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Your Customers Pay in 60 Days. Your Suppliers Want Money Today. What Should You Do?
Cash Flow · Working Capital

Your Customers Pay in 60 Days.
Your Suppliers Want Money Today.

Your sales may be growing. Your customers may be happy. But if money comes in late and goes out early, your business can still run short of cash.

The problem isn't always a lack of profit. Sometimes it's timing.

Imagine you receive a ₹10 lakh customer order. You need to buy inventory. You need to pay employees. You need to pay suppliers. You need to keep the business running. But your customer says: "We'll pay you in 60 days." Your supplier says: "Payment is due today." That gap has to be managed.

60
Days between sale and collection

Revenue today doesn't always mean cash today.

This is one of the most important concepts in business cash-flow management. You can make the sale. You can record the revenue. You can even make a profit. But if the customer hasn't paid yet, the cash is still outside your business.

Your business may have to spend four times before it gets paid once.

01

Order

Customer places an order and expects delivery.

02

Purchase

You purchase inventory or materials to fulfil the order.

03

Operate

Employees, logistics, rent and other costs continue.

04

Collect

The customer finally pays according to the agreed credit terms.

Where is your cash getting stuck?

Select an area below to see what may be creating the cash-flow gap.

Receivables

When customers take 30, 60 or 90 days to pay, your business may have already spent money fulfilling the order. The longer the collection period, the longer your cash remains tied up.

Don't simply chase more sales. Manage the cash cycle.

01

Improve Collections

Clear payment terms, regular follow-ups and disciplined collections can reduce the time between sales and cash receipt.

02

Negotiate Supplier Terms

Where commercially possible, negotiate payment terms that better match your customer collection cycle.

03

Manage Inventory

Avoid tying up excessive cash in inventory that is not moving quickly.

04

Create a Cash Buffer

Maintaining appropriate liquidity can help the business handle timing mismatches without disrupting operations.

05

Plan Working Capital

Forecast upcoming receipts and payments rather than looking only at the current bank balance.

06

Evaluate Financing

When a genuine short-term funding gap exists, suitable working capital facilities may help bridge the timing difference, subject to eligibility and terms.

If cash goes out faster than it comes in, growth itself can create pressure.

The solution isn't always "sell more." Sometimes the business needs to improve the timing between purchases, production, sales, collections and payments.

A ₹10 lakh order can create a cash-flow gap.

Customer order ₹10 lakh
Customer payment After 60 days
Inventory / material Paid before delivery
Employee & operating costs Paid during the cycle
Supplier payment Due earlier
Key issue Timing mismatch

A cash-flow problem can become expensive when ignored.

Ignoring receivables

Growing sales without monitoring outstanding customer payments can increase the amount of cash locked outside the business.

Overstocking

Buying more inventory than the business can efficiently sell can unnecessarily tie up working capital.

Borrowing without a plan

Finance should solve a defined cash-flow requirement, not hide an underlying operational problem.

How businesses can manage a 60-day payment gap.

Understand your cash conversion cycle

Track how long it takes to purchase inventory, sell products, collect customer payments and settle supplier obligations. This helps identify where cash remains tied up.

Set clear customer credit terms

Before extending credit, businesses should understand the customer's payment behaviour and establish clear commercial terms.

Monitor outstanding invoices

Don't wait until an invoice is severely overdue. Regular receivables tracking can help identify delayed payments earlier.

Use supplier credit intelligently

Where possible, supplier payment terms can help align cash outflows with customer collections. The terms should always be commercially sustainable for both parties.

Forecast cash flow

A cash-flow forecast can help you see upcoming payments, expected collections and potential funding gaps before they become urgent.

Consider working capital finance when appropriate

Businesses may consider suitable working capital facilities when there is a genuine timing gap between operating cash outflows and expected collections. Eligibility, cost, security and repayment terms vary by lender and product.

60-day payment terms — explained.

Because the business may need to spend money on inventory, employees, suppliers and operations before receiving the customer's payment.
Use clear payment terms, monitor outstanding invoices, follow up systematically and evaluate customer credit practices.
Where commercially appropriate, longer payment terms can help align supplier payments with customer collections. However, terms should be negotiated responsibly and should work for both parties.
A working capital gap occurs when cash required for day-to-day operations goes out before the corresponding customer collections come in.
Depending on the product and lender, working capital facilities may help eligible businesses manage temporary timing gaps between cash outflows and expected collections.
No. Businesses should first identify the cause of the gap. Improving collections, inventory management and supplier terms may sometimes address the issue without additional borrowing.

Don't let a successful sale become a cash-flow problem.

Good businesses don't just manage revenue. They manage the journey of money from customer to bank account. Understand your working capital cycle before the gap becomes a crisis.

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