Credit dries up fast when scores dip, yet bills don’t. A rough month can turn a $20,000 repair or a late wholesale shipment into a cash crunch. The playbook below keeps the lights on, protects margins, and nudges your credit profile in the right direction without wishful thinking.
- Get blunt with cash flow
Start by mapping 13 weeks of inflows and outflows, then triage what must be paid first. Payroll, sales tax, and supplier essentials go ahead of extras. A Brooklyn salon that sees receivables lag in July might cover a two-week gap with a short-term business cashflow loan, schedule rent for the week clients return, and pause a nonessential order of premium retail boxes until August.
- Cut spend you won’t miss
Reduce fixed costs before revenue does it for you. Go through subscriptions, phone plans, and extra software seats, then pick up the phone to haggle a lower rate. In Houston, a small contractor cut three unused Slack and Zoom seats and switched to a Verizon business plan, trimming $120 a month and freeing enough to grab a 3 percent early-pay discount from a local lumber yard.
 Collect faster with clear terms
Shorten payment windows and reward speed. Shift long-time customers to Net 15 with a 2/10 perk, send the invoice the day the job wraps, and keep late fees modest so they actually stick. A Denver HVAC shop using QuickBooks turned on the ACH pay button and offered 2 percent off for payment within 10 days. The tweak brought in $18,000 about two weeks earlier and covered payroll without touching a high-APR line.
- Build bankable habits, even with bad credit
Lenders look for steady behavior. Open a dedicated business checking account, separate all transactions, and keep a minimum daily balance target. Establish trade lines with vendors that report to Experian Business or Dun & Bradstreet, then pay early. A Chicago caterer held a $2,500 average balance at Bank of America and paid two vendor accounts on day 20 for six months, which helped secure a $10,000 secured card that later graduated.
- Use alternatives that don’t sink margins
Explore funding that tolerates lower scores, then compare total cost, not just the rate. Community development financial institutions such as Accion Opportunity Fund, SBA Microloans up to $50,000 with terms up to six years, and Kiva’s 0 percent community-backed loans can bridge inventory or equipment needs. A Phoenix retailer factored a $30,000 invoice at 2.5 percent for 30 days, then refinanced the next cycle with a cheaper CDFI line to avoid stacking fees. No one brags about paying 28 percent APR.
- Protect margin and forecast for the next dip
Small price moves and tighter SKUs can stabilize cash without chasing volume. Bundle low-turn items with best sellers, adjust prices by 3 to 5 percent where competitors already sit, and watch freight and return costs by SKU. A Seattle e-commerce brand trimmed 12 slow SKUs, raised a top seller by 4 percent, and used a simple Google Sheet to run a rolling 13-week forecast. The changes preserved a 30 percent gross margin and flagged a September tax payment in time to save for it.
- Talk to existing creditors before they talk to you
Vendors, landlords, and card issuers often prefer a plan to a surprise. Call early, offer a calendar with dates, and follow up in writing. In Tampa, a restaurant bracing for the winter tourism slump got a $2,000 monthly rent deferral for three months by sharing POS reports and proposing a catch-up plan tied to spring reservations.
- Stay current on taxes so costs don’t snowball
Penalties and liens crush cash flow and scare lenders. Separate sales tax daily, file payroll tax deposits on time, and set up an IRS payment plan if needed. A San Diego retailer who scheduled monthly sales tax transfers into a separate savings account stopped the scramble at quarter end and avoided a 5 percent penalty that would have wiped out a week of profit.
Tight habits compound. A rolling 13-week view, early calls to creditors, and careful use of cheaper capital can steady operations while credit slowly rebounds. Check the plan every 30 days, jot what moved cash in or out, and fix the next weak spot before it turns into a mess. Subtle, boring discipline tends to pay on time.
