Startup and personal capital
No revenue history yet. Then your credit is the file.
Busy Bee Services places startup and personal loans from $20,000 to $500,000 for a business that has not built a track record yet. Terms run 1 to 5 years. The credit bar is 680 or above, because there is nothing else in the file to underwrite against. Prequalifying uses a soft credit pull, so you can see where you stand before anything touches your score.
The honest starting point
An operating business gets read on its deposits. A startup gets read on you.
Lenders funding an established company look at bank deposits, time in business, and cash flow. None of that exists yet for a business that has not opened, or has only been running a few months. So the file gets underwritten against the one thing that does have a history: your personal credit.
That is the entire reason the bar sits at 680 or above for this program. It is not an arbitrary cutoff. It stands in for the business history that has not been written yet. Below that number, this particular door is not open, no matter how strong the idea is.
What fits a business with no track record
Some programs on this site are not open to you yet, and that is worth knowing upfront
Every figure below is a program range, not an offer. What you actually get depends on the file.
$20,000 to $500,000
Startup and personal loans
- Credit needed680 or above
- Terms1 to 5 years
- PrequalifySoft credit pull
Built for a business without revenue history. It runs on your personal file, not the company's.
Equipment financing
Requires 1 year in business, with terms up to 5 years. Off the table on day one. Worth revisiting once the business clears that mark.
SBA 7(a) Express
Requires 2 years in business, 680 or above credit, and a profitable file. A strong program later, not a startup tool now.
The personal guarantee
Why your signature carries this loan, not the business
A personal guarantee means you agree to repay the loan yourself if the business cannot. On a startup file, this is not a red flag and it is not an upsell. It is the mechanism the whole program runs on. There is no deposit history, no equipment, and no tax returns to secure the loan against, so the lender secures it against you instead.
This is standard for startup and personal capital, and it is exactly why the credit score requirement is real rather than a formality. Expect it on this program, and expect it explained plainly in the offer before you sign anything.
Straight talk
What you are actually risking
Say the business does not work. The loan does not disappear with it. You personally guaranteed the money, so you personally owe it, on the same terms, whether the business is still open or not. That debt sits on your credit and can follow you well past the point where the business is gone.
This is worth saying plainly because a lot of this industry will not say it. Putting your own name behind money for an idea the market has not tested yet is a real bet, and it should be sized like one. Borrow what the plan actually needs, not the maximum the program allows. Know how the business repays the loan before revenue exists to prove it can. If the honest answer is that you are guessing, that is useful to know now, not two years in.
Read the guarantee language in any offer before you sign it. Ask what happens to the debt if the business closes. If a lender cannot answer that clearly, that answer tells you something too.
Common questions
Before you apply
What credit score do I need for a startup loan?
680 or above. Because the business has no revenue history, the file is underwritten against your personal credit, and that score is the baseline lenders work from.
How much can I actually borrow?
The program runs from $20,000 to $500,000, with terms of 1 to 5 years. Where your file lands inside that range depends on your credit, your income, and the amount you are asking for.
Will applying hurt my credit?
No. Prequalifying uses a soft credit pull, which does not affect your score. A hard pull only happens later, with your consent, once you are moving forward on a specific offer.
My credit is under 680. What are my options?
This program will not fit yet. If the business already has deposits coming in, a merchant cash advance carries no minimum credit score. Otherwise the honest move is to build the score first and come back to this program once it clears 680.
Do I have to personally guarantee the loan?
Yes, on this program. There is no business history or business asset to secure the loan against, so your personal guarantee is what the lender is relying on.
What can the money be used for?
Startup and personal capital is broad by design, and lenders vary on specifics. State your use of funds plainly on the application and it gets matched to a program that fits it.
Figures on this page are third party lender program ranges. They are not an offer or a commitment to lend, and every file remains subject to lender underwriting and approval.
See where a startup file actually lands.
One application, a soft pull to prequalify, and a straight answer about what your credit supports right now.