Over the years, more and more small business founders are turning to credit cards as a viable source for融资新业务。而且很难看出为什么startup business credit cards变得如此受欢迎。
Thanks to the 2008 financial crisis, banks have become much more risk-averse, preferring to lend mostly to established businesses with a track record of success rather than new and untested enterprises.
The National Federation of Independent Businesses reports that nearly44% of business loan applicants got some (or none) of their target loan from banks。而且，其他启动资金的资金来源，如风险资本家，替代贷款人和开发赠款 - 仍然非常挑剔。
As a result, nearly 79% of founders have turned to credit cards to fund their businesses in some capacity.
商业创业信用卡作为资金的问题
这是真的credit cards can be a great source of capital for startup founders, offering the convenience of a revolving line of credit, lack of risky collateral, the possibility of rewards and low interest rates, and the chance to establish good business credit.
But all these perks obscure one fact: if you rely on your credit card as the primary source of funding for your startup, there is no room for error.
Consider the story ofPhilip Lindblom, CEO and founder of 1000 designers，谁经历了一个完全困难和努力的时间，只有信用卡资助他的创业。由于一系列无法预料的挫折，即扼杀的收入，Lindblom无法及时偿还他的信用卡，并且不得不在一年多的时间内将它们最大。
不幸的是，对于Lindblom，信用卡 - 与小型企业贷款，免税债券和其他形式的商业旋转信贷循环有关的信用卡有极为不舒适的条款。Personal and business credit cards have an average interest rate of 15%, though this rate can be raised by card issuers due to factors such as exceeding payment deadlines by 30 days, defaulting on another account, or exceeding your credit limit. Note that annual percentage rates (APR) top out at a maximum of 30%, a rather large burden for overstretched entrepreneurs to bear.
Startup credit cards for small business may contain repossession clauses
还，while credit cards are technically unsecured loans(not backed with collateral), some cards contain repossession clauses. In other words, if a cardholder defaults on payments, both personal and business property can be seized for the credit card issuer to recoup its losses. Thanks to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), however,在线研究收钱条款很容易。
But there’s another, more troubling statistic:for every $1,000 of credit card debt, a startup’s chance of surviving decreases by 2.2%。While researchers found that credit card debt wasn’t the only factor that determined whether a firm would survive its first three years of operation, it was nonetheless a statistically significant one.
至于Lindblom，他面临债务收藏家，他们试图收回其财物，一个破碎的信用评分，以及不可估量的压力，焦虑和挫折。
How credit cards should be used to fund your business
这并不是说信用卡不能成为您的业务资金的一个来源。您应该什么时候使用信用卡来融资您的业务？
When using a business credit card to grow your startup, it’s best to stick with limited, low-risk amounts, such as using a charge card for a quick infusion of capital to pull off a business deal. This is only a stopgap measure, and the cardholder expects to pay off the charge when the deal is finalized.
Of course, each situation and startup is different. Credit cards offer startup founders a host of benefits for those who know how to use them wisely. Prudent use means researching the business credit cards on offer and choosing the one best suited for your needs.
请记住，使用信用卡的所有福利和福利，从改善的信用评分到频繁的传单里程，通常取决于偿还余额，及时偿还余额。
So if you’re a startup founder who wants to retain equity while growing your company, it may make sense to turn to alternate lenders, and not business cards, as your primary source of capital.
These views are made solely by the author.
