Per recent reports, as many as one third of applications for business loans get a denial. If you find yourself as part of that group, there are some ways to help the situation.

First, try to determine where the problem is.

Possible areas of concern may include:

• Your business profits. Does your business have a healthy profit margin? Improving your profits by reducing and trimming operational excess and unnecessary business spending can help improve profits. This will boost your chances of approval. Your business assets and liabilities. If your balance sheet is out of whack, most lenders will run the other way. If your business is already heavy on debt, then this will be an area of concern you should address.

• Your payment histories and business credit profile. How you pay existing obligations will play a role in your approval or denial for credit. If you’ve gotten a business credit denial recently, check your business credit score and other payment performance data.

• Most payment information is only reported for 2 to 3 years (depending on the credit bureau), so if you’ve made a mistake or hit a bump or two in the road, don’t let it worry you. Keep the positive payment history going, and make sure what is being reported is accurate.

• Your bank ratings. If your business bank account balances are often low, this can rule you out for certain types of business credit. Try to maintain $10,000 or more in your business bank accounts to avoid trouble.

The bottom line, if you’ve had a credit denial, then there is something about your business making it seem to be a bad risk.

Your job is to analyze and understand your business credit report and business finances.

Find where the problem is and take the necessary steps to correct your course.

Sometimes a lack of history or incorrect data on your business is a key factor in a credit denial.

You can fix this with careful steps to shape your business’s financial picture and credit profile.