Building Business Credit for New Entrepreneurs

Here’s our take on leveraging your business’s credit rating into success.

Although having a great concept and a viable business plan is essential for creating a successful business, they are not the only qualities you need to make positive cash flow and – in the long term – a solid company.

For many people, figuring out how to get their idea from concept to finished product is complex, primarily since fledgling entrepreneurs treat business credit like personal credit and believe each step must be paid for before it is taken.

By building a strong business credit rating from the ground up, you can get terms that will allow you to buy raw material over time. Plus, with the credit, your business to create the finished product before the raw material must be paid for.

SME financing concepts and benefits

SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) financing is an umbrella term that covers various funding and credit options. Everything from small business loans to net 30 accounts falls under SME financing.

By building your company, from the ground up, to take advantage of SME financing options, you can create a viable cash flow situation before making your first product. Once your products have reached the marketplace, the income can be used to pay off your loans or pay up your net 30 accounts, and the profits can be invested back into the business to expand or create new products.

For example, suppose your new business is building better mousetraps. In that case, you can get an SME loan from your bank or financial institution – using your credit rating – while negotiating net 30 terms with your primary vendors.

The loan will give you cash on hand while you have 30 days to manufacture your products before they must be paid for. By keeping your credit in good standing, you will create a 30-day grace period between receiving your material and when it must be paid for. Then, as your credit rating improves, you can expand production or develop new products without paying for them upfront.

Startup cash

Most new business owners don’t have the luxury of having spare cash lying around. To create a new business, borrowing money from banks or other lending institutions is an uncomplicated way to raise capital. Most financial organizations are willing to lend you money if you have collateral to secure your loan. As a result, the risk is minimized for them, and you are incentivized to repay the loan.

With the global reach of most banks, your location is no longer the limiting factor. A business in Brooklyn can borrow money from a bank in Singapore, London, or wherever offers the best terms.

Even without collateral, there are options to raise startup money. If your personal credit rating is good, unsecured loans can give you the starting cash you need.

Venture capitalists are always on the lookout for the next “big thing” in business or products and are a viable source for startup money.

Taking advantage of net 30 terms

Borrowing money, however, is a short-term answer for generating cash flow. Net 30 terms allow you to delay paying for raw materials until you sell your products. Of course, net 30 terms won’t help you if you do not have a market for your idea or product. Some things can’t be bought over time, and promising ideas are one of those things.

By combining the advantages of SME loans in Singapore, the United States, or wherever you are located and net 30 terms, you can create a business from thin air and have it generating income before the first bills ever come due. Your personal credit rating is significant for small businesses until your company has established its own payment habits and credit rating.