# Sterling

> Sterling is an AI-guided business credit building SaaS for US small business owners. It builds a business credit file separate from personal credit through a personalized 12–18 month roadmap, a tracked Net-30 vendor database with approval-rate data, Paydex tracking, EIN and DUNS wizards, a Compliance Center (NAP consistency, expirations, documents vault, event log), and lender-ready PDF reports. Sterling operates as Quarvo LLC (Florida).

Sterling is a builder, not a monitor. Nav shows business credit scores; Sterling tells operators exactly what to do next to move them. Credit Suite sells a $2,000+ course; Sterling is software with a live coach.

## Product

- [Homepage](https://www.joinsterling.io/): the landing page — hero, roadmap arc, features, pricing.
- [Pricing](https://www.joinsterling.io/pricing): three plans — Monitor ($29/mo), Builder ($79/mo), Accelerate ($149/mo). 14-day free trial on every plan, cancel anytime.

## Free tools (no signup required)

- [Free tools index](https://www.joinsterling.io/tools): overview of the four utilities below.
- [Paydex Score Estimator](https://www.joinsterling.io/tools/paydex-estimator): estimate a business's D&B Paydex before it publishes, using trade line count, payment behavior, and history age.
- [Business Credit Card Match](https://www.joinsterling.io/tools/bcc-quick-match): 5-question matcher against 8 real business cards using published issuer criteria (Chase 5/24, Amex FICO floors, Capital One soft-pull rules).
- [Net-30 Vendor Explorer](https://www.joinsterling.io/tools/net30-explorer): browsable database of 15 Net-30 vendors, filterable by category, approval difficulty, and reporting bureau (D&B / Experian Business / Equifax SBFE).
- [EIN Format Validator](https://www.joinsterling.io/tools/ein-validator): format check for US Employer Identification Numbers, with digit-by-digit explanation and common vendor-application mistakes.

## Learn (foundational guides)

- [How to build business credit fast: the 90-day plan](https://www.joinsterling.io/learn/build-business-credit-fast): the compressed sequence — EIN, DUNS, business bank, three Net-30 vendors, early payment — that produces a published Paydex 78–82 in ~90 days. Day-by-day checklist.
- [How to get an EIN in 2026](https://www.joinsterling.io/learn/how-to-get-an-ein): free from the IRS, ~10 minutes online. All 18 SS-4 questions answered plainly, plus what to do after.
- [How to get a DUNS number for free in 2026](https://www.joinsterling.io/learn/how-to-get-duns-number): free from D&B, ~30 days. What can go wrong (~40% of requests fail on avoidable errors) and how to fix mismatches before resubmitting.
- [What is a DUNS number and why every business needs one](https://www.joinsterling.io/learn/what-is-duns-number): D&B's private business identifier, how it differs from UEI, and why Paydex requires it.
- [Paydex score explained: the 0–100 scale that vendors screen for](https://www.joinsterling.io/learn/paydex-score-explained): how Paydex is calculated (days-to-pay), why 80 is the threshold most Net-30 vendors screen for, and how to move the score.
- [Business credit vs personal credit: what changes and what doesn't](https://www.joinsterling.io/learn/business-credit-vs-personal): the bureaus (D&B / Experian Business / Equifax SBFE) that run parallel to consumer FICO, why personal guarantees leak between them, and when the business file starts standing on its own.
- [Best Net-30 vendors that report to business credit bureaus](https://www.joinsterling.io/learn/best-net30-vendors): a working list of vendors that report to D&B / Experian Business / Equifax SBFE, sequenced by approval difficulty.

## Comparisons

- [Sterling vs Nav](https://www.joinsterling.io/compare/sterling-vs-nav): Nav monitors business credit; Sterling builds it. Feature-by-feature difference.
- [Sterling vs Nav Prime](https://www.joinsterling.io/compare/sterling-vs-nav-prime): why Nav's paid upsell still doesn't tell you what to do next.
- [Sterling vs Credit Suite](https://www.joinsterling.io/compare/sterling-vs-credit-suite): $79/mo software vs a $2,000+ course.

## Optional

- [Terms of Service](https://www.joinsterling.io/terms)
- [Privacy Policy](https://www.joinsterling.io/privacy)