Slatemont Capital Group, a small-business funding broker in Bismarck, North Dakota, arranges introductions for working capital financing: a short-term advance of funds for payroll, supplier bills and similar costs, repaid in fixed installments. Lending partners size the amount from your revenue and bank records, decide, and set every rate and term.
| Built for | Operating bills due before customers pay |
|---|---|
| Burleigh County, ND payroll | $2.70 billion a year, 3,218 payroll employers (CBP 2023) |
| Repayment | Fixed installments over a short term, set by the partner |
| Sized from | Revenue, bank statements and existing debt |
| Decision | The lending partner's alone |
Bills working capital financing is meant to cover
Working capital is the cash cushion that carries a business from the day it pays its own bills to the day its customers pay it. Working capital financing fills that gap with a short-term advance of funds, usually repaid in fixed installments over months rather than years.
- Payroll that falls due before an invoice is paid
- Supplier and materials bills
- A tax balance owed before a slow-paying customer settles
- Rent and utilities during a ramp-up
- Costs of taking on a contract larger than usual
It is not built for long-lived assets. A machine or a fit-out that earns money for years usually belongs on a term loan or equipment financing.
Payroll is the big line in Burleigh County, ND
Burleigh County's 3,218 employer establishments paid $2.70 billion in annual payroll to 47,601 employees in 2023 (County Business Patterns). Health care and social assistance carried the largest payroll of any sector at $669.2 million. For many local employers, payroll is the bill that cannot wait, and it is the most common reason owners ask about working capital.
Small employers feel the timing hardest. 51.3% of the county's employer establishments had fewer than five employees, and 85.0% had fewer than twenty. A single late payment from one customer can decide whether a small payroll clears.
How repayment works
Most working capital agreements set a fixed payment that is withdrawn from the business bank account on a schedule: daily, weekly or monthly, depending on the partner. The term is short, so each payment is larger than a long-term loan's would be.
Before you sign, multiply the payment by the number of payments. That total, minus the amount you receive, is what the funding costs. Compare it with the interest on a line of credit for the same period.
How partners decide on an amount
Partners size working capital from evidence, not from the amount requested. They usually look at:
- Several months of business bank statements and the average balance
- Revenue trend and how regular deposits are
- Existing loans, advances and UCC filings against the business
- How long the business has operated, and the owner's credit file
- The bill or payroll the money is meant for
Asking for more than the statements support tends to slow things down. Asking for what the gap actually requires, with the invoice or payroll figure to back it, makes the conversation shorter.
Taxes, rent and owner pay
Some partners fund a tax balance or rent; others exclude them. Say what the money is for at the start so the request goes to partners that allow that use. Paying yourself from borrowed funds is a question for your accountant before it is a question for us.
Lump sum, credit line or advance on receipts
| Question | Working capital | Line of credit | Merchant cash advance |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you receive | One lump sum | A ceiling you draw under | Cash now for receipts not yet earned |
| Is it a loan? | Yes | Yes | No |
| How it is paid | Fixed installments | Interest only on what is drawn | Holdback share of receipts |
| Fits a gap that | Has a known size | Repeats unpredictably | Tracks card sales |
If the same shortfall comes back every few months, a business line of credit may cost less over time. A merchant cash advance follows card receipts but is usually the most expensive of the three. See all six options for the long-term choices.
Grants and free help
Searches for 'north dakota small business grants' often start from the same cash gap. Grant money is not something Slatemont can line up. Free counselors can tell you whether any program applies.
Before you call
Have three to six months of bank statements, the bill or payroll figure the money must cover, and a list of current debts. The four steps explain what happens next, and the Burleigh County figures and sector pages show how other local businesses use this option.
By Slatemont Capital Group · Updated
