Your Funding Readiness™

Checklist

... Get Everything You Need For a Fully Fundable Business …

This page features several affiliate links, meaning we'll earn a small commission if you purchase through these links. This does NOT affect the price you pay. For more information see our Privacy Policy.

Contact Information
Incorporate
EIN
Business Bank Account
Licenses
Website

Business Funding Readiness™

Most business loan and credit applications get denied for simple issues that can be fixed quickly.

Lenders evaluate specific criteria when reviewing your business. We call this Funding Readiness™ — how strong and credible your business appears in the eyes of lenders and credit issuers.

Your Funding Readiness determines:

• Whether you get approved
• How much you get approved for
• What rates and terms you qualify for

The stronger your Funding Readiness, the more financing power your business has.

This page provides access to the most effective and affordable tools to properly structure and strengthen your business foundation — so you can increase approvals, secure higher limits, and qualify for better terms.

Becoming Funding Ready™ is the first step to unlocking serious capital.

Business Entity

You must have a business entity setup to qualify for almost all types of business financing and credit.  This is one of the first checks lenders use to determine if they should even consider your application for financing.  You’ll be given preferential treatment by lenders if your business entity is a corporation or LLC.

Form Your Entity with LegalZoom

When you sign up for the formation service, LegalZoom will provide everything else you need to get your LLC, Corporation, or Nonprofit started.

LegalZoom is the best in the business for helping with entity and EIN setup. 

  • A fully formed Business
  • Name Check service to get your prefered name
  • Tax expert & Attorney Services if you need it
  • 100% Accurate Filing Guarantee
  • Industry leader in entity formation
fundability-business-bank-account

Business Bank Account

Many lenders will lend you money just because you have consistent money going through your business bank account. But, most lenders will NOT lend you money if your business doesn’t even have a bank account. Plus a dedicated business bank account can protect your personal finances and make the IRS happy!

Get your dedicated business bank account with NorthOne and get 3 months free just because you're a Credit Suite Family Member! 

North One is an online bank that offers excellent business bank accounts.  They’re completely online and easy to get approved with.

  • Send ACH and wire payments from your phone or computer
  • Move cash for free through one of America's largest network
  • Make mobile check deposits
  • Get human support on your schedule
  • Connect to your favorite business apps including PayPal, QuickBooks & Square
fundability-contact-information

Business Address

Many lenders and credit issuers won’t approve you for business financing with good terms unless your business has a separate address.  P.O. boxes, UPS and iPostal mailboxes, and home addresses are not preferred, many lenders will instantly deny you credit and financing if you use one of those address types on your financing application.  

If your business isn’t in a retail or commercial location, consider a virtual office instead.  These give you the same credibility as a big business, without the expense.   

Opus Virtual Offices provide the best and cheapest option for virtual offices. Plus as a Credit Suite friend they waive the $100 start fee.  Click Here to go to their site, search for your city, and choose the cheapest option.  You ONLY need the Platinum Plan.  

If you’re in a smaller town, you may need to choose a location in a bigger city close to you. We’ll have their team contact you as well in case you’d like assistance. 

Get a fully Fundability Ready™ Business Address with Opus Virtual offices. 

Opus Offices provide the best and cheapest option for virtual offices.  Click Here to go to their site, search for your city, and choose the cheapest option.  You ONLY need the Platinum Plan.  

  • Build trust and credibility with a commercially recognized address.
  • Your Virtual Office is much more than a business mailing address.
  • Fundability Ready™ Business Address
  • 1000+ Locations
  • Use for opening a bank account
  • Protect Your Home Address
website

Website URL

Lenders see a credible business as one that owns their company url, such as www.yourcompanyname.com.  If you don’t own your own domain, it’s more difficult to access the credit and financing you need to grow.  Make sure you grab your domain for your company before someone else does!  

Simply Click Here to go to Go Daddy’s site, click the “sign in '' drop-down in the top right, then select “create an account” and set up your account.  Once your account is set up, you can easily search for your company domain and grab it very cheap.

Get a business domain name that is dedicated to your business and easy for prospects and customers to remember! 

Once you create a GoDaddy account you'll be able to search for the best available domain name to match your business!  

  • Buy domain names
  • Lenders and Credit issuers will check your domain name
  • Fundability Ready™ Business Email Address
  • Use the resource below to add a site to your domain

Business Website

Having a professional website is essential for lenders and credit issuers to know that you have a legitimate and credible business.  But, most websites cost $5,000 or more, which is why some businesses don’t have them.    

