Like many entrepreneurs, the retail store owner I spoke with recently is trying to move away from using personal credit to finance her business, and to help her do that, she’s started the process of establishing business credit. “I’ve got a ‘D-U-N-S Number’,” she told me, “but I’m confused. What do I do next?”

Getting a free Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S Number is one of the first steps in the process to establish credit. It’s the identifying number for a business in the Dun & Bradstreet commercial credit database, and your business must be assigned one in order to create a business credit profile in their system. In addition to potentially establishing business credit, D-U-N-S Numbers may also be required when applying for government contracts or grants or before doing business with other businesses.

But then what?

What Happens Next

The next, and perhaps most crucial, step in the business credit process is to establish credit references that will appear on your credit report with Dun & Bradstreet and other commercial credit reporting agencies. Payment history is the most important factor that influences business credit scores and without any accounts reporting it’s difficult for a credit bureau to calculate a business credit score.

In fact, to calculate a PAYDEX Score — one of Dun & Bradstreet’s most well-known credit scores — Dun & Bradstreet says a business needs at least two companies reporting at least three credit experiences on its Dun & Bradstreet credit report.

How Do You Get Business Accounts?

To get accounts that report to the major business credit bureaus, look into the following kinds of business accounts:

• Business tradelines
• Net-30 vendors
• Business credit cards
• Small business loans

Nav Prime helps you accelerate your path to funding by improving your credit history with access to up to two tradelines — one with your monthly payment and one with the Nav Prime Card*. If you have good personal credit and sufficient income from all sources, qualifying shouldn’t be too difficult.

This guide explains which small business credit cards report to business credit.

Net-30 Accounts

If you can’t qualify for a business credit card at this time, you aren’t necessarily out of luck though.

There are several companies that sell supplies to businesses “on terms” where you order the item and pay for it later. The most common arrangement is “net-30” terms where you must pay the bill within 30 days of the invoice date. These vendors offer a wide variety of products that businesses regularly use, from shipping and office supplies to furniture and equipment. The initial credit limit may be small but as you prove you’re a reliable customer who pays on time, you can get that increased. Here are several vendors that report to business credit.

Other Accounts

Entrepreneurs sometimes ask me about adding accounts they already pay to their business credit reports. In the past that process has been somewhat cumbersome as the lender or vendor must set up an account with the business credit bureaus to report customer information on a regular basis.

A service called eCredable Business Lift also helps small businesses get information about certain bills they already pay — such as cell phone, power and internet bills — added to their business credit reports. For a monthly fee, eCredable Lift will verify qualifying bills.

Pay On Time

Once you have several accounts appearing on your business credit report, the next step is to make sure you pay on time. Again, payment history is the most important factor when business credit scores are calculated. You don’t want to get busy running your business and forget to pay a bill; that can set you back quickly in your efforts to move away from personal credit.

*DISCLAIMER: Nav Technologies, Inc. is a financial technology company and not a bank. Banking services provided by Blue Ridge Bank, N.A., and Thread Bank, Members FDIC. The Nav Visa® Business Debit Card is issued by Blue Ridge Bank, N.A. or Thread Bank, and the Nav Prime Charge Card is issued by Thread Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa cards are accepted. FDIC insurance is available for your funds on deposit, up to $250,000 through Blue Ridge Bank, N.A. or Thread Bank, Members FDIC. See Cardholder Terms for additional details.