Tips for improving your credit score

At some point most companies need to borrow. A lender will look at risk. For a small firm, that often starts with the owner's personal credit, and — once the company has a file of its own — with business credit as well. Those are not the same thing.

This is general education, not a credit-repair service and not a promise that a score will move. If you want help getting the books in a shape a lender can read, that is accounting. For a map of funding types, see five funding options for start-ups.

Know your numbers — personal credit first

Start with your official personal reports, not a random "free score" ad. Federal law gives you the right to a free report from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — through AnnualCreditReport.com, the site the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau point to. As of 2026, the CFPB says you can request a free report from each bureau once a week at that site. Checking your own report does not hurt your score. See the CFPB's page, How do I get a free copy of my credit reports?.

Review the reports for accounts you do not recognize, late payments that are wrong, and old collections that should have dropped off. Dispute errors with the bureau and the furnisher, in writing, and keep copies.

Widely used US personal scores, including FICO and VantageScore, commonly run from 300 to 850. Higher is better. Payment history carries a lot of weight: whether you pay on time, whether accounts have gone to collections, and whether you have defaulted.

Business credit is a separate file, built on the company's own accounts and vendors, and scored on different models. Do not assume a personal score range applies to a Duns or business report.

Use credit with care

A new company may not qualify for a large business loan until the file can show it can pay. A small business credit card, used carefully and paid in full, is one way some owners start a company payment history. Use it for planned expenses, not to float payroll you cannot cover. Paying on time, every time, is still the habit that matters most.

Practical habits — not magic

These are common practices. They are not a formula, and they will not repair a serious problem overnight:

• Pay at least the minimum on time; paying the statement balance is better when you can.
• A frequently cited guideline is to keep revolving balances below about 30 percent of the limit — and lower is generally better — because utilization is one of the things many personal scores consider.
• If you are consolidating balances, read the new terms. A transfer or a personal loan can help if the payment is actually sustainable. It can also move the problem.
• Making an extra payment during the month can lower the balance a bureau happens to see. It is not a substitute for paying on time.
• A long, clean history can help. Closing an old, unused card can shorten that history or shrink available credit. Ask whether closing it is worth it before you do it.
• If a late fee or a rate increase is on the table, you can ask the issuer. They may or may not say yes.

Slow and steady

Credit files change over months, not over a weekend. Keep the long-term goal in view — equipment, a location, a line of credit you can actually service — and treat the payment calendar as part of the plan. See setting and achieving financial goals.

Fifteen minutes is free. Call (844) 222-9653, or start at unchainedfs.com.

Sources

• CFPB, How do I get a free copy of my credit reports? (retrieved 12 Nov 2026)
• AnnualCreditReport.com
• CFPB, Does requesting my credit report hurt my credit score?