When small business owners apply for funding, one question tends to trigger anxiety: “What’s your credit score?” Whether you’re just starting out or trying to recover from past challenges, your credit score can feel like a barrier between you and the capital your business needs to grow.
At Fundible, we believe your credit story shouldn’t define your future. In fact, we work with business owners every day who thought bad credit meant the door was closed—until they found the right kind of lender.
In this post, we’ll uncover what business credit scores really mean, why traditional lenders focus so heavily on them, and how you can work around a less-than-perfect score to still secure funding and grow your business.
What Is a Business Credit Score, Really?
Most business owners are familiar with their personal credit scores, but the business credit score is a different beast altogether.
A business credit score is a numeric snapshot of your company’s creditworthiness based on how reliably you’ve paid bills and managed debt related to the business. These scores are calculated by specialized business credit bureaus and can vary in scale:
- Dun & Bradstreet PAYDEX: Scores from 0 to 100, where 80+ is considered good.
- Experian Business Credit Score: Also ranges from 0 to 100.
- Equifax Business Credit Risk Score: A broader range, from 101 to 992, with higher numbers indicating lower risk.
Unlike personal credit scores, which are mostly based on individual credit card and loan payments, business credit scores also take into account trade payments with vendors, public records like liens or judgments, and other business-specific factors.
Why does this matter? Because lenders use these scores to gauge how risky it is to loan your business money.
Why Traditional Lenders Care So Much About Credit
Traditional banks and lenders have strict underwriting standards. They want to minimize risk, so they look for these signals:
- A long credit history showing consistent, on-time payments
- Minimal outstanding debt compared to your available credit
- No recent bankruptcies, liens, or judgments
- High credit scores—often 680 or above—for approval
If your business credit score is low, or if your personal credit score doesn’t meet their threshold, your application can get denied before anyone even reviews your full financial picture.
This cautious approach can leave many growing businesses stuck without the funding they need simply because their credit doesn’t tell the whole story.
The Fundible Approach: What We Look at Instead
At Fundible, we understand that credit scores don’t tell the entire story of your business’s health or potential. Instead, we focus on what matters right now: your business’s current revenue and cash flow.
This means:
- How much money you’re bringing in every month
- How stable and predictable your cash flow is
- How long you’ve been in business (to gauge operational stability)
- The industry you operate in, since some sectors have different risk profiles
- Your current funding needs and how you plan to use the capital
This approach allows Fundible to offer revenue-based financing—a flexible funding model where repayments adjust according to your actual sales. Because we base our decisions on your current financial performance rather than historic credit marks, we can often approve and fund businesses with less-than-perfect credit scores—sometimes within 24 to 48 hours.
3 Ways to Work Around a Low Credit Score
If your credit score isn’t where you want it to be, don’t worry. Here are three practical strategies to keep your business moving forward:
- Focus on Revenue, Not Credit
When you apply for funding, lenders like Fundible look more at your business’s ability to generate income today rather than credit missteps from years ago.
Even if your credit score is below 600, consistent monthly revenue—often starting around $10,000 or more—can make you eligible for capital. This income is a real-time indicator of your ability to repay and operate sustainably.
Example:
Sarah owns a catering business and had some credit issues due to personal challenges two years ago. Despite a credit score of 580, her monthly revenue of $15,000 helped her secure a revenue-based advance from Fundible to expand her equipment and hire staff.
✅ Tip: Keep your business bank accounts in good standing and avoid overdrafts—these are often checked during the funding process.
- Use Short-Term Funding to Build Momentum
Taking on a manageable amount of funding and using it strategically can help you both grow your business y improve your financial profile.
Whether you use the capital to stock up inventory, launch targeted marketing campaigns, or cover seasonal payroll gaps, short-term advances with flexible repayment can generate new revenue streams and demonstrate your repayment reliability.
Example:
Miguel runs a retail store that experiences slow seasons. By taking a short-term funding advance, he was able to stock up before the holiday rush, increasing sales and easily repaying the advance on schedule.
✅ Tip: Ask your lender about repayment plans that flex with your cash flow, so payments don’t become a burden.
- Improve Credit While You Grow
You don’t have to fix all your credit challenges overnight. While your business grows with the help of accessible funding, you can work on rebuilding your credit in parallel:
- Pay your suppliers, vendors, and utilities on time
- Separate your personal and business credit to build independent business credit history
- Avoid maxing out credit cards or business lines of credit
- Regularly review your credit reports for inaccuracies or outdated information
Helpful Tools:
Platforms like Nav and CreditSignal offer free credit monitoring and personalized insights to help improve your credit over time.
✅ Tip: Small steps add up—consistent, timely payments build positive credit behavior.
Don’t Let a Credit Score Hold You Back
Your credit history is just that—history. It doesn’t have to dictate your business’s future. At Fundible, we specialize in funding solutions designed for small business owners who need flexibility and speed.
Whether your credit is fair, poor, or somewhere in between, there are ways to secure the capital your business needs without jumping through the hoops of traditional lenders.
We’re here to provide you with working capital tailored to your business’s real performance—not just a number on a report.
Ready to move your business forward—regardless of your credit score?
Let’s talk.
Apply now or speak with a Fundible specialist today to explore your options.
Because your credit score isn’t the whole story—and we’re here for the rest of it.
Spanish 
English