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Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit and Make Your Epic Dreams an Even More Fantastic Reality

Reviewed by Ty Crandall

November 13, 2023
Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit Credit Suite

Do You Know How to Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit?

Poor credit does not need to be an albatross around your company’s metaphorical neck. However, it does make it a bit tougher to get a business loan with bad credit.

For a brand new small business in particular, your company credit will be poor as a matter of course. This is because you just will not have the sort of record and seasoning which can make your commercial credit score rise. And, for this reason, that would make lending institutions want to loan your company funds.

Hence, lending institutions are not going to be too eager about offering your small business a business loan. This is because they truly have no idea whether your company will have the ability to pay back the loan. But you are nonetheless, justifiably pondering how you can subsidize a company with substandard credit.

Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit: UCC Blanket Liens

Because of this, lenders will commonly obtain a UCC blanket lien in case they do give your company a loan. A UCC blanket lien is a note which is included in your credit report. It says that the creditor has an interest in all your small business’s assets until you repay the loan fully. Consequently, there can be dire consequences if you need to default.

Additionally, most of these loans will also call for personal guarantees.

Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit: What is an Unsecured Business Loan?

However, if a loan does not require a personal guarantee, then your business is normally going to be looking at unsecured business loans. But those are coupled with steep rates of interest.

These kind of company loans can be short-term. So you have to pay them back quickly. Or they can be receivables financing. That is where you can get a loan based on business you count on to be coming in. It is because you have pending billings which your own customers have not paid to you yet.

Or it can take the form of vendor cash advances. These all come with rates of interest which are often 40% or higher.

Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit: Advantages of Unsecured Business Loans

The leading advantage is that you do not need to provide a personal guarantee or allow a UCC blanket lien. If you end up defaulting on the loan, then your residential property and various other individual assets will not be confiscated. And neither will your inventory. Nevertheless, this also means that you regularly must have strong revenue or a significant amount of time in business. In general, your individual credit must be fair or better. And that’s even without any a personal guarantee requirement.

Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit: Disadvantages of Unsecured Business Loans

Get a Business Loan with Bad CreditInterest, interest, interest! As reported by Nerd Wallet, Kabbage can provide an unsecured business loan. Yet the annual percentage rate could be as high as 99%! If you think that’s usury, think again. In Ohio, the usury laws don’t apply to unsecured loans.

Another pitfall (though not everybody will view it in that manner) is that unsecured business loans often require that your company has been in business for at minimum six months. Or they can require that you have no personal bankruptcies.

Or they might require your small business to prove a minimal yearly revenue amount. So this means opening your books to your creditor. If any one of these requirements has already been met by you, hooray! Then you probably will not see this as a real disadvantage.

But if your business is brand new, you could have issues. And you do not yet have a regular clientele and revenue, it could be a problem. And you have had personal bankruptcy issues, then you might be shut out of your few remaining alternatives.

For all of these alternatives, you will usually have a more ideal rate of interest if your business credit score is better than poor.  And you will most likely have more options. So you can shop around and compare plans.

Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit: Leveraging Information and Networks to Access Capital (LINC)

The Leveraging Information and Networks to Access Capital (LINC), an online matchmaking service, connects business owners to nonprofit lenders. So these lenders supply free financial advice and specialize in microlending and smaller loans. This is the SBA Community Advantage program. See: https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/files/CA-Participant-Guide-4-December-28-2015.pdf

Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit: Collateral-Based Funding

Collateral-based financing offers low rate funding. Personal credit quality and revenue don’t determine your approval. Some permitted collateral includes:

  • Account receivables and purchase orders
  • 401k, IRA, stocks, and bonds
  • Inventory
  • Equipment

The idea behind collateral-based financing is that a lender needs to have a guarantee. For the lender, a great assurance that you will pay back financing is when your property is at stake if you don’t.

Learn business loan secrets and get money for your business. via Credit Suite BizLoanSecNotRecCJ2

Learn business loan secrets and get money for your business.

Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit: Women Only

You’ll have certain options if you’re the female of the species.

SBA’s Women’s Business Centers

They can help you get access to capital. See: https://www.sba.gov/tools/local-assistance/wbc

Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE)

For women who are also veterans, the Veterans Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE) is an SBA funded program provided by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families which includes online training, a conference that harnesses the unique esprit de corps of women veterans and female military spouses, and follow-on mentoring through a community of partners.

