Dry spot #1
Your personal credit carries everything
Every card and loan for the business lands on your personal credit, because the business has no history of its own.
Securing Business Credit, Step by Step
We help you build a business credit profile designed to help you qualify for vendor accounts and financing in your company’s name. You’ll know what lenders look for, what to fix first and what to do next. Approval decisions are always up to the lender.
- Buttered Launch
- Free tool inside
- Plugs into The Buttered System
- 7 deliverables
Quick answer
What is business credit?
Business credit is the credit history tied to your company, separate from your personal credit. Business credit bureaus such as Dun & Bradstreet, Experian and Equifax track how your business pays vendors and lenders. Buttered Business helps you set up the foundation lenders look for and build your profile step by step. Lenders make all approval decisions.
At a glance
| What it is | A step-by-step plan to build a business credit profile in your company’s name, from foundation to funding readiness. Lenders decide. |
|---|---|
| Part of | Buttered Launch |
| What’s included | 7 deliverables, itemized below |
| Best for | Home Services, Home Builders, Law Firms |
| Free tool | Business Fundability Quiz |
| Follow-up | Plugs into The Buttered System |
| Pricing | Custom quote, with exact pricing in writing before you commit |
If This Sounds Familiar, Keep Reading
Be honest: how many of these are happening in your business right now?
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Dry spot #2
A thin or missing file
No D-U-N-S Number, no accounts reporting payments. Lenders look for the business and find very little.
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Dry spot #3
Applying before you’re ready
Applying with gaps in your foundation can mean a denial, a smaller amount or tougher terms.
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Dry spot #4
Shortcuts that backfire
Bought “tradelines” and too-good-to-be-true promises can put your business and your money at risk.
Every one of these has a fix, and it starts with seeing your own numbers.
Take the Free QuizDry Toast vs. Buttered
Here’s what changes with Business Credit done right and connected to your follow-up.
Dry Toast
- Every business expense on your personal cards
- No D-U-N-S Number and no accounts reporting
- Applying for credit and hoping for the best
- Paying for shortcuts that promise the impossible
Better with Butter
Buttered
- Business spending in your company’s name
- A listed business with payment history building
- Applying when your foundation is ready
- Honest, step-by-step guidance with no promises we can’t keep
What You Get, and What It Means for You
Features are nice. Outcomes pay the bills.
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A lender-ready foundation
Entity, EIN, business banking, address and phone set up the way lenders expect to see them.
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On the bureaus’ radar
Guidance to request your free D-U-N-S Number and get your business listed correctly.
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Accounts that report
A vendor strategy built around what you already buy, so on-time payments can build history.
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Separate finances
Business spending in the business’s name, which keeps your books cleaner.
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Apply at the right time
A readiness review before you apply, so you’re not guessing.
How It Works, Step by Step
No mystery and no black box. Here’s exactly what happens after you say go.
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Step 1: Fundability check
We review your entity, EIN, banking, listings, filings and current credit.
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Step 2: Fix the foundation
We help you close the gaps lenders tend to notice first, in order of impact.
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Step 3: Get listed
We guide you through requesting your D-U-N-S Number and keeping business details consistent.
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Step 4: Build payment history
You open vendor accounts that report, and pay on time, every time.
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Step 5: Funding readiness review
Before you apply, we check what lenders will see. They make the decision.
Everything Included With Business Credit
Here’s the work, itemized like a diner receipt, so you know exactly what you’re getting.
7 items, zero mystery ingredients
The Golden Foundation
- Fundability review of your entity, EIN, banking, address, phone and filings
- Prioritized list of foundation fixes
- Step-by-step guidance to request a free D-U-N-S Number
- Vendor account strategy built around purchases you already make
- Business credit building roadmap with clear next steps
- Review of your business credit reports with you
- Funding readiness checklist before you apply
Total Fully buttered
Exact scope and pricing in writing before you commit.
Why It Matters Now
Independent research on how buyers behave, and what slow or invisible marketing costs.
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42%
of employer firms that applied for financing received the full amount they sought
Independent industry research — not Buttered Business client results. Tap a source to read the study.
Don’t Take Our Word for It. Take Theirs.
We could tell you we’re great. You’d expect us to. So here are our clients, in their own words.
For all your marketing needs, Sublime Digital Marketing and Ken Henderson to the rescue!
Everyone quoted here worked with founder Ken Henderson when his agency was called Sublime Digital Marketing Group. Same founder, new name. Quotes are excerpts, exactly as given. Results vary by business.
On this page 9 sections · 4 min read
Get Buttered!
Score your business setup in about 2 minutes: entity, EIN, banking, credit and filings. Get a step-by-step roadmap. Educational only.
Get My Fundability ScoreThe full scoop
What Business Credit Is
Business credit is the credit history tied to your company’s name and EIN, separate from your personal credit report. Business credit bureaus, including Dun & Bradstreet, Experian and Equifax, collect information about how your business pays its bills. Lenders, suppliers and landlords may check it when they decide whether to extend credit and on what terms.
Building strong business credit can open the door to financing, better terms and growth opportunities. Buttered Launch guides you through each step, from setting up the foundation lenders look for to opening vendor accounts that report your payments. We help you build a business credit profile designed to help you qualify for vendor accounts and financing in your company’s name. Approval decisions are always up to the lender.
The Foundation Comes First
Before credit, lenders and suppliers generally want to see an established business. That usually means:
- A registered entity, such as an LLC or corporation, in good standing with your state.
