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Hey everyone, this is my first Reddit post, so I apologize if it’s a little rough.
I'm 25 M and I’ve learned a ton from this community and really respect the advice that gets shared here. Now I’m the one who needs help.
I own a small business that I started and fully funded myself. I own 100% of it. I do everything — the work, bookkeeping, taxes, invoicing, customer relations — all of it. and I've been in business for over 2 years
When I first started, things were manageable. I paid for materials, tools, and consumables in cash. No loans, no credit cards, no investors, no debt. It felt safe and controlled.
But as the months went on, the business kept growing. Bigger clients came in. I moved into B2B work with net 30 terms. At first, I was balancing that with smaller cash-paying jobs, which helped with flow.
Now I’m almost strictly B2B. Dee to me not having any physical time for the smaller intricate jobs that takes 6 hours to complete.
And my cash flow is terrible.
On paper, I’m growing every month. I have recurring clients. Work keeps increasing. But because of net 30 terms, I’m constantly waiting to get paid while needing to buy materials for the next round of jobs. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m worried I won’t be able to afford next month’s materials — even though I have the work lined up.
I’ve tried loans which i cant get approved due to my credit and being high risk and grants, but most “grant” programs I find just want fees to “move my application forward,” which feels sketchy. I don’t want to bury myself in bad debt.
This situation has stressed me to the point of mental exhaustion. I’ve honestly thought about shutting everything down just to relieve the pressure — even though I know the business is growing and has real potential. It feels like I’m growing too fast and I can’t keep up financially.
Has anyone else dealt with rapid growth creating cash flow problems like this?
How do you manage net 30 clients without constantly feeling underwater?
I don’t want to quit. I just don’t know how to stabilize this.
Any advice would mean a lot.