The internet is flush with companies who are still promising small business owners they can get "EIN-based" credit. It may take months and thousands of dollars before the business owner realizes he's been rooked. In reality, they are just trying to sell a "golden unicorn" service the only way they can: with misinformation. Reach out to me directly if you want to boost your business credit scores and ratings before you apply.

If you're planning to spend money on holiday gifting, buying those gifts now (and doing it the right way) could mean that many of these "seasonal" purchases get reported to the commercial credit bureaus and count toward boosting your business credit scores and ratings. Sometimes it can be as easy as creating a new account in your business name and paying for your purchases using your business debit or credit card! Reach out to me directly if you want to boost your business cr

I tend to monitor my clients' corporate credit even more closely than my own, so imagine my surprise when I accidentally discovered that D&B had created a duplicate DUNS number for my own company! Fortunately, I know the drill, so a hastily submitted support ticket was enough to fix the problem. So this post is just a reminder to all of you to take a few minutes to complete your annual business credit checkup.

Right now, while everyone else seems to be standing still and waiting to see how things will turn out — innovators will be charging forward. Head up. Back firm. Shoulders braced. Undaunted.  It's not that they are unafraid... They just understand that fear and uncertainty has motivated some of the greatest successes in our nation's history. Reach out to me directly if you want to be prepared for every potential opportunity by boosting your business credit scores and ratings i

D&B's new security process requires that specific owner's information be entered into the system to verify a principal's identity in order to gain access to the site — and they'll need to undergo an intense identity verification process that may include QR codes, selfies, and accessing your business bank account to verify your ownership. If you need help accessing your file via D&B's new DUNS Profile Manager, give me a call. I can help you get access within just a few minute

People complain when their payments to lenders and financial organizations aren't reflecting in their D&B business credit report.  Their frustration doubles when they can't submit those lenders and creditors as "trade references".  What they don't realize is that some of those transactions may actually be showing up, but in the Small Business Financial Exchange... and that could be a much bigger benefit for their business. Reach out to me if you want to boost your business cr

Most small business owners view business credit inquiries in the same terms as personal credit inquiries, but — in reality — that couldn't be further from the truth! While there are certain circumstances where having your D&B report pulled could count against your company, its important for business owners to understand inquiries and what they mean to your scores and ratings. Reach out to me directly if you want to better understand business credit scores, ratings and inquir

Whether you sell groceries, houses, newspapers, slacks, cars, cupcakes or cannabis, the details of your business are as intricate and individual as the fingerprints on your front door glass. While you might share similar types of suppliers based upon your industry, you'll likely use a different plumber, or advertise in a different market, or buy your business cards from a different printer. Reach out to me directly if you want to add your existing payment history to your bus

If there is even the slightest possibility your business credit application's approval could render access to cash (hard currency), lenders are now required to perform certain processes to validate the identity of the principal whose name appears on the application. While the goal is to separate your personal CREDIT from your business, when it comes to identity verification, you don't have the option of separating your personal IDENTITY from your business.

Hindsight is always 20/20, which is why most successful small business owners say their biggest mistake was using personal credit to...

When you're first starting a business and income is limited, you need to pinch every penny and make sure you're spending every dollar as wisely as possible. For most small business owners, that starts in the decision about how you're going to structure your business, because the last thing you want to do is cripple your new company and destroy your own personal FICO scores in the process. The pennies you pinch here could cost you a fortune later.

There are two questions I ask my clients more than any others: What was the last thing you purchased online? What are you shopping for...

There are some credit consultants who tell their clients to use a virtual address so they look more corporate or professional. Unfortunately, what they don't tell their clients is that trying to pass off a virtual address or mail-drop location as a physical address can actually cause more harm than good. Using a virtual address can actually corrupt your corporate data and make your business appear less credible. Reach out to me directly if you want to understand why.

How many vendors does your company utilize over the course of a year? Depending on what type of business you have, that number could...

As you may have noticed, much of the training I provide focuses on the importance of adding payment history to your corporate credit report as a means of boosting your scores and ratings. But today, I'd like to provide a little insight into what a huge difference you can make when you add the right kinds of vendor and supplier payment history to your commercial credit report. Your company's creditworthiness is one of the most important representatives you have.

Are you like Sam? Sam told me he didn't have any vendors. He said, "I don't have any credit. All I ever use are local guys and small...

"Who reports to D&B?" Those four words, when put together, are probably one of the most-searched phrases on the web when it comes to business credit. Most business owners understand the need for a Paydex score, but they may not know how to get one. In reality, it's not that difficult. To get a Paydex score, the holy grail for business credit, all you need is at least three payments showing in your D&B report. But which vendors are your best options?

Any time your business applies for credit or opens a new vendor account, there is a high probability that the creditor or supplier will check your business credit report. If your company has established a credit profile with one or more of the major corporate credit bureaus, an inquiry will be generated. For the most part, inquiries are a normal part of doing business and help validate your business information, strengths, needs and viability.

You're filling out a credit application. Everything is going along just fine until you get to that box at the bottom... You know the one — where you're being asked to provide a personal guaranty — and, suddenly, you hit the brakes. Why is it, when you are working so hard to separate your business credit from your personal credit, those suppliers or lenders wanting you to mix them all together again? Reach out to me directly if you want to boost your business credit scores

Most business owners have applied for corporate credit at some point, whether in the form credit cards, bank loans, alternative funding,...