Cashflow is the quiet truth behind every growing business. You can have the contracts, the crews, the gear, the drive — but if the money doesn't land when it should, growth becomes fragile. One slow payer can pull the handbrake on everything.
This Auckland-based hydro-evacuation business learnt that reality early. Their early wins came from insight and grit, not luck. They invested in specialised equipment, took on complex jobs, and built a reputation that kept demand growing.
Then came the opportunity to expand into traffic management. It was a natural extension of what they were already doing. The margins stacked up. The demand was clear. But the financial model was completely different.
Traffic management is labour-heavy. More staff. More shifts. More vehicles on the road. And every week, no matter when customers paid, wages had to go out. The business wasn't short on work — it was short on cashflow timing.
The owners understood the numbers and the pressure of weekly payroll. They were advised to approach the bank for a business loan or even a working capital loan — the typical first step for young companies trying to stabilise cashflow during expansion.
The bank liked the story but not the age of the company. Two years old meant not enough trading history. Existing finance on vehicles and machinery reduced the headroom for more debt. It wasn't personal. It was simply the wrong shape for traditional lending.
Being financially savvy, the owners weren't willing to take on more long-term debt or put personal assets on the line as guarantees for a fixed-term business loan — especially one that wouldn't grow with them, and could be withdrawn at a moment's notice.
What they needed was working capital that matched the rhythm of the business: costs landing now, payments landing later.
That moment became a turning point. If the bank couldn't support the expansion, then the model needed to change. Instead of adding liability, they needed to unlock liquidity.
Invoice finance became the smarter alternative to a traditional business loan — a working capital solution built for young, ambitious businesses. By turning their customer invoices into immediate cash, their working capital stopped depending on slow payment cycles. Wage payments became predictable. Cashflow confidence returned. Growth became sustainable because they could plan ahead without the drag of loan repayments continuously reducing cashflow.
Instead of layering on more debt, the facility flexed with the business — growing as revenue grew, without extra repayments eating into working capital.
Within six months of implementing invoice finance:
Where traditional lenders stepped back, Lock Finance recognised their determination and backed their momentum — not by taking centre stage, but by giving them the liquidity to stay in control of their own growth. And the business didn't just manage the shift into traffic management — it gained the financial stability to grow on its own terms, powered by the cashflow it was already earning.
