All that a sole proprietor has available are personal loans or lines of credit. This credit is tied to the business owner’s personal social security number. Every business entity must have a Federal Tax ID number (EIN) to apply for business credit, whether that business has employees or not. A Tax EIN number does for a business what your social security number does for you as a person. This number identifies the business to the Federal government and IRS. The business Tax ID number is used to open business bank accounts and to build the business credit profile. A business owner must take the time to verify that all agencies, banks, and trade credit vendors have their business listed with the same tax ID number A business must have a real brick-and-mortar building to look credible to most lenders. The address must be a real deliverable physical address. The business address cannot be a home address. The address cannot be a PO box or UPS address. Many lenders and merchants will not approve a business for credit unless this criterion is met. There are a few popular solutions for business owners who might not have a real physical address. One of those solutions is an “Address Only” virtual office. With this type of office, a business can receive mail and packages at their own professional and real dedicated business address. That mail is then forwarded to wherever the business chooses. Another business address solution is a “Virtual Office”. With this type of office, the business has a real professional business address and a dedicated phone and fax number. This service commonly comes with receptionist services and sometimes also includes part-time use of fully furnished offices and meeting rooms. A “True Office” is a real office a business owner can rent. The business will have its own full-time private office with receptionist services, dedicated phone and fax, Internet, full furnishings, meeting rooms, and many more amenities. With any of these solutions a business can create the perception that it functions out of a big office, in many cases out of a major city. But it could just be a one-person home-based business.