
Setting Up Business Properly
Setting up the business properly and building fundability takes time, and once established, will substantially increase the chances of a woman-owned business to secure credit and loan approvals necessary to build and broaden the business. But what if your woman-owned business needs funding now? There are several funding options available even if you have limited business credit.

Credit Line Hybrid
Credit Line Hybrid is a great for start-up businesses, offering up to $150,000 in unsecured business credit lines that can be used for real estate, equipment/vehicles, working capital, etc. at 0% interest for terms up to 18 months. They report to business credit reporting agencies, so as you use the credit lines, you are building business credit. They do not require cash flow, down payments, income documentation, bank statements, or tax returns. Only good personal credit is needed:
Those not meeting requirements can qualify by adding a credit partner (guarantor) with good credit to the application
Business Revenue Lending
Business Revenue Lending offers immediate funding if your business has consistent revenue of >$120,000 per year (> $10,000 per month). Requirements are:
Merchant Cash Advances
Merchant Cash Advances are available for businesses that accept credit card payments and have a credit score > 500. Businesses with at least $100,000 per year in credit card sales can get up to $750,000 (an amount equal to one month’s credit card processing volume) with rates lower than traditional financing.

Accounts Receivable (AR) Financing (or Invoice Factoring/Financing) is a method of utilizing outstanding accounts receivable invoices as a funding source. This alternative funding program takes two weeks or less for approval and will give the business up to 90% of its receivables within 24 hours of closing. Receivables should be from government or other businesses; it is rather difficult to get AR financing with individual customer invoices. You will get the rest of the funding after full payment is received on the invoices. How does this help your business?
Equipment Financing – equipment, even software, is considered collateral which can be used to secure funding for up to $10,000,000 for terms of 5 to 60 months. Even start-up businesses can qualify for this funding. Requirements are as follows:
Enterprise SBA Loans offer long term, low interest financing up to $12,000,000 with terms up to 25 years. Businesses must meet the following requirements:

Business Grants for Women
Business Grants for Women do not need to be repaid. Many different grants are
available, but are time-consuming to get and are highly competitive due to large pools of applicants. Although helpful, the amounts are usually not enough to fund a business, so women should not rely solely on grants. A backup plan is needed for other funding options if the business needs money quickly. Women have a better chance of getting grants with smaller application pools, such as those with limited criteria (i.e., specifically for African-American women or businesses in a certain state or area). Here are two types of grants available for woman business owners.

Once a woman-owned business has established fundability and obtained the funding it needs, it can further strengthen fundability by utilizing this foundation to get accounts from lenders that report to credit reporting agencies. This can be rather difficult, as very few business lenders report good credit history – around 7%. Even fewer business lenders will approve credit without an established business credit history. In this scenario, it would greatly benefit a woman business owner to seek advice from an individual or company well-versed in business credit.
