Starting a new business – any kind of new business – can be overwhelming. Starting a credit repair business can be even more so because a large part of your time will be consumed with learning the ins and outs of the credit system.
However, as startups go, a credit repair business is one of the most affordable startups you’ll ever find. The profit potential is huge, and all you need to get started is a computer and a phone. With the right focus, you can launch this business in less than 30 days.
Many people struggle with figuring out where to even begin. In our experience, here are the 10 most important details to get ironed out:
1. Your Company Name
This seems obvious, but your name is a crucial part of how potential customers and affiliate partners will view your business. The name should be clear, memorable, and professional. People shouldn’t have to guess what your business does, but something dry like “Acme Credit Repair” will be difficult for people to remember.
Try to choose something that reflects your personality and conveys a feeling of confidence. Once you’ve chosen a name, do a simple online search to make sure no other credit repair companies are using that name. It is also useful to search the domain that you’d like to use (i.e. www.acmecreditrepair.com) to see if it is available before moving forward.
2. Website
It would be very difficult to bring on new clients without a website. After all, this is the public face of your business. Not only are websites a great source of information for potential clients, they also add legitimacy to your business. If you need a website fast, visit www.mycreditrepairsite.com to create a complete prewritten site in minutes with no skill required.
Once you launch the site, you can change the images, colors and text to make it unique. If you’re a Credit Repair Cloud user, you can add the Web Lead Form from your Credit Repair Cloud so leads and clients can request a consultation or sign up on your site, and if you use Billsby, your clients can add a credit card to start their monthly payments to you.
If you have the budget, another route is hiring a local web designer to build you a custom site that’s clear, professional and engaging. And if you add a lot of unique and original text to your site and perhaps start an informative blog, Google will reward you with more traffic. When you’re ready, submit your site to Google to be added to their listings.
3. Design your pricing
Make it simple and affordable. Don’t have dozens of plans based on what you think a certain client can pay. Think big! The goal is to have hundreds (or thousands) of people each paying you a simple monthly fee. For this to happen, it must be affordable.
With credit repair software, your work will be minimal (around 5 minutes per client per month when you’ve got your flow down), so charge a minimal fee.
Hint: the biggest credit repair firm in the country (initials are L.L.) charges most clients between $79 and $99 a month. Click here for a great article on how much to charge your clients
4. Credit Repair Software
It will be difficult to scale your credit repair business without credit repair software to manage it all. Credit Repair Cloud is designed to grow and scale your business. It imports credit reports, analyzes them, creates dispute letters faster than any other method. It also improves communication with clients and affiliates, and gives you the opportunity to share valuable educational resources with clients and prospects.
Best of all, it reduces your workload to less than 5 minutes per client per month. Just 2 clients will cover the cost and all the rest is profit, so that makes it very affordable. Just remember; if you’re going to spend your whole day in one software, make it one that you love.
Tip: if you do use Credit Repair Cloud, take advantage of our free software training. and our handy User Guides
5. Merchant Account Gateway
This is not a requirement from the start, because you can certainly take cash and checks from clients, but if you ever want to take credit cards, you’ll need a merchant account for credit repair services. This is not as easy as it sounds because most Merchant account providers will not allow credit repair because they consider it to be “high risk,” which they lump in the same category as vapor cigarettes and tech support services.
For that reason, you need to contact a merchant account provider who specializes in your type of business. We recommend Greenpay Merchant Services. Click here for a free consultation
6. Recurring Payments Platform
If you plan on growing your business, this is a crucial element that you do not want to skip! A payment platform and a merchant gateway are not the same thing. In order to have a successful credit repair business you will need both of them, and they must work together.
A recurring payments platform is software that creates the billing plans for your clients and collects the monthly recurring payments from your clients and also sends “dunning” letters when cards decline or are about to expire.
]Billsby is a Recurring Billing & Subscription Management Software that automates the monthly charges from your client’s credit/debit cards. We recommend it because it's the most affordable.
We’ve asked Billsby for special pricing for our customers - you’ll only pay a 0.4% transaction fee - with no monthly fees and no setup fees. And if you sign up from this special link, you can make your first $10,000 of revenue without paying Billsby a cent! (This special pricing is only available at this special link)
7. Business Cards, Flyers, Brochure, etc.
Business cards are inexpensive to make. You can get awesome business cards under $20 at or moo.com. You can make flyers and brochures a few at a time at your local copy store.
Bonus: And if you’re a Credit Repair Cloud user, check out the marketing art templates in the “Bonus Materials” button in your Credit Repair Cloud.
8. Partners
Corporate and affiliate partners are some of the most important relationships you will need for your credit repair company to grow. Corporate partners are local businesses like law firms, CPAs, and designers that you will work with on an ongoing basis for your business needs.
It is crucial to build great relationships with these types of professionals for any advice or help you will need as your business grows. Ask around in your network to see if anyone has referrals so you can start the relationship with a strong personal introduction.
Affiliate partners are companies like auto dealers, mortgage brokers, and other lenders that often have to turn individuals down because their credit is poor. Making relationships with affiliate partners and showing them the mutual benefits of a relationship can be a priceless pipeline of new business. See our article on building relationships with affiliate partners
9. Get a book on credit repair
This may sounds obvious, but it might behoove you to spend $10 on an inexpensive credit repair book. After all, your clients will be looking to you to be the expert on credit repair. Treat yourself to a book or two and learn your craft!
10. Making it Official
Starting at business (at home or on the side) is awesome, but at some point, in order to actually become a business you will need to eventually decide whether you will operate as a sole proprietorship/partnership, C-corporation, S-corporation, LLC, or – in some cases – non-profit.
Your tax preparer or CPA will be able to tell you which one will bring you the most savings. If you’re starting this business after working for someone else, you’ll be shocked at the tax benefits to running our own company and in most cases, you’ll be holding on to much more of your income. Your city might require a business license — again, this is not expensive — ours is around $99 a year. Your state may require additional registration, licensing, or bonding.
Check your state government’s website for additional details. If bonding is required, don’t panic. When you use a bonds service like www.BondsExpress.com you’d typically need to pay just 2% of the total bond. See, it’s not so scary.
Final Thoughts on Launching a Credit Repair Business
Starting a credit repair company is an exciting undertaking. However, it can be difficult to wade through the thousands of blogs, articles, and advertisements to get the information you really need to get started. By following the steps outlined here, you will be well on your way to signing your first clients.
