Cashflow is the oxygen of every growing CPG brand. You need it to purchase ingredients and packaging, fulfill new retail orders, cover payroll, and invest in growth. But too often, money goes out the door long before revenue comes in — especially when you’re scaling and your working capital is stretched thin.

Freeing up cash doesn’t always require drastic measures. Sometimes, small operational tweaks or working with the right partners can unlock tens of thousands of dollars in liquidity. Below are five actionable ways to improve your cashflow without taking on debt or giving up equity.

Sponsored by: Opply – get an extra 60 to 90 days to pay your suppliers—without burning relationships or sacrificing equity.

1. Extend Payment Terms with Suppliers

One of the fastest ways to preserve cash is by delaying when it goes out. Traditional supplier terms are often 15 or 30 days, which puts pressure on your business to turn inventory quickly or dip into savings to bridge the gap.

By negotiating longer payment terms — ideally 60 to 90 days — you give your brand more breathing room. This is especially helpful for businesses selling into retail channels with delayed payment cycles. Aligning your payables with your receivables can reduce the time you’re floating expenses and improve cash stability.

If your suppliers don’t offer extended terms, platforms like Opply can help. They front payments to your ingredient and packaging suppliers, giving you up to 90 days to repay. This structure allows you to better align your cash outflows with incoming revenue, making your operations more sustainable as you grow.

2. Streamline Your Operations

The less time you spend chasing paperwork, the more time and money you can devote to growth. Manual processes — like submitting purchase orders, tracking deliveries, and reconciling supplier invoices — can create bottlenecks that lead to delays, costly errors, or inventory mismanagement.

Streamline your procurement by using software or partnering with a team who can manage your procurement process for you. They can take on the administrative work while you focus on your business.

If you’re still managing your operations via spreadsheets and email threads, it’s time to upgrade. The right tools will give you real-time visibility and reduce last-minute surprises that can kill cashflow.

3. Consolidate Supplier Invoices

When you’re working with multiple suppliers for ingredients, packaging, and co-manufacturing, it’s easy to get buried in invoices. Different due dates, terms, and payment methods can quickly become overwhelming — and one missed payment can affect your relationships or even halt production.

Consolidating your payables into a single monthly invoice can help you stay organized and avoid late fees. More importantly, it gives you a clearer view of your total spend and cash obligations, helping you make better decisions.

This also allows you to plan your disbursements more effectively, reducing the likelihood of tying up funds at the wrong time. Partners like Opply will consolidate all of your invoices into one payment, keeping your business simple.

4. Avoid Interest and Compounding Costs

Short-term loans, lines of credit, and merchant cash advances may provide quick cash — but they come at a high cost. Interest rates, late fees, and compounding terms can create a snowball effect that eats away at your margins and creates financial stress.

A better alternative is using flat-fee services where the cost is fixed, upfront, and predictable. Opply Extended Terms program is not a loan — instead of interest, you pay a single flat rate on your spend per month, no matter when you pay within the term window. That means no hidden fees or escalating costs, giving you peace of mind and more control over your budgeting.

Need Help Putting This into Action?

Freeing up cashflow can feel like a juggling act, especially when you’re managing a growing business with limited internal resources. The good news? You don’t have to do it alone.

Opply offers a supply chain platform built specifically for CPG brands. Their services include:

• Upfront payments to suppliers with 60–90 day repayment windows
• Consolidated invoicing
• Streamlined order and delivery tracking
• And a flat monthly fee structure — no interest, no surprises

👉 Want an intro to someone at Opply who can get you extended terms?