Stage One of the Business Credit Success Guide
How to Build Small Business Credit with No Personal Guarantee
Step 9 ~ Business Phone & Directory Listing
The second distinguishing factor for your business, after the EIN, is a dedicated business phone system and directory listing. First of all, you will need to establish a phone number that is solely dedicated to your new business. It is not important which type of system you choose, rather the number must have a professional company voicemail such as, “Thank you for calling XYZ Systems, Inc…”. Review the business phone options we listed below and pick the one that best fits your situation.
- Cellular Phone ~ Signup for an option and later on in the guide we will show you how to transfer the contract out of your personal name. Many of these providers will issue an account with no personal guarantee if you have a clear D&B report.
- VOIP ~ Save up to 60% off a traditional phone bill and enjoy the unlimited long distance calling feature
- Virtual Phone ~ Virtual toll-free number, voicemail and internet fax all rolled into one affordable system
- Qwest ~ Offering a wide range of dedicated office services, and YES they can be used as a business credit reference to help get your business credit file started.
The second factor lenders look for is that your business is listed with directory assistance as it provides a simple vision of credibility and stability for your business. Each business has a difference in budget, need and marketing so we have provided two options to achieve the same result.
- The fastest and easiest choice is to subscribe to a listing in your local yellow pages. The benefits are two-fold, you instantly establish a directory assistance listing AND the majority of large yellow page advertising companies report the use of your account to the business credit bureaus, thus giving your business it’s first trade-line and starts the process of building business credit.
- The second option is a little slower but provides the same result, although it is no substitute for the previous option. You can list your business for free with SuperPages and ListYourself so now your business will have at least a basic sense of professionalism.
This is a step that could make or break an approval with certain business credit issuers, especially when applying for unsecured business lines of credit. The next few steps will provide the additional exposure and face of your business.