Business credit is a necessity for small business owners, without it, your company can’t take any loans, mortgages, or credit card payments but getting business credit may be difficult if you don’t know where to start. 

Although many banks and other lenders offer business checking accounts and small business loans, these services may come with certain conditions or restrictions that make them less than ideal for your needs as a business owner, however, there are several other options that are better suited to businesses like yours. 

These include credit unions, affinity banking institutions, and other alternatives that can get you your business financing without a lot of red tape or hassle.

What is Pre-Approval?

Pre-approval is the process by which a lender or financial institution evaluates a customer’s creditworthiness and determines if it is likely to approve a loan application, essentially, pre-approval is like getting a letter of recommendation before you even apply for a loan it shows that someone has reviewed your past financial activity and thinks you’re likely to pay for whatever your business produces or services. 

Pre-approval can be useful because it lets you know your options without committing to a specific course of action, if the lender determines that you’re not likely to repay, it won’t advance you the money you need and you’ll end up stuck with expensive debt. 

Pre-approval, however, lets you sign a promissory note with no financial obligation whatsoever, it’s worth noting that pre-approval is not a guarantee that you’ll be granted a loan or line of credit. 

Pre-approval simply provides the lender with a more detailed description of your creditworthiness and provides them with an opportunity to assess any risk you pose.

When Should You Pre-Approve Your Business?

Pre-approval is particularly useful when starting a new business, as it can help you get a loan or line of credit without having to account for a lot of your financial activity, typically, your business will be net30 vendors pre-approved at the time you incorporate or set up as an LLC. 

But, you can also pre-approve your business in anticipation of growth as you grow your company, you’ll want to make sure that you’re always ready to borrow as much money as you need.

Pre-approving your business now can let you borrow as much as you need to account for expected growth so that you can keep up with your current customers’ needs, additionally, if you encounter unexpected expenses or lose a prime customer for any reason, you’ll be able to borrow the funds you need to keep your business running.

How to Find Creditworthy Businesses Before You Start

When you’re starting your company, it can be a challenge to determine who can be trusted to provide creditworthy loans or lines of credit, thankfully, there are a number of resources you can use to help you find creditworthy businesses. 

The first thing you’ll want to do is research your competitors this will help you identify which businesses are better situated than your competitors additionally, you may want to consider following various business networking groups on social media. 

These groups are designed to help small businesses connect with one another and may lead you to other businesses that would like to partner with yours. 

Finally, you may also want to consider partnering with local non-profits that provide funding for small businesses, many non-profits provide access to funding for non-profit businesses, thus making them a good place to start your business-networking efforts.