“Money talks, but Credit holds conversations.” - Author Unknown
A good credit score opens doors. Doors to meetings with lenders. Doors to lower-interest loans, property acquisitions, and equipment purchases. Doors to opportunities to scale your business.
Your partners at the St. Louis Small Business Empowerment Center know that banks use credit scores to determine whether applicants will be granted small business loans. Lenders view credit scores as reflections on how well you handle money and manage finances.
That’s why the SBEC has partnered with St. Louis Builds Credit to help entrepreneurs
achieve a prime credit score. St. Louis Builds Credit (STLBC) is a citywide credit-building initiative that uses credit building as a lever to open doors for St. Louisans to achieve a prime credit score, build wealth, and promote financial health. STLBC believes that credit building can be a tool for tackling income inequality and decreasing the racial wealth gap.
STLBC provides St. Louisans with increased access to the tools they need to build a prime credit score, including free credit-building workshops, free financial coaching, and safe credit-building products. Additionally, the initiative works with funders, financial
institutions, credit bureaus, and other leaders in the industry to advocate for consumer--
focused systems change.
STLBC is led by Prosperity Connection, in partnership with the Equifax Foundation,
Dutchtown South Community Corporation, Justine PETERSEN, and the Small Business
Empowerment Center.
Financial Coaching
Prosperity Connection provides one-on-one credit coaching for small business owners. We will discuss:
- Credit: How to build and maintain it
- Predatory lending: How to avoid high cost payday loans
- Identity Theft: What to do when it happens to young how to help prevent it
- Account management: How to make your money work for you
- Budgeting: How to build and maintain a budget that helps you meet your goal
