The biggest mistakes I see business owners make that impact their credit profiles - and how to avoid them
Lightbulb Credit Ltd
Lightbulb Credit has helped 1,000’s of businesses improve their credit profiles.
As the CEO and Founder of Lightbulb Credit, I’ve worked with a considerable number of businesses over the years that have suffered from the impact of a poor credit profile. Credit profiles impact various areas of business across many sectors, including:
Credit profiles matter now more than ever in the current economic landscape, but many business owners still underestimate the power their credit profile holds - both to enhance and hinder their prospects. To demonstrate this, I’ve shared the biggest mistakes UK-based limited companies make that negatively impact their credit profiles below.
Not only is it vital to file your accounts on time, but also to ensure your company's confirmation statement is filed alongside it too. Any gaps or delays in the information supplied to Companies House will be picked up by and impact your credit profile across all credit rating agencies.
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You must ensure that the information published by the credit rating agencies and available in the public domain is accurate and relevant. This means details like directorships are up to date, and the correct SIC code is assigned to the business and reflective of the work it does. It’s also essential to ensure that any corporate group linkages are correct, so take the time to review and update the publicly viewable data about your business.
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As a business owner, you should do everything you can to pay all your suppliers to terms. Given the current economic landscape and the data we are seeing at Lightbulb Credit, we understand that this is easy to say but not always possible. However, credit rating agencies monitor payment performance, and an “overdue” history will negatively impact your credit profile.?
The best advice I can give is that if you can pay your suppliers to terms then do so, but if you cannot, be sure to have an open dialogue with them and seek to get approval for delayed payments. Explaining your position and managing their expectations means that you should avoid legal action and maintain a strong relationship, even if it does impact your credit profile.
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It is incredibly important to understand that banks and funders share data with each other, so all defaults will be reported and your business will be viewed as a risk. This can have a negative impact for several years and result in your business being either denied future funding applications or offered funding at expensive interest rates, so avoid at all costs.
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It is a simple piece of advice, but possibly the most important I can give - perform a business credit rating check! Understanding how your business is rated by any one of the trade credit agencies is of course important. However, given that credit profiles can vary from agency to agency, you need to see how your company is rated by all of the UK’s key credit rating agencies. At Lightbulb Credit, we understand that now more than ever, the ability to step outside of your company and see how credit rating agencies are reporting your financial strength is critical to business success. That’s why we’re proud to be the only company in the UK that checks your credit profiles across all key rating agencies with our free Company Credit Insight Report.
Understanding how your funders, suppliers and companies perceive your business when placing contracts or tenders is essential. In short, exhibiting good credit profiles can be the difference between being granted funding and attracting new business or not.
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In today’s volatile business environment, it is necessary to ensure your credit profile is the best it can be at all times. Being informed on your business credit ratings is a great first step, but constant monitoring is also crucial and more important now than ever before.?
As detailed above, having visibility across all the key credit rating agencies means that you are on the front foot. You can be proactive in managing and maintaining favourable credit profiles, and stay informed of all changes that could impact your business.
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Like many areas of business, managing your credit profile is a specialist subject. Understanding, managing and improving your credit profile requires similar levels of expertise as legal advice, for example. Seeking professional advice and support to ensure you make all the right decisions for your business is an easy way to secure a strong credit profile - and maintain it. That’s where Lightbulb Credit can help.?
If we could improve your credit profile in as little as 72 hours, would you be interested?
Lightbulb Credit is the only company in the UK that checks your credit profiles across all key rating agencies: Experian, Creditsafe, Equifax, Dun & Bradstreet and Red Flag Alert. Offering insights from these credit rating agencies in our free Company Credit Insight Report means you can better understand your creditworthiness and how your business is perceived and viewed as a risk. We also ensure the highest levels of data security for our clients, as recognised by our ISO/IEC 270021 certification.
Utilising the data from our free Company Credit Insight Report, we help you enhance your business credit ratings with our Credit Improvement service. Our unique “success fee” based solution means that you don’t pay a penny if we can’t help, and you can expect results in just 72 hours.?
Just view our case studies to see how we’ve helped transform credit profiles for our clients. Are you ready to enhance yours??
Request your free report today or speak to our expert team on 0115 697 0825.