Seasonal Working Capital

That’s when she met Dante.

"They pay in 45 days. You need cash in 15 days to pay your pickers and your pump repair guy." He tapped the paper. "I buy your invoices at 92 cents on the dollar. You get $138,000 by tomorrow morning. When FoodHub pays me in July, you get the remaining 8% back, minus my 3% fee."

Now, April was two weeks away. She needed $150,000 by Friday. seasonal working capital

The bridge was built. The chasm yawned below, but she was crossing.

Seasonal working capital isn’t just a line item on a balance sheet. It’s a heartbeat. For some businesses, it’s the frantic, beautiful, terrifying pulse of survival. That’s when she met Dante

Elara learned that the hard way. But by the end, she understood the most important lesson of all:

But the heat brought problems. The cooling unit in the main packing shed died. That was $40,000. Then a conveyor belt shredded. Another $12,000. She had already spent the seasonal working capital. The money from Dante was gone—spent on labor, boxes, fuel, ice. "I buy your invoices at 92 cents on the dollar

While almost all businesses have some fluctuation, certain industries are defined by seasonality:

But she noticed something strange. Her gross revenue was up 40% from last year. Yet her checking account balance was lower . The seasonal working capital had done its job—it had funded the production cycle—but it had also bled her dry in fees.