What it is
Working capital is a sum to run the business: payroll, supplies, rent, fuel. It does not purchase an asset; it pays for time. We fund $25,000 to $5,000,000, with funding in as little as 24 hours once the file is complete, consider FICO 500 and above, and do not require tax returns.
Oxnard's pay-first, get-paid-later pattern
Wikipedia describes the Port of Hueneme as the only deep-harbor commercial port between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and lists produce and automotive importers among the companies using it. It also notes the strawberry and vegetable fields of the Oxnard Plain and a manufacturing base. Whoever handles, hauls, packs or repairs for those businesses pays crews and suppliers now and is paid after delivery or settlement.
A month on the calendar
- Week 1: crews and fuel for a big delivery are paid.
- Week 2: packaging and parts are bought for the next one.
- Week 3: the first delivery is invoiced, due in 30 days.
- Week 4: payroll is due again, with the invoice still unpaid.
That is working capital in its purest form. For illustration only: $35,000 of labor and materials sits out for 30 days before the invoice is paid. Round numbers, not our terms.
Nearby options
For repeated small draws see line of credit. For a defined project, term loans. For repayment that follows revenue, revenue-based financing. For a new business, startup funding.
Reading your own cycle
Draw a simple weekly grid of money in and money out for the next three months. The first negative week is the number to fund, not the biggest cost of the year. Add a small buffer and ask for that amount.
Reading the numbers behind the ask
A request is easiest to review when it ties to a number in your statements: a payroll total, a supplier invoice, a known gap. Instead of asking for a round figure, ask for the gap plus a modest buffer. If the gap recurs every season, say so, and say how you plan to cover it next time. That is a stronger case than a one-off story, and it keeps the amount from drifting upward.
Common mistakes with a first working-capital sum
- Using it to cover a structural loss rather than a timing gap, which only delays the problem.
- Asking for the largest amount available instead of the gap.
- Forgetting that a hire or a new contract brings its own costs before revenue.
Applying
About three months of business bank statements and a sentence on what the money covers. The application takes 5 minutes and the credit pull is soft. Sole proprietors can apply. Apply here. County page: Ventura County business funding.