An architectural designer in the top of the South Island: into commercial work

From gardens to commercial builds

The practice does architectural design at the top of the South Island. Much of its earlier work was residential landscape design.

Now the work is shifting to commercial projects, where the practice both designs the building and project-manages the build. The projects are bigger, and so is the wait to be paid.

The practice invoices for the work completed in the month just gone, and the client pays on the 20th of the month after.

Wages first, the client’s money later

A month’s design work is invoiced at the end of it and paid on the 20th of the month after. On commercial projects that wait stretches, and the practice carries the staff through it.

At sign-up in October 2022, the owner told the FundTap team the move into commercial work would slow the money down for a while. The owner also said there were wages to pay in the short term.

Funding the month’s invoice

They signed up in October 2022 and funded their first invoice that month.

The practice picks the invoice and sees the fee before committing. The client pays the practice on the 20th of the month after, as before.

Taking on the commercial projects

With the month’s invoice funded, payday didn’t have to wait for the 20th of the following month.

That’s what carried the practice into the commercial work: bigger projects, slower money, and the wages still paid on time.

Seven invoices have been funded since October 2022, with January 2025 the busiest month at two and the most recent in March 2025. Nothing has been funded since, and nothing has been charged either.

The timeline

1. October 2022 Signed up as the work shifted to commercial projects, with wages to pay before the 20th.
2. October 2022 Funded their first invoice.
3. January 2025 The busiest month so far, with two invoices funded.
4. March 2025 Funded an invoice, the most recent in the records.

In numbers

• 20th of the month after: when the clients pay for the month’s work
• 7 invoices funded since October 2022
• 3 invoices funded in 2025, their busiest year

Sound like your business?

The month’s work is invoiced and the client pays on the 20th of the following. When the wages can’t wait that long, fund that invoice. When they can, pay nothing.

Fund a specific invoice when the timing doesn’t work. Pay nothing when it does.

Invoice finance for professional services  •  All case studies