- An EIN from the IRS.
- A business bank account in the company’s name.
- A business address and phone number, listed the same way everywhere.
- A website and an email address on your own domain.
- Licenses and state filings that are current.
Missing pieces? Business formation and banking setup come first. The free Business Fundability Quiz shows which ones you still need.
How Business Credit Gets Built
Get on the bureaus’ radar
Dun & Bradstreet assigns each business a D-U-N-S Number, a unique nine-digit identifier. According to D&B, there’s no cost to request one. It offers expedited service for a fee, but you don’t have to pay to get a number.
Open accounts that report
Some vendors and suppliers report your on-time payments to business credit bureaus, and some don’t. We help you find vendors that fit what your business already buys, so you build history without buying things you don’t need.
Pay on time, every time
Payment history is the backbone of any credit file. Pay as agreed or early, and keep your business details consistent across accounts.
Check your reports
Review your business credit reports for errors, outdated details and accounts that aren’t showing up. Fixing a wrong address or a mismatched business name is easier now than during an application.
Apply when you’re ready
Not every application is fully funded. In the Federal Reserve’s 2026 Report on Employer Firms, 42% of employer firms that applied for financing received the full amount they sought. A readiness review before you apply helps you put your best file forward.
Business Credit Myths
- “An EIN builds business credit.” An EIN identifies your business. Credit history comes from accounts that report your payments over time.
- “Business credit means no personal credit check.” Many lenders still look at the owner’s credit, especially early on.
- “Buying a tradeline is a shortcut.” It can put your money and your reputation at risk. Real history comes from real accounts paid on time.
- “More accounts are always better.” Open accounts you’ll actually use and can pay on time. Accounts you can’t keep current do more harm than good.
How We Work With You
We start with a fundability review: your entity, EIN, bank account, listings, filings and current credit. You get a prioritized list of what to fix, guidance for each step and a check-in before you apply anywhere. You stay in control of every account and every application. We explain what each step does and why it’s in that order.
Personal Credit Still Matters
Many lenders still review the owner’s personal credit, especially for newer businesses, and may ask for a personal guarantee. A strong business profile gives lenders more to evaluate in your company’s name over time, but whether a personal guarantee is required is the lender’s call. Learn how your personal file fits in with our personal credit education.
What We Won’t Do
- Promise approvals, credit limits, funding amounts or timelines. Lenders decide.
- Promise that you’ll never sign a personal guarantee.
- Sell “tradelines” or shortcuts that put your business at risk.
- Suggest a “new credit identity,” or using your business EIN in place of your Social Security number on a personal credit application.
Who It’s For
A great fit if your business is formed, you have or are opening a business bank account and you want to build credit in the company’s name the right way.
Probably not for you if you need funding this week. Credit history takes time to build, and we’d rather tell you that now than sell you a shortcut.
Buttered Business is not a law firm, CPA firm or lender and doesn’t provide legal, tax or financial advice. Lenders and financial institutions make all credit and funding decisions.
Keep reading: Starting a Business: LLC, EIN, Banking and Business Credit in the Right Order, on our Marketing Wisdom blog.
Business Credit for These Industries
Each industry has its own rules and buying cycle. Pick yours to see the playbook built for it.
Straight Answers About Business Credit
No jargon, no runaround. If your question isn’t here, ask a real human.
Still chewing on something?
Ask a real human. We answer in plain English and never send you down a jargon rabbit hole.
How long does it take to build business credit?
It depends on your business, your vendors and how consistently you pay. Payment history takes time to build, and anyone who promises a specific score or credit limit by a certain date is guessing. We’ll show you the steps and the order. The timing depends on reporting and on you.
Do I need a D-U-N-S Number?
It helps. A D-U-N-S Number is Dun & Bradstreet’s unique nine-digit identifier for businesses, and D&B says there’s no cost to request one. D&B also offers expedited service for a fee, but you don’t have to pay to get a number.
Will business credit keep my personal credit out of it?
Not always. Many lenders still review the owner’s personal credit and may ask for a personal guarantee, especially for newer businesses. A stronger business profile gives lenders more to evaluate in your company’s name over time. Whether a personal guarantee is required is always the lender’s decision.
Can you guarantee approval or a credit limit?
No. Every approval and every credit limit is the lender’s or supplier’s call, made under its own underwriting rules. Our job is the part you control: a clean foundation, accounts that report your payments and an application timed for when your file is ready. Be wary of anyone who guarantees approvals, limits or funding amounts.
Do you sell tradelines?
No. We don’t sell tradelines, credit shortcuts or “new credit identity” schemes. Real business credit comes from a real business paying real accounts on time. We help you do that in the right order.
What do lenders look at for a small business?
It varies by lender, but common factors include time in business, revenue, business and personal credit history, how the business is set up and the documents you can provide. Our free Fundability Quiz scores those basics so you can see where you stand before you apply.
See How Fundable Your Business Looks
The free Business Fundability Quiz scores your entity, EIN, banking, listings, credit and filings, then shows the steps that matter most. Educational only, not a credit decision, offer or guarantee of financing.
Free. No obligation. No credit card. We never sell your information.
P.S. The fastest way to waste an application is to submit it before your foundation is ready. The quiz shows you where you stand first.
Prefer to talk to a human?
Buttered Business is not a law firm, CPA firm or lender and doesn’t provide legal, tax or financial advice. Lenders and financial institutions make all credit and funding decisions.