It can be extremely difficult to finance a business, particularly when you are just starting out. Most of the time, traditional methods of funding are not overly excited about giving you money to start a new business because it’s a fact that over 80% of businesses fail within their first year of operation!

If you are hoping to start a business out of your home, you may have reduced costs as compared to financing a retail establishment, but you will still need some form of start up capital or access to money to get things rolling. Have you considered using a credit card to finance your business?

Many businesses have been completely financed with credit cards. It is best if you designate one card as your business credit card; and then use that for anything you can’t pay out of pocket for. Remember to keep up with your payments and pay as much of your balance as possible each time you get a statement in order to keep (or get) a strong credit history that will make it easier for you to get additional financing in the future- for both personal and business purposes.

Why would anyone want to use a credit card to finance their business? There are a number of advantages- first of all, the money is available when you want it once you get the card. You don’t have to apply for a loan and wait for approval; then wait for the funds to be available. Instead, you just take your credit card out of your wallet and swipe it when you need the extra cash flow. Another way that using a business credit card can speed things up for you is when dealing with vendors. Often, if you work with a supply vendor, you have to supply them with check payment forms as a new business. If you choose to pay with credit card, you just give them the details of your card one time, and then they can make each of your purchases automatically paid for using that card information.

Another advantage of using a credit card to finance business purchases is if you know what your grace period is (the time you are allowed to make payments interest free) and you know when your billing date is, you can make purchases right before the billing date and give yourself 25 days (or whatever your grace period is) to pay it back without paying interest or finance fees. This saves considerably and if you were to use a loan, the interest is included in the amount you pay back so you never get the option of paying it off without interest.

Another reason many people enjoy using a credit card as business financing is because of the option to select from rewards programs that earn you items or cash back from all of your purchases. Rewards programs include things from airline miles to a percentage of each purchase returned to your card, to the ability to purchase merchandise from the rewards points you’ve earned.

Finally, when you buy items on credit card, you are protected. Sometimes you receive an item that is damaged, or not what you expected. Sometimes, you could order something and never actually receive it. Most credit cards will cover you against these losses and offer you protection you wouldn’t otherwise have if you paid with cash or check.

Credit cards may not be the ideal way to finance your business expenses, but if you have difficulty obtaining a business loan, this is an alternative option for business financing that provides you with access to additional cash when needed and a variety of benefits that you wouldn’t otherwise have.