Big Chill Distribution
Cash flow shouldn’t stop you from delivering.
It’s a sleepless two a.m. kind of epiphany, when worries are the loudest thing in your head. Right then, the idea of being able to grow your business the way you want to, in the time that you need to, seems near impossible.
Mark Shapland, Director of Big Chill Distribution knows exactly what that feels like. He's lived it. Together with his business partner Colin, he's seen his fair share of the ups and downs. For this duo, growing their business was anything but straightforward.
They came from humble beginnings, first teaming up with a single delivery truck. Over the years, Mark and Colin grew it into the Big Chill Distribution we know today, offering a bespoke, nation-wide distribution service for refrigerated and frozen goods. Having a niche service meant the team was in high demand, and the business had the potential to skyrocket. But with increased demands, also come increased costs. And cash wasn't always in a liquid form.
It's something of a paradox. Despite the growth spurt Big Chill was experiencing, they were unable to move forward in the way they needed to. Being in the distribution industry saw them spending a lot of time waiting for invoices to be paid. And it was costing them. Without the money from their sales, there's no way the duo could reinvest in their business.
Mark and Colin needed a working capital solution that would address these issues. And in the end, it was a Partnership with BNZ that provided it. BNZ Invoice Finance was an easy choice. It allowed them to borrow against their existing sales, so they could reinvest how, and when, they needed to. It also freed up valuable time they would have spent juggling cash flow, rather than managing the day-to-day running of their business.
With lending based on their current invoices, BNZ continually have a clear picture of how the business is doing. The loan can flex with their sales, growing alongside them and affording them the freedom to move as quickly as they need to. It wasn't that the Big Chill team had reshaped their business, simply that BNZ saw a picture filled with potential, rather than problems.
Now running a 130-strong fleet of vehicles and a unique distribution model, Big Chill is a far cry from that one truck pie delivery company. And they're nowhere near done yet. It's an exciting time. One BNZ is glad to be around for.