Customers must establish a new PNC Merchant Services account and execute a PNC Merchant Services agreement with an initial term of three years or longer. An early termination fee will not be applied if you close this account prior to the end of the term. If you have leased a point-of-sale device or other equipment, this is a separate agreement and is noncancellable. Please refer to your lease agreement for details. Purchased point-of-sale devices or other equipment is nonreturnable and is subject to availability.
Starting Your Business
Success is your destination, so let’s take the journey together.
Get Started
When you're just starting out, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Our trusted advice gives you the confidence to start strong, setting you up for long-term success.
Get Paid
Your business and your customers are one-of-a-kind. Explore our payment solutions to find the best one for you and your customers.
On-the-go
Meet your customers where they are - accept credit and debit cards from your smartphone or tablet.[1]
Point of Sale
Discover "Point-of-Sale" systems and payment solutions to run your business more efficiently.[1]
Get Growing
To grow your business you have to know your business.
Manage your business's cash flow with efficiency, control & insight.
- Cash Flow Insight® [2]: A suite of digital business tools included with your PNC business checking accounts.
- See your business performance: One dashboard helps you monitor your cash flow and cash position at a glance.
- Plan for what's coming: Manage your short-term forecast and know about cash shortfalls ahead of time.
- Track your expenses: Transactions can be sorted, categorized and exported so you can compare them over time – and monitor employee spending with ease.
Our Success is Your Success
Insights & Guidance
Learn from our business banking experience and the journeys of other small business owners.
Business Planning
How to Start a Business: A Step-by-Step Guide for New Entrepreneurs
Taking the leap and starting your own small business is difficult. Getting the right guidance and following the right steps doesn’t have to be.
Business Planning
What Is a Merchant Account and How Can It Help Your Small Business?
As your small business begins, being prepared to accept card payments in various ways is crucial.
Growing Your Business
Whitepaper: Building Your Digital Toolkit
7 Ways Small Businesses Can Leverage Digital Tools and Strategies to Reach More Customers Online
Running Your Business
How To Turn Your Side Hustle Into a Business
Going from full-timer to entrepreneur can be daunting. Here’s how you can make an informed decision about your side hustle.
2 min read
Starting Your Business
Tips to Start Your Business Off on the Right Foot
One common denominator can help set any small business up for success — the advice of someone who’s been there. You can start here.
6 min read
Business Start Up Tools
Explore the checklist, calculator tool and tips below to help you plan, finance and launch your business.
To Do |
Description |
Helpful Resources |
Refine Your Idea |
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Write a Business Plan |
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How to Write a Business Plan for Direction, Growth, and Success |
Market Research and Competitive Analysis |
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Name Your Business |
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United States Patent and Trademark database |
Determine a Funding Path |
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How to Finance a Business: Considerations to Get Your Idea off the Ground
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Choose Your Business Structure |
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Legally Register Your Business |
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Get a Federal Tax ID |
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Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) Online |
Get a Business License and Permits |
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Open a Business Bank Account |
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Get a Business Insurance Policy |
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Decide How to Accept Payments for Your Business
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What is a Merchant Account and How Can It Help Your Small Business?
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Review Business and/or Personal Credit Report
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Business Credit Ratings Personal Credit Score Some credit cards may offer free credit reports as well. Check your credit card company’s website to see if this service is available to you. |
This checklist is for general information purposes only and is not intended to provide legal, tax, accounting, or financial advice. PNC urges readers to do independent research and to consult with financial and legal professionals before making any financial decisions.
© The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Creating a working business plan is often a vital first step when searching for financing options. More than just drafting up a document, you need to create a working plan that can you can revisit and reevaluate, so that it evolves to mirror the business you want to create. The business plan should contain a forecast for your business with at least two scenarios: (1) how you expect your business to perform if you don't get any financing, and (2) how it will perform if you do. There are a lot of resources you can turn to for help on the plan, such as small-business resource centers at local universities, your community, or asking for help from trusted professionals or other small business owners.
Sales that don’t get tracked, don’t exist. And, customers with no contact and demographic information captured are imaginary.
To be successful in your venture, you must start out tracking the numbers upfront so that you can prove to yourself that the business is viable and also make a strong case to potential investors down the road that your idea is worthy of the risk.
Start out by tracking sales over different time periods. What are your annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily sales? The next metric to assess is your sales by product or service, so you can quantify exactly what’s selling and get rid of what’s not. Last, consider revenue per sale. What is the actual net profit for each individual unit per sale? Also, get in the habit of capturing as much data on your customers that is relevant to your business as possible. Saying you serve women is not enough. How old is the average woman you serve? Is she married or single? Does she have children? Where does she like to eat, shop or volunteer?
The more intel you gather on your customers, the more you can prove that you understand their needs and equip yourself with the products and services to meet their demand.
Initially, you should invest as much of your personal resources into your business as possible. At the minimum, it ensures that you remain in control of the vision and direction of your idea as opposed to investors that will come onboard. Additionally, your business typically can’t borrow money unless you’ve shown your confidence in the project by personally investing at least 20 to 30 percent of your own funds. You need to use your money to attract more money. Not putting any skin in the game, will likely not encourage anyone else to.
Contact Us
Our expertise makes business banking easy. We’re here with solutions for every step of your journey – let’s talk.
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Cash Flow Insight requires an eligible PNC business checking account and enrollment in PNC Online Banking. Cash Flow Insight is enabled for all new business checking customers enrolling in Online Banking. For more information, visit pnc.com/cashflowinsight. Cash Flow Insight is a registered mark of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. U.S. Patent Nos. 10,402,910, 9,965,808, and 11,074,660, and other patents pending.
Visa and Visa Signature are registered trademarks of Visa International Service Association and used under license.
All loans, lines of credit and PNC Bank credit cards are subject to credit approval. Requires automatic deduction from your PNC business checking account. Other fees and charges may apply. May be subject to a property appraisal.
MasterCard® is a registered trademark of MasterCard International, Inc.
Read a summary of privacy rights for California residents which outlines the types of information we collect, and how and why we use that information.