More than half of small businesses have not built a credit score. And that can be a major problem when those businesses seek out financing to grow their business.
Small Business Trends recently sat down with Rania Succar, head of QuickBooks Capital, to discuss the importance of business credit scores and planning ahead for financing your small business’s growth.
One of the biggest issues that Succar believes is overlooked by small business owners is the need to grow their credit scores in order to get the capital they need.
Why Your Business Credit Score Matters
Succar explained, “One of the things you need to think about is having a business credit score. A lot of small businesses don’t think about that. They think about their personal credit score. More than half of small businesses have not built a business credit score. And when you go to borrow, that can really hurt you in terms of what you can get.”
And a business credit score doesn’t just impact the amount or the rate of your loan. It can also help you avoid tricky situations where you might end up with a last minute financing solution that has less than ideal terms for your business.
Succar said, “We know that 70 percent of small businesses need capital to grow. But you need to plan for it. It’s not just the type of thing that you want to get into a situation where you need it overnight and you get yourself into terms that are not good for your business.”
Overall, Succar says that small businesses can avoid these difficult situations by planning ahead and thinking about capital opportunities early on, even if you don’t need the money right away. If you grow your credit score, evaluate opportunities and keep an eye on rates and trends, you can have a much better chance of getting the capital you need to grow without putting your business at risk.