The gap is the problem, not the business
Most businesses that need working capital are not failing. They are paying for things before they are paid for them. Payroll is every two weeks; a customer takes thirty or sixty days. A supplier wants cash on delivery; the product sells next month. The gap between those dates is what working capital covers.
Modesto adds a calendar to the problem. Wikipedia describes the city as surrounded by fertile farmland, home to Gallo Winery, with a large agricultural industry. A shop that sells to, hauls for or services those operations usually earns in waves.
Four common gaps
Payroll before invoices clear
A contractor finishes a job in June, invoices in July, collects in August, and has paid crews every week since. The payroll is real; the revenue is late.
Inventory ahead of the season
Suppliers of packaging, parts or feed often have to stock before the rush, not during it.
A repair that cannot wait
A refrigeration unit or delivery van that fails in summer heat costs more each day it sits.
A slow stretch after a big month
Rent and insurance do not drop when sales do.
A simple way to size it (illustration only)
Add the fixed costs of the gap: say two payrolls of $14,000, rent of $4,500 and a supplier bill of $9,000, for $41,500. Compare that with the revenue you can reasonably expect to collect inside the same window. If the gap is $20,000 after collections, borrowing $20,000 is a bridge; borrowing $100,000 is something else. These are round numbers to show the method, not a quote.
What the money does not fix
Working capital covers timing. It does not repair a margin that is negative on every sale, and an owner who takes it to prop up that problem will be back in the same position with a payment added. Before you apply, check one thing: if every invoice were paid tomorrow, would the business still have a month where costs exceed income? If yes, the issue is pricing or cost, and a conversation about that comes first. If no, the issue is timing, and working capital is the right tool.
What we look at
We consider FICO scores of 500 and above, ask for about three months of business bank statements, require no tax returns, and use a soft credit pull on a five-minute application. Funding runs from $25,000 to $5,000,000 and can arrive in as little as 24 hours. Sole proprietors can apply. We do not publish a minimum revenue figure, because the statements, not a rule of thumb, decide.
Related options
If you need flexible access over months, look at a line of credit. For a single large project, term loans. For repayment that follows deposits, revenue-based financing. The Central Valley North overview covers nearby cities, or apply here.