Here’s a great source who can build a great website that helps your Fundability and helps you attract more customers, and do it for $300 or less.  Click Here to go to ProfitLifter™  to review your website options.

Get a business website created and added to your domain name, just having the domain name is not enough. ProfitLifter™ can get you an affordable site and even offer you a fully customized site to showcase your business.

Get a business website created and added to your domain name. Just having the domain name is not enough. You'll need some basic content. 

  • Fast and Simple website
  • Lenders and Credit issuers will check your info on your site
  • Fundability Ready™ Business Website
  • Can add more to the site as you grow to boost your marketing and sales! 

Business Phone

One of the easiest ways to get an application for financing or credit denied is to use a mobile or home phone on the financing application as your business phone; you must avoid this at all costs.  

It’s easy and very affordable to get a business phone number for your company. And, you can easily forward calls from your business line to your cell phone for more convenience.  

Your business phone matters! Not all VOIP providers are created equal. RingCentral is THE phone provider for a Fundable business. We have a prefered relationship with them. Start by filling out a quick form. 

RingCentral has proven to be the easiest and cheapest way to get a separate phone number for your business.  Click Here for their direct link to get setup.  

  • Fast and Simple phone for your business
  • Scalable solutions like SMS & Video
  • Fundability Ready™ Business Phone
  • You own the phone number
  • Can be listed with 411

Merchant Account

Having a merchant account helps your business be more Fundable, because most credible businesses have the ability to accept credit cards from their customers.  

But, merchant accounts can also become one of the largest expenses your business has, because of unnecessary fees.

PlatPay can approve you for a new merchant account. Click Here for their direct link.

PlatPay

Are you able to accept credit cards from your customers? A merchant account can help you with this. 

PlatPay can approve you for a new merchant account. They are extremely competitive with their rates. They also will use their technology to avoid surge issues and prevent frozen funds.  Click Here for their direct link.

  • Accept credit cards in as little as 24-48 hrs 
  • Online reporting
  • Fundability Ready™ Merchant Account
  • Free Support
  • Integrations! 

Personal Credit Restoration & Maintenance 

Your personal credit quality is an important factor in getting more approvals and better terms.  Many entrepreneurs are risk takers, and their credit quality reflects that by showing derogatory items that resulted from struggles experienced building their business. 

The Credit Pros™ is the top credit restoration company in the country. They specialized in restoring personal credit, so entrepreneurs can improve their overall Fundability. Better Fundability means you can qualify for more business financing at better rates and better terms. 

Your personal credit DOES impact your Fundability.  Click the button below to meet with Credit Pros™ and get a plan to restore and maintain your personal credit! 

Credit Pros™ has a proven track record of being the top and one of the most affordable credit restoration companies in the country.  Click Here for their direct link to get setup.

  • Help repair damaged personal credit
  • Help building new positive credit
  • Access Three-bureau reports and scores when you work with them
  • Affordable pricing and easy to get started

Personal Credit Monitoring

Your personal credit score from Experian, Equifax, and Transunion is important. The number one way to get a strong personal credit score or improve a weak one is to make payments consistently on time.

Business credit can help to assure that business expenses and the debts of running a business do not show up on your personal credit reports.

Do you know what’s on your personal credit reports now?  Click the link below to access your consumer reports for only $1 for 7 days.

Note: We have partnered with various companies to provide personal credit monitoring and may make a commission when you use our link. This has no impact on the price you pay.

MyScoreIQ® has proven to be the easiest and most affordable ways to access accurate, 3-bureau reports with FICO scores.  Click Here for their direct link to get your reports.

  • 3-Bureau Reports & FICO® Scores
  • 1-Bureau Daily Monitoring & Alerts
  • Dark Web &I nternet Monitoring
  • Fraud Restoration

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Funding Ready™ Business?

A business is Funding Ready™ when lenders and credit issuers view it as a low-risk, credible borrower.

That means your business is structured properly, financially stable, and positioned to meet underwriting standards — giving lenders confidence that you can repay borrowed funds.

When your business is Funding Ready™, you’re more likely to:

• Get approved
• Qualify for higher limits
• Secure better rates and terms

Funding Readiness isn’t about luck — it’s about meeting the criteria lenders actually use to evaluate risk.

What Does Funding Readiness™ Mean?

Funding Readiness™ goes beyond credibility or legitimacy.

It means your business not only looks established and professional — but also meets the financial and structural standards lenders use to evaluate risk.

