Can my business credit scores affect financing options?
When navigating the complex world of business financing, one factor that consistently plays a pivotal role is the business credit score. Much like a personal credit score acts as a snapshot of an individual's creditworthiness, a business credit score provides potential lenders with a glimpse into the financial reliability of a business.
Understanding the impact of your business credit score on financing options is crucial for any business owner looking to secure funding, manage debt efficiently, and foster long-term growth.
Here, we'll explore how business credit scores can influence financing options and what you can do to position your business for success in the future.
Understanding business credit scores
Business credit scores are numerical representations of a business's creditworthiness. They are calculated using various factors, including payment history, credit utilisation, length of credit history, and public records, such as bankruptcies or judgments. These scores are maintained by major business credit bureaus.
The score that a business can acquire ranges between 0-100, with 0 representing a high level of financial risk, and 100 representing the lowest amount of financial risk.
A higher business credit score suggests to lenders that your business is more likely to repay debt on time, thereby making it a lower-risk borrower. Conversely, a lower score may signal potential financial instability, making lenders hesitant to offer favourable terms, or in some cases, any financing at all.
What affects your business credit score?
There are a few things that affect your overall business credit score, for example:
- The type of accounts you file (make sure to file all of your accounts accurately)
- Payment performance (make sure to pay your bills on time and never miss a payment)
- County Court Judgments (CCJs)
Impact on financing options
So, if your business has a low business credit score, several factors will be jeopardised.
Loan approval
One of the most direct ways a business credit score affects financing options is through the loan approval process.
As we mentioned before, lenders use business credit scores to assess the risk associated with lending to a particular business. A strong score can lead to a higher likelihood of loan approval for your business.
Interest rates and terms
Beyond approval, your business credit score can significantly impact the terms and rates of any credit extended to you.
Businesses with higher scores often qualify for lower interest rates and more favourable repayment terms. This can translate into considerable savings over the life of a loan.
Alternative financing
For businesses with lower credit scores, traditional bank loans may not be an option. However, various alternative financing options exist, such as merchant cash advances, invoice factoring, and business lines of credit.
Examples of alternative financing options include:
- Peer-to-peer lending (P2P): Platforms connect borrowers directly with individual lenders, bypassing traditional financial institutions. Interest rates can vary based on the creditworthiness of the borrower and the terms set by the lenders.
- Merchant cash advances (MCA): MCA is a financing option where businesses receive a lump sum in exchange for a portion of their future credit card sales. MCAs are known for their high cost but quick access to capital.
- Microloans: These are smaller loans that can be provided by individuals or specialised microfinance institutions. They are often aimed at entrepreneurs in developing countries or small businesses in already developed countries that do not require large amounts of funding.
While these can be more accessible, they often come at a higher cost, underscoring the importance of maintaining a strong business credit score.
Strategies to improve your business credit score
Improving your business credit score doesn't happen overnight, but consistent effort can yield significant improvements. Here are a few strategies on how to improve your business credit score:
- Pay bills on time: Late payments can severely impact your credit score. Establishing a track record of on-time payments can help improve your score.
- Manage credit utilisation: Keep your credit utilisation ratio low - ideally under 30%. This shows lenders that you're not overly reliant on credit.
- Monitor your credit report: Regularly check your business credit report for errors or discrepancies. Dispute any inaccuracies you find.
- Establish credit accounts with suppliers: If possible, set up credit terms with your suppliers and ensure they report your payment history to the credit bureaus.
- Keep your company details up to date with HMRC: If any of your business details change, be sure to update HMRC on this.
- Use business finance instead of personal credit: This is important as you will be able to keep your business and personal finances separate, protecting you from any risk your business may come across.
If you’re a sole trader or a part of a non-limited partnership, you will need to take extra precautions as to how you enquire about business finances. You will not have as much protection from credit enquiries as you would if your company is registered as a limited company. Remember that the more you check your credit score as a sole trader, the more this will negatively affect your credit score.
A more obvious reason as to why having a good business credit score is important is so that your business has the option of financial support should it need some. Also, keep in mind that the lower your credit score is, the less interest you will need to pay.
With a good credit score also comes good relationships with your suppliers. They will trust that you will make your payments on time and will be confident in lending money to you. Also, some business opportunities require you to render for a contract and with a good business credit score, you will have access to these opportunities.
Our packages
At Creditserve, we have three different packages that you can choose from when checking business credit scores.
Bronze package
With our bronze package, you will have access to 50 credit check reports, including 10 sets of annual accounts.
Silver package
With our silver package, you will have access to 350 credit reports, including company monitoring, director reports and companies house documents.
Gold package
Our gold package is the ultimate credit management package. With this option, you will have unlimited access to business reports in the UK and Ireland. This also includes company monitoring at no extra cost.
Your business credit score is critical in determining the financing options available to your business. It influences the likelihood of securing a loan and the terms and costs associated with available financing.
Remember, a strong business credit score opens doors to not just any financing, but the best financing options tailored to your business needs. Investing time and resources into managing your business credit can yield substantial returns, enhancing your business's financial health and operational flexibility.
For more information on our UK company credit check packages, contact our team of experts at Creditserve on 01992 414222.
