StretchLearn Course

Get approved for the right financing, on purpose.

Build a real business credit profile, learn how lenders actually score you, and choose the loan, line, or SBA program that fits the need.

Preview Curriculum Back to Catalog

Beginner9 hr 30 minSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

Most owners hit a wall when they need capital because they never built business credit and do not understand how lenders evaluate a deal. This course walks the full path: setting up the entity and identifiers bureaus track, building Dun and Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax business files, decoding term loans, lines of credit, SBA 7(a) and 504, equipment finance, and revenue-based options, then assembling a package that passes underwriting. Every concept is grounded in real programs, real numbers, and real lender criteria.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Distinguish business credit from personal credit and set up the EIN, entity, and identifiers bureaus require

Build tradelines and a Paydex, Intelliscore, and FICO SBSS profile across the three business bureaus

Compare term loans, lines of credit, SBA, equipment finance, and revenue-based financing and match each to a need

Calculate the true cost of any offer using APR and factor-rate-to-APR conversion

Read how lenders underwrite using the Five Cs, DSCR, and the FICO SBSS cutoff

Assemble a complete lender-ready loan package and avoid the errors that trigger declines

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: Foundations: Business Credit Is Not Personal Credit

Before borrowing a dollar, you have to exist as a creditworthy business entity in the eyes of the bureaus. This module sets up the structure, identifiers, and accounts that make a business credit file possible.

3 lessons

How Business Credit Differs From Personal CreditContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Setting Up the Entity and Identifiers Bureaus TrackContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Understanding the Business Credit Bureaus and ScoresContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Building a Strong Business Credit Profile

Move from having an entity to having a credit file lenders respect, by establishing reporting tradelines, managing utilization, and protecting the personal credit that still underpins your score.

3 lessons

Establishing Tradelines That Actually ReportContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Managing Utilization, Payment Timing, and Credit AgeContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Protecting Personal Credit and Monitoring Both FilesContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: The Financing Menu: Choosing the Right Capital

Decode every major financing type a small business can access, what each is built for, what it really costs, and the SBA programs that offer the best terms most owners never use.

3 lessons

Term Loans, Lines of Credit, and Equipment FinanceContent · 50 min

LMS Access

SBA Loan Programs: 7(a), 504, and MicroloansContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Alternative Financing and Calculating True CostContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Getting Approved: How Lenders Decide and How to Apply

Step inside the underwriting room. Learn the criteria lenders score you on, assemble a package that answers their questions before they ask, and avoid the errors that turn a fundable business into a decline.

3 lessons

The Five Cs of Credit and How Underwriters ThinkContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Building a Lender-Ready Loan PackageContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Avoiding Common Mistakes and a 12-Month RoadmapContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

business creditsmall business financingSBA loansline of creditPaydex scoreDSCRFICO SBSSloan underwriting