Author John Garry’s An Unfair Advantage provides strategies and tactics for entrepreneurs to build credit as fast and reliably as possible.

Entrepreneurs and business owners seeking to expand their operations need capital. That usually means bank loans and lines of credit. But the sub-prime mortgage meltdown of 2007 drove lenders to replace personal relationships of trust with algorithms. Here, Garry claims to have cracked the code, finding a way to give the bank’s computer what it wants: “structure, readiness, and exact precision.”

This book provides strategies and tactics for building credit quickly. It contains basic information for new entrepreneurs, like the difference between various corporate structures (LLCs, C-Corp, etc.) and the importance of establishing a valid business address, phone number and website. Garry discusses using vendors to build credit; how to apply for secured business credit, credit cards, and loans; how to manage credit and leverage it for strategic value, and more.

Much of the book compiles information available elsewhere, such as lists of business-friendly states, banks, and credit cards. It’s Garry’s chapter on the ten pitfalls related to applying for business funding that reveals his depth of knowledge. For example, Garry states that since two-thirds of new ventures fail within five years, banks shy away from lending to start-ups younger than that. In his pitfalls chapter, and elsewhere, Garry suggests that entrepreneurs consider purchasing a “seasoned” corporation with a pre-established credit history and track record.

Unfortunately, portions of the book read like a brochure for Garry’s company, Wilshire Financial Group. For example, when discussing purchasing a “seasoned” corporation, Garry writes, “You can explore available options online at Wilshire Financial Group or call 1+(888) 383-5318 Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. PST…” Garry’s knowledge of the business credit process is enough to carry the book without the intrusive sales pitch.

Still, entrepreneurs focused on business credit will find some beneficial, if not entirely fresh, information here on getting the loans they need.

Also available as an ebook.