A Funding Ready™ business:

• Is properly structured and verifiable
• Demonstrates stability and consistency
• Shows the ability to repay extended credit or loans

When these elements work together, lenders are far more confident approving your business for financing.

In short, Funding Readiness™ is the combination of credibility, structure, and financial strength that positions your business to qualify for capital.

What Are Funding Ready™ Businesses Like?

Funding Ready™ businesses share key traits — no matter the industry.

They pay attention to details.

Their business information is accurate and consistent across all records and listings. They maintain proper licensing, understand their market, and ensure their business is structured correctly from the start.

They practice financial responsibility.

They manage cash flow carefully, pay obligations on time, maintain healthy bank balances, and work with professionals to handle bookkeeping and taxes properly.

They build business credit strategically.

They establish accounts that report, monitor their profiles, and understand that strong credit today creates financing leverage tomorrow.

They plan ahead.

Seasonal businesses prepare for slower months. Growth-focused businesses position themselves for expansion. They operate with a clear vision, a business plan, and a long-term capital strategy.

In short, Funding Ready™ businesses don’t wait until they need money to get prepared — they structure themselves in advance so approvals are easier when opportunity arises.

What Are Some Funding Ready™ Business Ideas?

Almost any legitimate business can become Funding Ready™.

Lenders don’t approve businesses based solely on the idea — they evaluate risk, structure, industry stability, and financial strength.

That said, some industries are viewed as lower risk than others, which can make approvals easier. Businesses in stable, predictable industries often qualify more easily than those in highly volatile or speculative markets.

Structure also matters.

In most cases, properly formed entities such as corporations or LLCs are viewed more favorably than sole proprietorships, because they create clearer separation between personal and business finances.

The key isn’t the idea alone — it’s how well the business is structured, documented, and financially positioned.

With the right setup, planning, and financial management, nearly any legitimate business can become Funding Ready™.

What Is a Funding Ready™ Business Plan?

A Funding Ready™ business plan clearly demonstrates how your business generates revenue, manages expenses, and repays borrowed capital.

It supports your credibility by showing lenders that your business model is legitimate, structured properly, and financially sound.

A strong business plan includes:

• A clear description of your products or services
• Defined target markets
• Revenue projections and expense planning
• A realistic growth strategy
• A clear explanation of how funds will be used

When prepared thoughtfully and professionally, your business plan reinforces your Funding Readiness™ — proving that your business is organized, stable, and capable of meeting its financial obligations.

In short, it shows lenders that you’re not just asking for capital — you have a structured plan to use it responsibly and repay it.

How Do You Create and Maintain Funding Readiness™?

You build Funding Readiness™ by strengthening the core areas lenders evaluate.

Start by reviewing how your business is structured and managed. For example, if your business doesn’t have a dedicated business bank account, it will appear less credible than one that does.

To create and maintain Funding Readiness™, focus on:

• Proper business formation (LLC or corporation)
• A dedicated business bank account
• Accurate and consistent business information
• Required licenses and registrations
• Responsible cash flow management
• On-time payment history
• Active, reporting business credit accounts

Funding Readiness™ isn’t built overnight — it’s maintained through consistent, responsible business practices.

The stronger and more organized your foundation, the more confident lenders will be when reviewing your application.

How Long Does It Take to Become Funding Ready™?

Funding Readiness™ isn’t a one-time task — it’s an ongoing process.

Much of the work happens upfront as you build a strong foundation — properly structuring your business, establishing accounts, and ensuring your information is accurate and consistent.

After that, maintaining Funding Readiness™ requires:

• Consistent records
• Responsible payment history
• Healthy cash flow management
• Strategic financing applications

Because lenders evaluate multiple criteria, strengthening your foundation early makes approvals much easier later.

The sooner you prioritize becoming Funding Ready™, the stronger your long-term access to capital will be.

Who Offers Funding Readiness™?

Credit Suite pioneered the concept of helping businesses improve what lenders evaluate — what we now call Funding Readiness™.

For years, we’ve helped over 50,000 businesses strengthen their structure, build business credit, and secure financing.

What makes us different isn’t just education — it’s execution.

Through Lendavo, we’ve transformed years of funding experience into a structured software platform that:

• Measures Funding Readiness™
• Guides improvement step-by-step
• Connects businesses to real financing options

While others may talk about “credibility” or business credit, Credit Suite integrates Funding Readiness, business credit building, and capital access into one unified system.

That’s what makes Lendavo different.