No wasn't able to secure it. Should have abused distributors to send us stuff without meeting their payment terms as written, since our fixed costs were low, profits excellent, and people loved it. Flying off shelves with high margin. At the time I thought meeting obligations as written was important for "karma". Actually, I now think giving the distributors another outlet is way better for karma and for them than not being behind on payments. Abusing them for credit is an easy win for everyone especially them (and they know it) - long-term health is much more important, and money is very scarce and pursuing it is a waste of time. We left behind disappointed customers who couldn't give us the money they wanted to, disappointed distributors when we weren't reordering, and an ecstatic landlord who got all our renovations for free after successfully evicting us. We should have left behind happy customers, distributors who loved thay we were selling all their stuff and ordering a lot more but a frustrated receivables department with them having to chase us for months, and a disappointed landlord that they were stuck renting a place in a prime location for so cheap, when it was now so palatial.

If profits are very high, sales are very high and the fixed costs are low, the missing part of the equation is payment terms. Abuse them. The distributors aren't going to go out of business if you pay them from your own profits on them. You will be the one to go out of business, if you try to get credit or factor it instead. Then they don't get any reorders from you. I really wish I had known this.