What Business Credit Really Does (And What It Definitely Doesn’t) Artwork

The Integrated Entrepreneur

Welcome to The Integrated Entrepreneur with Jonathan Fodera, hosted by founder, author, public speaker, investor and entrepreneur Jonathan Fodera. On this podcast you'll learn strategies on how to become a better operator, how to acquire more clients for your company, how to retain those clients, valuable lessons, and how you can avoid the mistakes that Jonathan has triumphed on his path to $500M+ in financing for business owners and entrepreneur's.

Meet the Co-Host:
Keith Gause was born in Houston, Texas and moved to Jacksonville, Florida at the age of 2. He continues to reside in Jacksonville with my wife, Deanna, and two daughters: Addison (13) and Kylee (10) and their 4 dogs, a cat, a bearded dragon, and a snake. (If it were left to the ladies to decide, they would have a zoo!)

Keith’s childhood was spent playing sports, being an only child, and watching his father become an entrepreneur by continuously failing and trying again. His father built a multimillion-dollar company allowing him to retire and live the life he always dreamed about. Watching his father’s journey taught him a lot about business.

Not ready to jump into the family business, Keith went into the military in the year 2000 at age 18. He spent 5 years assigned to the 20th Special Operations Command in Ft. Walton Beach FL and spent a majority of his military career deployed to places that needed the most attention.

Keith continued in the world of excitement and danger by going into Law Enforcement where he spent 10 years working in Northwest Jacksonville. He worked the nightshift, 6pm -6am, which allowed him to have a full day to make an impact on what he ultimately wanted to do. That goal was to create an empire and to impact as many business owners as possible.

In 2009, wanting to care for his wife and first born in the best way, he took a big risk and spent his entire savings on an inactive business name and one inflatable bounce house. Bounce Around Jax Party Rentals was Northeast Florida’s #1 party and event rental business. At least that is what he believed!

By 2012, Keith was able to make a 7-figure exit and leave Law Enforcement and began to study all things finance & investing. He focused on learning about any mistakes he had made as a business owner and became obsessed with helping others avoid the same ones. That is how Tideland Consulting came to be. Now, Tideland operates in all 50 states and has created a non-bias ecosystem for growth-oriented entrepreneurs that maximizes how each dollar impacts the business, from protecting assets and reducing taxes to succession plans and exit strategies.

In 2023, Tideland aligned with GFG Solutions as a strategic partner to serve business owners at the highest level, with a white-glove service feel from a world-class team.

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The Integrated Entrepreneur

What Business Credit Really Does (And What It Definitely Doesn’t)

January 27, 2026 • Jonathan Fodera • Episode 110

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Business credit is one of the most misunderstood—and most oversold—topics in entrepreneurship. In this episode of The Integrated Entrepreneur, Jonathan Fodera and Joseph Viccora break down what business credit actually is, how it works, and how to build it the right way—without falling for the online hype, gimmicks, or expensive “done-for-you” programs.

They explain the real purpose of business credit, what it helps with (and what it doesn’t), and why most promises of instant, unsecured EIN-only funding simply don’t reflect how lending actually works. Drawing on 15+ years in small business finance, the conversation cuts through the noise to show how business credit supports SBA loans, equipment financing, vendor terms, insurance premiums, and even government or municipal contracts.

You’ll learn how to check your business credit properly, the five foundational “fundability factors” every business needs in place, and how to start building real reporting trade lines step by step. Jonathan and Joseph also walk through common mistakes that quietly damage business credit—late vendor payments, maxed-out cards, too many applications at once, and buying fake or mismatched trade lines.

Most importantly, they explain how business credit fits into a larger financial strategy—and why credit should support healthy cash flow, not mask bad margins or operational problems.

If you’re serious about building a scalable, finance-ready business, this episode gives you the truth—and a practical roadmap to get started.

Key highlights: