The gap between paying and getting paid
Most cash trouble in a growing business is not a profit problem. It is a timing problem. You pay people and suppliers now and collect from customers later. Working capital is short-term operating money for that window. It is meant for payroll, rent, materials, insurance and similar costs, not for a ten-year asset.
What the Lancaster economy puts in that window
Lancaster is in the Antelope Valley, about 70 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, and its Metrolink station is the northern end of the Antelope Valley Line. The city has General William J. Fox Airfield for local aviation, a semi-arid climate, and per the 2020 census 173,516 people. Wikipedia lists the Fox Field Industrial Corridor along Avenue G, North Valley Industrial Center and other business parks, and notes that employers the city attracted include SYGMA, Rite Aid, Michaels and Bank of America.
If you supply those parks, whether with parts, packaging, uniforms, repair, staffing or food, you are probably paid by invoice. If you serve commuters or households, your deposits may come steadily but your costs come in bursts. In both cases a few weeks of cash can make the difference between taking the next order and turning it down.
A sample month, for illustration only
A Lancaster packaging supplier invoices $48,000 on net-45 terms. Over the next 30 days it pays $14,000 in wages, $11,000 for materials and $3,000 in rent. That is $28,000 out before the invoice pays. If the account holds $10,000, the gap is $18,000 and it lasts about two weeks. The funding conversation is about that $18,000, not about the full $48,000. These are example figures, not our terms.
Questions to answer before you request it
- How many days does your average customer take to pay, and has that changed in the last six months?
- What is the single largest cost in the gap: wages, materials or rent?
- When the invoice pays, will there be enough left after repayment to rebuild a buffer?
If you cannot answer the third question with confidence, the money may be solving the wrong problem; look at pricing, terms with customers or costs first.
Who it suits, who it does not
- Suits: profitable businesses with slow receivables, seasonal ramps and one-time supply buys.
- Does not suit: a business that loses money every month, since added cash only delays the problem.
- Consider instead: equipment financing for machinery, or startup business loans if you have just opened.
What we ask for
Requests run from $25,000 to $5,000,000. About three months of business bank statements, a 5-minute application, FICO 500 and above considered, no tax returns, a soft credit pull. Funding in as little as 24 hours after approval. Sole proprietors can apply. We do not post rates or terms here; compare offers in writing. If daily payments on existing advances are your pressure, read about MCA relief. County context is on the Los Angeles County page. Apply here.