Greetings everyone,

I stumbled upon this group while doom scrolling through Reddit, and I'm truly grateful for that. Here's a bit about my journey:

At 18, I faced the challenge of poor credit, courtesy of my parents' financial missteps. Growing up in an environment of financial illiteracy set me on a troublesome path, leading to unpaid bills and car repos in my early 20s. It wasn't until I turned 26 that I realized the significance of financial responsibility.

My background is in the culinary world, where I spent 13 years before COVID prompted a career change. I seized the opportunity to start my own business. While my peers were spending recklessly, I diligently saved and chipped away at my $15k debt over a year time and paid it off.

Currently, I run my own business with approximately $22k in personal savings, $5k in my personal account. Our business saw remarkable growth from $2k (2020) to $352k (2024) in sales. Despite this success, my personal credit remains a hindrance to securing funding for further business growth.

My yearly salary is $40k, and although I could take a higher salary, I prefer reinvesting in the business and our employees. The absence of credit cards and a struggling personal credit score (Transunion - 535, Equifax - 536, Experian - 530) complicates matters.

I have no open accounts and my only closed account it a secured card I had with First Premier which is now closed but was closed in good standing.

I've explored secured cards with minimal impact and purchased assets with cash due to loan rejections. I'm determined to build a legacy for my daughter and future family, recognizing the importance of credit in this endeavor.

I seek your advice on viable options to rebuild my credit. Any insights you can provide would be immensely appreciated. Thank you in advance.