The questions Robin gets asked most

No. The short form and the call are free, and there is no credit check to ask a question. You find out what applies to your business before anything is set up.

Your personal credit file follows you, and it is what most lenders look at first. A business credit file is built under your company’s EIN and belongs to the business. Trade lines that report to the business bureaus are how that second file gets created and grown.

No — that is one of the best times. A new entity has a thin file, so the accounts that fit are the simpler vendor and net-30 types. Those report, and the profile starts building from the beginning instead of after a few years of nothing.

Reporting generally shows up within a couple of statement cycles once an account is open and being used. Building a profile that a lender takes seriously is a matter of months, not days — anything promising otherwise is overselling it.

A personal auto or homeowners policy is not built to answer a claim filed against the business. If you work on other people’s property, or a client could be injured by your work, that gap is what LLC insurance fills.

Very common, and easily handled — you get a certificate of insurance showing the coverage they are asking about. Robin tells you what will be needed and what the certificate will show.

Yes, and plenty of owners do. Pick “Both” on the form and Robin will talk through which one to start with for your situation.

Robin. The number on this site and the reply to your form both reach him directly, not a call centre or a queue.