Amber Grants

$1,000 to a different women-owned business each month. At the end of the year, one of the monthly grant winners gets $10,000 more. See: https://ambergrantsforwomen.com/get-an-amber-grant/

Eileen Fisher Women-Owned Business Grants

Up to $100,000 is awarded to ten women-owned businesses per year. NOTE: this program is on pause until the middle of 2019. See: https://www.eileenfisher.com/grant-program-guidelines/

Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit: Veterans Only

You have some additional options if you have served our country. Thank you!

These are in addition to the Veterans Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE). That option is mentioned above.

Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (MREIDL)

The Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (MREIDL) offers loans to $2 million to eligible small businesses. So this is to address operating costs that can’t be met. That is, as a result of the loss of a necessary worker called to active duty in the Reserves or National Guard. This one comes straight from government benefits.

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The Office of Veterans Business Development

The Office of Veterans Business Development offers a number of programs and services to sustain and empower aspiring and existing veteran business owners and military spouses.

The SBA furnishes training and coaching, access to capital, preparation for opportunities in federal procurement, and cultivation of connections within commercial supply chains and disaster relief assistance.

Learn business loan secrets and get money for your business. via Credit Suite BizLoanSecNotRecCJ2

Learn business loan secrets and get money for your business.

Boots to Business and Boots to Business | Reboot

Boots to Business is the two step entrepreneurial program offered by the SBA on military installations around the world as a training track of the Department of Defense (DOD) Transition Assistance Program (TAP). And Boots to Business | Reboot expands the entrepreneurship training offered in TAP on military installations to veterans of all time frames in their neighborhoods.

National Center for Veterans Institute for Procurement

The National Center for Veterans Institute for Procurement extends the entrepreneurship training offered in TAP on military installations to veterans of all periods in their communities.

Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC)

The Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) furnishes entrepreneurial development services such as business training, guidance and mentoring for qualified veterans owning or considering starting a small business.

SBA Veterans Advantage

SBA Veterans Advantage guarantees loans approved to businesses operated by veterans or military spouses.

Veterans Entrepreneurship Act of 2015

The Veterans Entrepreneurship Act of 2015 reduces the advance borrower cost to zero dollars for eligible veterans and military spouses for SBA Express loans up to $350,000.

Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit: Get a Zach Grant from Fundera

Fundera provides financial resources and advice for small business owners.  The Zach Grant awards $2,500 to an entrepreneur who sends in a three minute video explaining why they started their business. So we think this is a terrific idea – and if you enter, please let us know what the experience was like in the comments.

Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit: Bonus: Alternative Lenders

If you have decent personal credit and tax returns for two years that show a profit, try alternative lenders. They may have programs that could work. You could get an approval with rates of 7% or less. Lenders will want to see some kind of profit on your tax returns.

Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit: Bonus: Microlenders

Microlenders do not lend a lot of cash, just as the name implies. These are small loans for generally $500 to $30,000. Here are some sources of microloans:

SBA Startup Microloans

In addition, the SBA offers Startup Microloans. The program is called 7(m). There are loans for up to $35,000 for working capital and growth. The average loan amounts are about $10,000.

These funds come directly from the SBA. This is unlike the 7(a), where the funds come from a bank.

Learn business loan secrets and get money for your business. via Credit Suite BizLoanSecNotRecCJ2

Learn business loan secrets and get money for your business.

Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit:  Takeaways

If your company can sit tight until your credit grows, then your choices will dramatically improve, too. And this applies to either business or individual credit or both. Because with good business credit, you won’t need to get a business loan with bad credit.

About the author 

Janet Gershen-Siegel

Janet Gershen-Siegel is the seasoned Finance Writer and a former content manager at Credit Suite. She has been admitted to practice law for over 30 years, with a focus on litigation and product liability, and is a published author, with writing credits at Entrepreneur, FedSmith.com and BusinessingMag.com.

She has a BA in Philosophy from Boston University, a JD from the Delaware Law School of Widener University, and a MS in Interactive Media (Social Media) from Quinnipiac University.

She regularly writes for Credit Suite, which helps businesses improve Fundabilityâ„¢, build credit, and get approved for loans and credit lines.

Her specialties: business credit, business credit cards, business funding, crowdfunding, and law

    1. Thanks so much for reaching out! My understanding is that we have been in contact.

    1. Hi and thank you for asking.

      We only deal with American companies. Best of luck with your business.

  1. My credit score is below then 500. ..and I need imidiat business loan to improve my new business

    1. Thank you for asking! I’ve forwarded your question and someone from our team should be in touch soon.

  2. Is there a way that someone can help me? I need a very small loan amount to start up my business and I don’t know where to go.

    1. Hi,

      Thanks for asking. I’m passing along your question and someone should be in contact shortly.

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