The GoHarvest blog
Longer reads on single questions. Two shelves: building business credit, and business financing basics.
- ArticleHow Business Credit Works, From First File to First LoanHow U.S. business credit files are created, what feeds them, how they differ from personal credit, and why lenders still look at the owner for young companies.
- ArticleBusiness Credit Scores Compared: D&B, Experian, Equifax and FICO SBSSThe main U.S. business credit scores side by side: what PAYDEX, Experian Intelliscore Plus, Equifax's risk scores and FICO SBSS measure, and their scales.
- ArticleThe PAYDEX Score Explained Without the HypeWhat Dun & Bradstreet's PAYDEX score measures, why 80 means paying on time, how many reporting accounts you need, and what does and doesn't move it.
- ArticleNet-30 Trade Lines: How Vendor Credit Builds a Business FileHow supplier trade credit (net-30 and similar terms) gets reported to business credit bureaus, how to tell if a vendor reports, and the traps to avoid.
- ArticlePersonal Guarantees on Business Loans: What You're SigningWhat a personal guarantee on a business loan or lease means, unlimited vs limited guarantees, SBA's 20% owner rule, and what you can realistically negotiate.
- ArticleHow to Check and Correct Your Business Credit ReportsHow to see what Dun & Bradstreet, Experian and Equifax report about your company, the errors worth fixing first, and how business disputes differ from consumer ones.
- ArticleSBA Loans Explained: 7(a), 504 and Microloans in Plain EnglishHow SBA-backed loans work, current program limits for 7(a), SBA Express, 504 and microloans, guarantees, rate caps and what applicants are usually asked for.
- ArticleBusiness Line of Credit vs Term Loan: Which Fits the Need?The difference between a business line of credit and a term loan, how each is priced and repaid, and how to match the product to what the money is for.
- ArticleInvoice Factoring: How It Works and What It Really CostsHow invoice factoring and invoice financing work, recourse vs non-recourse, how fees add up per month an invoice stays open, and when factoring makes sense.
- ArticleEquipment Financing and Leasing: Loans, Leases and the Fine PrintHow equipment loans and leases work, $1 buyout vs fair-market-value leases, down payments, useful life, and how to compare equipment offers on total cost.
- ArticleRevenue-Based Financing: How Repayment From Sales WorksHow revenue-based financing works, the repayment cap and revenue share, how its cost changes with growth, and how it compares with loans and merchant cash advances.
- ArticleMerchant Cash Advances and Factor Rates: The Real Cost in APRHow merchant cash advances and factor rates work, why a 1.3 factor rate is not 30% interest, worked APR conversions, and the contract terms to read before signing.
- ArticleWhat Lenders Look At When a Small Business AppliesHow lenders evaluate small-business loan applications: cash flow, credit, collateral, capital and character, the documents they ask for and recent Fed survey data.