Don’t be fooled. "Tradelines" are free.

Any company who is requiring that you pay to purchase a credit line at their business or one unrelated to their own is putting your business at extreme risk. Not only could those tradelines be removed from your D&B profile, but your business can be downgraded and your business credit could be frozen or permanently destroyed in the process. This could also impact any other businesses you may have or plan to have in the future.

If you are working with a company who is requiring that you to purchase a service so they can report that payment history to D&B, or they promote selling you some “tradelines” to boost your business credit profile, you are being ripped off.

Hundreds of businesses offer lines of credit for small businesses, with their only requirement being that your company has an established business credit profile. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous businesses who are selling “tradelines” for outrageous prices, many of which are being also paid to be affiliates for those same companies, meaning they are making money off both ends of the deal.

The key to being able to get credit lines isn’t in how much you pay to get them, but how credible your business is. And, for that, creditors look to Dun & Bradstreet for solid history, scores and risk ratings. If you want your business to stand on its own merit and achieve the tradelines it needs now, as well as future credit approvals, you have to start at the beginning.

LESSON: If you want to continue on a secure path to your goals, you have to be able to withstand the scrutiny of how you got there in the first place. Don't let someone's ridiculous scheme cost your company it's ability to succeed.