The season is growing, turnover is up, and liquidity… is disappearing. Discover the paradox that thousands of SMEs in Poland struggle with
The holiday season is just around the corner, which… keeps many entrepreneurs awake at night. Growing operational pressure and costs incurred “for right now” affect many industries – transport and logistics feel it particularly hard, where fuel, machine servicing, or drivers’ wages require immediate payment, and payment for completed freight is deferred to a longer date. Discover the paradox that stifles the dynamics of many well-prospering businesses, and see how properly selected factoring for companies supports the improvement of financial liquidity at this critical moment.
Key takeaways:
- An increase in the number of orders during the season is excellent news, but it often leads to a dangerous liquidity gap when your capital is frozen for long weeks in receivables with deferred payment dates on invoices.
- Comparing factoring and a working capital loan, the first solution, based on invoice financing, allows for flexible recapitalization of current operations without the need to go through rigorous scoring procedures and present hard asset collateral.
- Improvement of financial liquidity, achieved through factoring, allows for strengthening market competitiveness – you can offer clients extended payment terms.
- When choosing a financial partner, it is worth looking for one who is flexible, fully accepts the rhythm of your business, and does not burden the company with penalties for a drop in turnover outside the main peak.
When does success become a financial trap?
Imagine a young, ambitious Formula 1 team – you have great mechanics and talented drivers, but on the crucial lap of the race, you start running out of fuel. It is hard to imagine a more frustrating situation, right? Unfortunately, many Polish transport and forwarding companies regularly find themselves in a very similar situation. And no, contrary to appearances, this analogy is not strictly about the current fuel crisis and rising gasoline prices – although this issue undoubtedly constitutes a huge burden for the TSL (Transport, Forwarding, Logistics) industry on a global scale.
Payment bottlenecks are a real handbrake for Polish transport – even more so in the pre-holiday period, where there is a clear increase in orders, turnover goes up overnight, but in their wake, operating costs grow at a rapid pace.
Analyses from the National Debt Register (KRD) from the first quarter of 2026 show that overdue liabilities of the TSL sector have already grown to the level of 1.66 billion PLN, and as much as 79% of this amount directly burdens the road transport of goods itself. Carriers operate in a complicated chain of dependencies because their own contractors owe them over 215 million PLN in payments. The scale of the problem is confirmed by data from BIG InfoMonitor and BIK – as many as 84% of companies from the TSL sector declare cooperation with clients who pay their invoices with a significant delay.
– Transporters and logisticians must pay in advance for fuel, road tolls, leasing installments, settle salaries, or order urgent repairs “for today”, while payment for the freight will often flow into the account only “someday”. In this way, a market paradox is born: on paper, the company records an increase in revenues, but in reality, it struggles to make ends meet with current transfers. Then nervous movements begin, the goal of which is a quick improvement of financial liquidity – explains Leopold Kasjaniuk, General Manager at Ifis Finance.
Factoring vs. working capital loan – which works better at the peak of the season?
When the need for recapitalization arises before important months, many entrepreneurs instinctively direct their first steps to the bank. It is worth keeping in mind, however, that traditional financing is often based on quite cold algorithms and rigid scoring systems, which can be merciless for specific industries where seasonality dictates the rhythm of cash flows. So, when wondering what will work better for you: factoring or a working capital loan, first of all, pay attention to the fundamental differences in the dynamics of both tools.
Banks often require complicated procedures and “hard” collateral, such as establishing a mortgage. On the other hand, factoring for companies is based on a simple mechanism: a confirmed assignment of receivables from invoices that you issue to your contractors. Thanks to this, this service acts like a tailor-made suit – it smoothly adapts to the current rhythm of your sales. The rule is simple: the more transport you carry out and the higher revenues you generate, the larger the pool of current funds invoice financing releases.
What is extremely important, this flexibility works both ways. When sales naturally slow down after the season, you can limit or suspend the use of the limit without any obstacles. Unlike a loan, you are not burdened with a fixed installment, and at Ifis Finance we will not charge you any penalties for a temporary drop in turnover.
Factoring vs. working capital loan – main differences you need to know:
- Our risk assessment is not based on algorithms and scoring systems. At Ifis Finance, the transaction is subject to an individual approach, in which analysts check, among other things, the ability of your contractors to repay their liabilities.
- When deciding on invoice financing, the standard requirement is usually only the issuance of a blank promissory note with a promissory note declaration and a confirmed assignment of receivables.
- We do not secure ourselves on the fixed company and private assets of our clients.
- If you are already using a bank loan, including an additional factoring limit allows you to safely diversify your sources of cash – this will protect the company from paralysis in a situation where the current bank fully utilizes the exposure assigned to you.
Polish factoring for companies, with an Italian accent
The real advantage of Ifis Finance lies in the finesse combination of the powerful capital of our Italian parent company (Banca Ifis) with a rarely seen, relational, and boutique standard of service. Instead of losing nights on soft debt collection, the entrepreneur can assign us the monitoring of the repayment of receivables arising from invoices and shift their valuable attention to the development of their business.
– We have always looked favorably upon businesses burdened with seasonality. Factoring for companies in our edition does not penalize for the termination of the contract by the client, and in post-holiday periods we do not obligate to achieve minimal levels of financial involvement – emphasizes Leopold Kasjaniuk. – To entrepreneurs facing the dilemma of factoring vs. working capital loan, we offer something they will not get anywhere else: a fully individual, partnership approach focused on their success. Our client is not doomed to an automatic hotline and is guaranteed ongoing contact directly with their own, permanent account manager – he concludes.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about factoring for companies
Factoring vs. working capital loan – when to choose the first, and when the second solution?
Factoring is a good choice when your sales are growing dynamically (e.g., in a logistics or transport season peak), and long payment terms block your current cash for operating costs that you have to settle “for right now”. In turn, a traditional working capital loan will work better if you need a predetermined, one-time injection of capital, show a very stable, predictable rhythm of revenues, and your company has free assets that can serve as hard collateral for the bank. As your advisor, we often point out that in a mature business you don’t always have to choose – both of these financial mechanisms can work harmoniously with each other, providing the company with a safe diversification of financing sources.
Will I incur penalties when the number of my invoices decreases after the season?
Definitely not. Our offer does not contain so-called fine print and is very transparent. We also do not apply penalties burdening entrepreneurs for the fact that in “slower” months (outside the strict peak in a given industry) they did not generate turnover at a predetermined, minimal level.
Does factoring for companies mean I have to change my bank and open a new account?
No. When using factoring at Ifis Finance, you do not have to change your current checking account or sign cumbersome power of attorney documents for company accounts. Freed financial resources go in the form of an advance payment directly to the account indicated by you in the verification process.
