This happens to be one of the most important messages that I had to share with you regarding the use of personal credit for business purposes. Too many entrepreneurs and small business owners don't realize the impact and ramifications they put themselves into when using personal credit instead of business credit.
Statistics show that over 65% off all small businesses use credit cards on a regular basis; but the problem is less than half of those credit cards are actually in the business name. The others continue to use the owner's personal credit cards for business transactions.
Using your personal credit, also known as you're "Consumer Credit Profile," instead of establishing Business Credit is a bad idea on many fronts.
Here are the 'Top 4 Reasons Why You Should Never Use Personal Credit for Business.'
Reason 1
It impacts your personal debt to credit limit ratios, credit scores, and your personal finance capacity for you and your family.
This reason alone has caused severe personal credit damage and liability to small business owners across the country who have lost their businesses due to the recession and have used personal credit and personal guarantees for all their business financing.
When you properly separate your personal credit from business credit the debt you accumulate for your business should only report to your business credit file not your personal credit file. More importantly you protect you and your family from personal liability when you get approved solely on your businesses' credit file.
Reason 2
When you use your personal credit for the benefit or operation of the company it can lead to an "alter-ego" decision by regulatory or a financial organization, and a piercing of the corporate veil.
This would directly endanger the owner's personal assets and make the owner or owners directly liable for the penalties or repayment of any debts incurred by the business or corporation.
It's always a good idea to build business credit rather than abandon it through the co-mingling of funds--and this includes the "co-mingling" of credit profiles.
Many entrepreneurs believe that a corporation protects them because corporations are viewed as separate legal entities but you can jeopardize that protection when you use personal credit for the benefit or operation of your corporation!
Reason 3
Another disadvantage of using your personal credit in place of proper business credit is the fact that the use of personal credit for the operation of a company can make your company appear improperly funded or operated, or may incorrectly establish that your business credit is unstable, unreliable, or overextended.
Reason 4
Last but not least what might be perfectly normal and acceptable for a business credit profile, such as submitting multiple applications for business credit, can have a serious negative impact on personal credit because of what's called excessive inquiries?
Solution:
Start building business credit for your corporation separate from your personal credit and improve your company's image, protect you and your family's assets, credit capacity, and personal liability.
Remember - To be prepared is half the victory. ~ Miguel De Cervantes
Make it a great day!
Marco
President
National Entrepreneur Club
Marco Carbajo is a business credit and social media marketing coach. His blogs and articles are featured in Alltop, Scotsman Guide, and Entrepreneur Connect. He is the founder of the National Entrepreneur Club, an online membership community that helps entrepreneurs obtain the cash credit and financing their businesses need and increase profits with social media marketing. Start building your business credit and social media strategy today by visiting http://www.nationalentrepreneurclub.com
Copyrighted and published by Marco Carbajo of UCan2, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Marco,
Thanks for posting this. From first hand experience I agree with your post and have taken strides to improve my business credit. It is so easy to use personal credit to get the ball rolling and then it takes a lot of work and time to transfer the credit exposure from Personal to Business.
What kind of tips do you have for new businesses to get business credit started in this economy?
Thanks,
JJ Hannah
970-212-2435