You did the work and sent the invoice. Payroll, suppliers and the sales tax return do not wait for the customer. Here is how to measure the gap and fund only that.
Apply Now →An unpaid invoice is real revenue that has not turned into cash yet. The business is fine on paper and short on the account balance. That distinction matters because it tells you what kind of money you need: a bridge sized to the wait, not a large pile meant to fix something deeper.
Texas has a lot of businesses that live this way. The SBA Office of Advocacy counts about 3.5 million small businesses in the state, 99.8% of all Texas businesses, and many of them invoice other businesses on terms rather than getting paid at the counter. Staffing, trades, wholesale, transport support, professional services and contract manufacturing all run on terms.
Take the invoices that are open, then line each one up against the bills you must pay before it is likely to clear. The number that matters is the largest shortfall at any point in the next several weeks, not the total owed to you.
For illustration only, say a shop has $60,000 in open invoices spread across four customers, with one $30,000 invoice running past its due date. Payroll next week is $18,000 and a supplier statement of $12,000 is due. The shortfall is closer to $30,000 than $60,000, and it shrinks by the day if one of the other customers pays. These are made-up numbers to show the arithmetic, not our terms or a typical outcome.
| Type of delay | What it usually means | What to do first |
|---|---|---|
| Slow but steady payer | Their accounts payable cycle is longer than your terms | Bridge the known wait; agree a firmer date in writing |
| Disputed invoice | Someone questions the work, a quantity or paperwork | Fix the dispute first; do not borrow against money you may not collect |
| Concentrated risk | One customer is most of your receivables | Fund the gap, then work on spreading the customer base |
Some outflows have fixed calendars. The Texas Comptroller tells sales tax filers by letter whether they file monthly or quarterly, and the annual franchise tax report is due May 15, moving to the next business day if that lands on a weekend or holiday. The Texas Workforce Commission expects quarterly wage reports and unemployment taxes by the last day of the month after the quarter ends. When a big invoice slips past a filing date, the money still has to leave the account on time.
Write those dates next to your open invoices. The overlap is where a short bridge earns its keep.
We fund $25,000 to $5,000,000, funded in as little as 24 hours, and the application takes about 5 minutes with a soft credit pull. Sole proprietors can apply. If your gap is smaller than $25,000, a funding product may not fit and a conversation with your customer or a supplier may be the faster fix.
Funding does not make a customer pay faster and it does not replace collecting. Keep sending reminders, keep a dated log of each contact, and consider a small discount for early payment only if the math works. Once the invoice clears, the funding has done its job. Pick an amount you can repay from normal sales even if the late invoice is late again.
Generally no. Resolve the dispute first. Funding a gap caused by money you may never collect means you repay out of future sales for work that earned you nothing.
Size it to the largest shortfall between now and the dates your open invoices are likely to clear, plus a small cushion. Funding of $25,000 or more is the range we work in, so smaller gaps often need another solution.
Open receivables are normal for a business that invoices on terms. The application is about 5 minutes, and sole proprietors can apply. What helps is knowing your own numbers when you start.
Treat it as a pattern. Fund the immediate gap, then tighten terms, ask for deposits on new work, and stop extending credit to anyone who is past due.
Sometimes yes, if the money is coming within days and no fixed bill lands first. The case for funding is a due date on your side that falls before theirs.
Three months of business bank statements and a 5-minute application. FICO 500+ considered. $25,000 to $5,000,000, funded in as little as 24 hours.
Apply Now →It takes about two minutes and it will not affect your credit score.
No obligation • No impact to your credit score
