7 Vendors that Help Build Business Credit 2023

Your business credit profile takes quite a few things into account, including your credit relationships and payment history. That doesn’t mean you have to rely on business loans and credit cards to build your business credit though.

We’ve rounded up seven business vendors that offer short-term credit (a.k.a. trade credit or corporate credit) for customers―and they report your payment habits to a business credit bureau (like Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax, and Experian).

Creative Analytics offers the most flexibility, with annual and monthly account options, but all our vendors let you buy goods and services your business needs while also improving your business credit score.

We’ll tell you more about the companies above in just a second. But first, let’s talk about how you can use them to build business credit.

First things first, you’ll want to make sure you have an active business credit file with each major business credit reporting agency:

• Dun & Bradstreet
• Equifax
• Experian

Experian and Equifax often create a credit profile for you (once you’ve legally formed your business), but Dun & Bradstreet usually requires you to manually apply for a D-U-N-S number (the ID number for your Dun & Bradstreet credit file).

Once you’ve got an active business credit profile, you’re ready to start building business credit. So go ahead and sign up with vendors that offer NET 30 terms (or look at getting a business loan, credit line, or credit card).

It’s always a good idea to check with your vendor of choice to make sure they actively report to bureaus. After all, their practices can change over time.

Remember, the whole point of getting credit with these vendors is to establish a good payment history―so always, always pay on time. Otherwise, you might end up hurting your business credit score instead of helping it.

You can also check your business credit score from time to time to make sure things look good. With any luck, you’ll see that credit score going up and up―until you have the good credit you’ve been working toward.

Creative Analytics offers a variety of marketing services for small businesses. For example, you can get a new business off the ground with its logo design, branding, and website design services.

And of course, no matter which marketing service you use, you can also enjoy NET 30 business credit from Creative Analytics. You will have to pay a $79 annual fee with your application, but Creative Analytics will refund your fee if your application gets turned down.

For an even bigger (potential) bump to your business credit, you can sign up for a monthly Founder's Circle Community plan. When you do, Creative Analytics gives you a trade line increase of up to $12,000. A bigger credit line can help build business credit faster. Your monthly plan gets you membership to a digital business library and networking community.

So if your business could benefit from better marketing, Creative Analytics can give you that and a boost to your business credit file.

Need office supplies? Crown Office Supplies (as you can probably guess from the name) has what you need. It carries all your office essentials, from stationary to pens to scissors and more. Plus, Crown Office Supplies carries quite a few not-quite-office-supplies goods as well, including wall art, T-shirts, and even kitschy gifts you can give to clients.

As for its credit terms, Crown Office Supplies offer NET 30 terms. Its vendor accounts give you a small credit line between $800 and $5,000, letting you make purchases and pay for them 30 days later. Note that Crown does charge a $99 annual fee to businesses using its vendor credit solution.

Grainger sells industrial goods, which includes everything from HVAC system components to shipping supplies to lightbulbs. You’ll also find things like janitorial supplies, screws and other fasteners, eye protection, and duct tape. In other words, Grainger covers quite a lot of ground.

If you have a decent credit history, Grainger also offers a credit line. Unfortunately, Grainger doesn’t offer too many details about the credit line. In fact, it’s one of the few vendors on this list that doesn’t have an online credit application. You’ll have to call Grainger to apply for its vendor credit.

Of course, if you need a regular stream of industrial supplies for your building, then it’s worth making a phone call to Granger―and taking the first step to establishing a solid payment history.

You can probably guess what Shirtsy sells. Yep, it’s shirts―but also face masks, decorative license plates, wall signage, mugs, and more. Put simply, Shirtsy has all kinds of merch just waiting for your business logo. So whether you want to hand out branded swag to customers or keep your team in matching face masks, Shirtsy has you covered.

Just like other businesses listed here, Shirtsy has NET 30 credit for customers. It does charge an $99 annual fee on its business accounts, and account approval is based on “creditworthiness” (so assume that Shirtsy will look at your personal credit score).

With all sorts of swag, Shirtsy could provide a perfect way to improve your branding and your business credit report at the same time.

Got IT support? With Strategic Network Solutions, you can. Strategic Network Solutions offers a handful of technology-related services. For example, it offers disaster recovery, which can help your business avoid huge data losses. It also has security services to keep your network safe and updated. Strategic Network Solutions can even help you take care of old, outdated hardware.

And yes, Strategic Network Solutions offers NET 30 accounts. You get a $2,000 credit line to use on Strategic Network Solutions costs. To sign up, start by purchasing a $80 downloadable product. When you check out, you can sign up for NET 30 credit. As an added bonus, Strategic Network Solutions provides trade references for its customers (in addition to reporting to a business credit bureau).

For IT support and a small line of credit, give Strategic Network Solutions a look.

In the words of infomercials everywhere, “but wait―there’s more!” So if you haven’t found the right vendor just yet, check out these additional options.

Summa Office Supplies offers another place to get office supplies. It’s got all your basic needs, like writing utensils, folders, notebooks, tape, and more.

You can fill out an online application to get NET 30 terms with Summa. Once you’re approved, you can use your NET 30 account on any online purchase from Summa. And like Strategic Network Solutions, Summa Office Supplies notes that it’s happy to serve as a trade reference for you.

Uline has everything you need to package and ship. Think boxes, boxes, and more boxes―plus tape, labels, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, and stuff like that. It’s even got some janitorial supplies and safety products.

To sign up for Uline’s NET 30 terms, you can call Uline directly. You can also choose NET 30 billing when you check out as a new customer―but you won’t know right away if you’re approved, so calling ahead offers the safer bet.

The vendors above can help you improve your credit limit and credit utilization―and ultimately help you get the strong business credit you want.

For businesses that need marketing services, Creative Analytics offers a great place to work on your credit. But if you need office supplies or industrial supplies, Crown Office Supplies or Grainger may offer the better options, respectively. And for businesses that need branded merch, Shirtsy has all the products you’d want. Or if you need IT services, Strategic Network Solutions and its NET30 terms has you covered.

So go ahead and apply, and watch your credit score rise.

Now that you’ve got a plan to improve your credit rating, keep an eye on your improving business credit score with the best business credit monitoring services.

We rounded up all the business vendors that we could confirm report to business credit bureaus. We then used factors such as their annual fee, application type, and maximum credit line to review them.

Disclaimer

At Business.org, our research is meant to offer general product and service recommendations. We don't guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services.