada (maximum availability = $ 1,000,000.00) as well as the SR&ED program which allows business owners to recapture R&D capital costs. Sred credits can also be financed once they are filed.

Those latter two finance alternatives are often very well suited to business start up loans. We should not forget that asset finance, often called ‘ ABL ‘ by those Bay Street guys, can even be used as a loan to buy a business.

If you’re looking to get the right balance of liquidity and risk coupled with the flexibility to grow your business seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor with a track record of business finance success who can assist you with your funding needs.