593 – How to Build Business Credit with Gerri Detweiler
The How of Business - How to start, run, grow and exit a small business.
Henry Lopez, Levante Business Group
4.7 • 522 Ratings
🗓️ 19 January 2026
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Business credit is a critical but often misunderstood tool that can unlock financing, protect your personal credit, and strengthen your small business.
Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/593-gerri-detweiler-business-credit/
Many small business owners assume business credit "just happens" once they form an LLC, but that's not how it works.
In this episode, Henry Lopez is joined by Gerri Detweiler, one of the leading experts on small business credit, to break down how business credit really works and why it matters far earlier than most owners realize. They discuss how business credit affects financing, vendor relationships, and even potential partnerships, and why larger companies often check your business credit before working with you.
Gerri explains the fundamentals of establishing business credit, including whether you should start as a sole proprietor or form an LLC, how credit reporting works, and why payment history is the most important factor in building strong business credit scores.
She also shares practical strategies for getting started such as using net-30 vendors, business credit cards, and equipment financing, and how to avoid common mistakes that can quietly damage your credit profile.
"Business credit doesn't build itself. You have to be intentional about it from day one," Gerri explains.
Gerri Detweiler has spent more than 30 years helping people make sense of credit and financing, with a special focus on helping small business owners. As an Education Consultant for Nav, she guides entrepreneurs in building strong business credit and understanding how it can open doors for growth. Gerri has answered thousands of credit questions online, written or coauthored six books, including Finance Your Own Business: Get on the Financing Fast Track, and has been interviewed in thousands of media stories as a trusted credit expert. Through her widely syndicated articles, webinars for organizations like SCORE and Small Business Development Centers, as well as educational videos, she makes complex financial topics clear and practical, empowering business owners to take control of their credit and grow healthier companies.
This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run, grow and exit your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the How of Business with your host, Henry Lopez, the podcast that helps you start, run, and grow your small business. |
| 0:13.1 | And now, here is your host. |
| 0:16.0 | Welcome to this episode of The How of Business. |
| 0:17.9 | This is Henry Lopez, and my repeat guest is Jerry Detweiler. Jerry, welcome back to the show. |
| 0:23.1 | Oh, my pleasure to be here. Absolutely. You're always my go-to source for anything financing and |
| 0:28.4 | credit, which is what we're going to talk about today, in particular business credit. Jerry was a |
| 0:33.3 | wonderful resource for me. Way back in those days. I had her on several times to help |
| 0:38.4 | navigate all of that. But she's back with me today. Today we're going to talk about one of the |
| 0:42.0 | most misunderstood perhaps, but most powerful tools that a small business owner can have, |
| 0:47.1 | and that's business credit, credit in the name of the business. So what is it? How does it work? |
| 0:52.1 | How to use it to open doors for financing, for vendor |
| 0:55.5 | relationships and negotiating terms, and for overall growth of your small business. So Jerry Detweiler |
| 1:01.6 | is a longtime credit expert in an education consultant, and she's helped thousands of entrepreneurs |
| 1:06.6 | to make smarter decisions about credit and financing. I'll give you more of her bio here in a moment. But you can find all of the resources, including a free guide that Jerry's going to offer, as well as the show knows page or on that show notes page as well, you'll get the link in case you can't write it down. Find all of that, as well as more information about my one-on-one and group coaching programs at the howab business.com. |
| 1:28.6 | I also invite you to consider joining my business networking group, my community on Patreon, |
| 1:33.4 | and please subscribe wherever you might be listening so you don't miss any new episodes. |
| 1:37.5 | So let me tell you properly about Jerry, because she's got such a varied and experienced background. |
| 1:42.8 | She has spent more than 30 years helping people make sense |
| 1:46.5 | of credit and financing with a special focus on helping small business owners. As an education |
| 1:51.8 | consultant for NAV, NAV, if you haven't heard of NAV, we're going to tell you about it on |
| 1:56.1 | this show. But as an education consultant for NAV, she guides entrepreneurs in building strong |
| 2:00.7 | business credit and understanding how it can open doors, as I said consultant for NAV, she guides entrepreneurs in building strong business credit |
... |
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