A skincare and candle maker in regional New South Wales: supplies on time

Skincare, perfume and candles

The business makes skincare, perfume and candles in regional New South Wales. It sells to its own retail customers, to wholesale stockists, and to a big national retailer that orders in volume.

Retail customers pay when they buy. The wholesale and contract customers pay on terms. When they signed up in March 2024, the owner told the FundTap team most of them paid a month after the end of the month they were invoiced, sometimes a bit later, and the biggest customer took longer still.

The national retailer is the best customer and the slowest payer. Its orders are the big ones, and its terms are the longest.

Supplies before the big order pays

Making product means buying supplies before an order ships. That money goes out long before the customer’s invoice is paid, and when a big customer runs late, the next lot of supplies still has to be bought.

In June 2024, the owner told the FundTap team there were supplies to buy and a big customer’s invoice that wouldn’t be paid in time to cover them.

Funding the big customer’s invoice

Their broker introduced them to FundTap, and the business signed up in March 2024 and connected Xero. The first invoice was funded in May 2024, and in June 2024 the owner funded the big customer’s invoice so the supplies could be bought.

The owner picks which invoices to fund and sees the fee before committing, and funds nothing when there’s no gap to cover. The national retailer and the stockists still pay the business when their terms come round.

The supplies bought on time

With the invoice funded, the supplies were bought and the next orders could be made without waiting on the national retailer.

January 2025 was the busiest month, with two invoices funded, and 2025 was the biggest year with eight.

There when the next big order lands

Over two years the owner has funded 15 invoices. In August 2026 their funding limit was raised twice, so the next big order has room.

Between big orders there is no fee, because there is nothing funded.

The timeline

1. March 2024 Introduced by their broker, signed up and connected Xero, with big customers paying on long terms.
2. May 2024 Funded their first invoice.
3. June 2024 Funded the big customer’s invoice so the supplies could be bought.
4. January 2025 The busiest month so far, with two invoices funded.
5. August 2026 Funding limit raised twice.

In numbers

• 30 days from the end of the month: the usual terms, and sometimes a bit later
• 15 invoices funded since May 2024
• 8 invoices funded in 2025, their biggest year
• 2 increases to their funding limit, both in August 2026

Sound like your business?

The big order is yours, the supplies have to be bought now, and the customer pays in two or three months. Fund that invoice and keep making.

Fund the next order without waiting on the last one.

Invoice finance for makers and distributors  •  All case studies