What is a Small Business Loan With Bad Credit?
Can you get a business loan with bad credit? It’s a question that everyone asks and the simple answer is yes. Although there are some hurdles to clear and repayment rates to be assessed, the reality is that getting a business loan with bad credit is possible.
Now that’s out of the way, let’s answer the question: what is a small business loan with bad credit? The obvious answer here is that these types of loan are designed for those with poor credit scores. That’s correct, but it’s not the full story. You see, when you’re searching for loans with bad credit, you need to consider all of your options.
In practice, this means you need to look at various types of funding. Some of these may be designed for those with bad credit, some might not be and some might not take your score into consideration at all. Basically, the trick to funding your business with bad credit is to weigh up all the options and find a financial product that’s right for you.
Bad Credit Business Loans: The Trade-Off
Even with the best business loans for bad credit, there are certain trade-offs to be made. The obvious one is repayment rates. Lenders will consider you a higher risk applicant in most circumstances. This means you’ll probably have to pay more interest. The average interest rate for small business loans is 4%-6%. If you have a poor credit score, it could be upwards of 10%.
Another trade-off is that the application process could take longer and you may have to supply more information than normal. What’s more, you may have to accept a lower amount than you need. For example, you might apply for a hard money business loans bad credit product and ask for $30,000. After assessing your application, the lender may accept you as a borrower but only up to $15,000.
In these situations, you’ll need to make up the shortfall yourself. However, if you’re searching for things such as business loans for sole traders with bad credit, these are the types of concessions you’ll have to make.
How Can I Get a Business Loan with Bad Credit?
The advice I always give to people that ask how to get a small business loan with bad credit is to do your research first. Once you know what’s out there, you can prepare accordingly. Later in this guide, we’ll outline the types of small business loans for bad credit you can get. What’s more, this site contains a selection of lender reviews you can read through before you make some inquiries.
When you’re fully informed, my advice would be to address the following points before submitting your application:
- Try to improve your credit score as much as possible. Even if it’s just by a few points.
- Consider which product is right for your business. The answer to “can I get a business loan with bad credit” is almost always yes, but that doesn’t mean a loan is what you really need. With grants, crowdfunding and other options available, it’s important to weigh up all of your options.
- Get your paperwork in order. If you can provide a clear picture of your company and its financial history, it will make the application process a lot smoother.
How to Start the Process of Getting a Business Loan With Bad Credit
In addition to the points listed above, you should prepare for the application process by thinking about your intentions, situation and desired product. It’s all very well saying you want to get a business loan with bad credit, but do you really know what you want? For example, if you’re a company that’s short on liquid capital but has lots of pending payments, you may want to consider invoicing financing.
Alternatively, you may have assets that you can borrow against. Or, you may want to protect them by applying for unsecured business loans bad credit deals. Either option may be suitable but the interest rate and how likely you are to be accepted will vary based on the decisions you make. Put simply, before you start the process of applying for a small business loan with bad credit, remember to ask yourself:
- What do I want?
- Why do I need it?
- What suits me?
Types of Small Business Financing
To know how to get a business loan with bad credit, you need to know your options. As I’ve said, bad credit business loans can come in many shapes and sizes. For example, small business loans bad credit products may be offered by a bank or a private entity. In today’s world, there are plenty of options. To give you a clearer picture of the market, here are some of the top small business loans for bad credit applicants:
Term Loans
Term loans are typically unsecured products that can be repaid over a fairly long period of time. Although offers will vary, you can often get up to six years to repay the loan. In general, term loans for bad credit applicants can range from $500 to $35,000+.
Lines of Credit
If you need a short-term loan, lines of credit can be a great option. These products allow you to borrow money as and when you need it up to a predetermined amount. The interest rates will be high on these loans. However, the cash is available almost instantly and approval rates are fairly high for bad credit applicants.
Equipment Loans
If you need to purchase some new equipment, there are loans that can help. The great thing about equipment loans for bad credit applicants is that a tangible asset is involved. In other words, the lender has some security as they can repossess and sell the equipment to cover the loan if you default.
Invoice Financing
Cash flow is always an issue for small business, regardless of your credit score. If you’ve got dozens of outstanding invoices but no cash, you can apply for this type of loan. A lender will review the amount owed and lend you money against the value of said invoices. You won’t receive 100% of the value (usually up to 85%) and the invoice payments go direct to the lender. They’ll take a cut (up to 30%) and then send the rest of the money to you. On top of this, you’ll pay a daily interest rate. This dynamic remains in place until the loan is repaid.
Merchant Cash Advances
A fairly new loan type, merchant cash advances are great for small businesses without any assets or very few assets but a decent monthly income. The beauty of these loans is that a merchant will look at the money coming in every month and use it as the basis of a loan. This takes some of the focus away from your credit score.
Understanding Your Credit Score and Business Loans
In this guide to business loans with bad credit, I’ve talked a lot about scores but what exactly does that mean? In simple terms, a credit score is a numerical rating based on your financial history. The score reflects your level of creditworthiness or, in other words, how reliable you are.
A business loan bad credit score is a low number that suggests you’re a risk. Now, that may not be the case. However, it’s important to understand this concept and, in turn, what you need to do if you have poor rating when you’re applying for business loans with bad credit score points.
What is Considered a Bad Credit Score?
Now we’ve established what a credit score is, the question becomes: what is a bad score? FICO scores range from 300 to 850 and a rating of 579 or lower is considered bad. Therefore, when it comes to a business loan for bad credit score applicants, 579 is the magic number.
To help you get an insight into your own financial history, you can review the following three things:
Payment history
Have you made payments on time and in full in the past? If not, this will hurt your credit score.
Amount of Existing Credit
Do you already have outstanding debts? Regardless of whether it’s credit cards, loans, mortgages or finance, any credit you have will affect your score.
Debt-to-Income (DTI) Ratio Formula
If you divide your monthly debt payments by your monthly gross income and multiply it by 100, you’ll get a DTI percentage. This tells you how much of your income goes to repaying debts. In general, 43% is the highest DTI ratio a lender will want to see.
