Step-by-Step Guide
Business Credit Building
Build, monitor, and protect your D&B, Experian Business, and Equifax Business/SBFE credit profiles. No technical knowledge required.
Business credit is separate from consumer credit
The Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) is written for consumer credit, but CreditEdge applies the same protections to business credit work: a signed service agreement, a 3-business-day cancellation window before work begins, and no charges before services are performed. Business credit features also require an active CreditEdge subscription.
Before you start
- 1. Know your business basics. Company name, entity type (LLC, Corp, sole prop), and business address.
- 2. A DUNS number helps but is not required. Request one free at dnb.com or use CreditEdge's lookup.
- 3. Get free reports at Nav.com — shows all three business bureau scores together. Download the PDFs.
From your dashboard, click the Business Credit tab, then Add Business.
- Enter your company name, entity type, and address.
- CreditEdge creates your business profile with score cards and a milestone tracker.
- If you know your DUNS number, enter it now. Otherwise, look it up later from within CreditEdge.
CreditEdge shows you exactly where to get free reports with direct links in the dashboard.
| Source | What You Get | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Nav.com | D&B, Experian Business, Equifax Business scores together | Free |
| D&B (dnb.com) | PAYDEX, trade experiences, financial stress data | Free basic |
| Experian Business | Intelliscore Plus, trade payment data, UCC filings | Free basic |
Managed plan: Skip the manual download. One-click live bureau pulls from D&B Direct+, Experian Business, and Equifax Business APIs.
Go to the Business Credit tab and click Upload Report. Upload one or more bureau PDFs — CreditEdge auto-detects the bureau.
AI extracts:
- Score cards — PAYDEX, Intelliscore Plus, Business Credit Risk Score, SBSS.
- Trade reference details — payment terms, days beyond terms, balance per vendor.
- Public filing flags — UCC filings, liens, judgments, bankruptcies.
- Milestone progress — where you stand on the 8-step path.
Path A — Dispute inaccurate information
| Dispute Type | Target | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Bureau dispute | D&B / Experian / Equifax | Incorrect scores, stale data, accounts not yours |
| Trade reference correction | The reporting vendor | Wrong payment history, wrong balance |
| Public filing dispute | Bureau / court of record | Satisfied UCCs still active, liens from another entity |
| Identity dispute | Bureau | Another business's data on your report (mixed file) |
Letters cite commercial reporting standards, not consumer FCRA. For sole proprietors with personal guarantees, FCRA § 623(a)(8) may also apply.
Path B — Build your business credit
If your report is accurate but scores are low, focus on building credit with vendor accounts and the milestone tracker.
- Score history — every event recorded with bureau, model, source, timestamp.
- Milestone progress bar — shows where you stand on the 8-step path.
- AI advisor chat — business-specific questions about scores, milestones, vendor recs.
- AI credit-building plan — Managed plan: 90-day plan with score projections.
8-Milestone Tracker
10 Vendor Recommendations
Net-30/60 vendors that report to business bureaus (most require no personal credit check):
Uline · Quill · Crown Office · Grainger · Home Depot Pro · Summa · Brex · Sam's Club · Wise Business Plans · Shirtsy
Business score reference
| Score | Bureau | Range | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAYDEX | D&B | 0–100 | 80+ within terms, 100 ahead |
| Intelliscore Plus | Experian Business | 1–100 | 76+ = low risk |
| Biz Credit Risk | Equifax Business | 101–992 | Higher = lower risk |
| Financial Stress | D&B | 1–5 | 1 = lowest risk |
| SBSS (SBA) | Equifax / SBFE | 0–300 | 140+ = SBA pre-screen pass |
Tips for building business credit
- Pay vendors early or on time. PAYDEX is based entirely on payment behavior relative to terms.
- Open net-30 accounts first. Start with vendors that report to D&B and Experian Business.
- Keep personal and business finances separate. Use a business bank account and business credit cards.
- Monitor for mixed files. If another business with a similar name appears on your report, dispute immediately.
- Clear stale public filings. Satisfied UCCs and released liens should show as terminated.
- Check all three bureaus. Vendors report to different bureaus — one file may be stronger than another.
Business credit services are outside the scope of the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) and are governed by the CreditEdge Terms of Service.