Marek's Story: How we recovered 83 thousand zlotys from bottlenecks
Marek runs a medium-sized transport company near Wroclaw. He has 9 working sets and 11 drivers, but in mid-2024 his account was empty, even though there was plenty of work.
Where did the fuel money go?
In June 2024, Marek called us because he didn't have money for the lease installments for two new DAFs. On paper, the company was earning, but in reality, 83,400 zlotys were hanging in invoices that no one paid on time. The oldest invoice was 47 days overdue. Marek was afraid to push the forwarders because he thought they would run to the competition. This is a common mistake. Numbers don't lie — a debtor who doesn't pay is not a client, but a burden for your business.
We did a quick review of the papers. It turned out that in Marek's company, no one watched the deadlines. Invoices were issued, sent by email, and... forgotten. A simple reminder system was missing. The forwarders simply took advantage of the free credit that Marek unconsciously granted them. Security first — that was our first advice for him. We had to stop this cash leak immediately before the bank took his trucks.
A debtor who doesn't pay on time is not your business partner. They are your cost.
Action plan: Specifics instead of pleas
We started by reviewing 14 overdue invoices from three main contractors. We prepared short, formal payment demands. No begging or explaining that Marek needs money for the lease. Only hard facts: invoice number, payment date, statutory interest amount for every day of delay. We protect your capital, so there was no room for sentiment. We set a deadline of 3 business days for the transfer.
Marek was skeptical. He feared the phone would stop ringing with orders. We explained to him that a reliable contractor respects someone who watches over their money. We sent the documents on Tuesday at 10:15 AM. By Thursday afternoon, the first 32,000 zlotys reached the company account. It turned out that one of the forwarding companies simply 'misplaced' the invoice in the system, and the other was waiting for someone to demand it.
Results after 19 days of cooperation
After less than three weeks, Marek recovered a total of 79,200 zlotys. We split the remaining 4,200 zlotys into two installments because the contractor actually had temporary trouble but signed a debt acknowledgement. It was a success, but temporary action is not enough. We introduced a simple rule in Marek's company: invoices are checked 2 days after the deadline. If there is no payment, an automatic reminder goes out.
We also established a new contract template for new subcontractors. We shortened payment terms from 60 to 45 days for permanent routes. Marek regained peace of mind and, more importantly, financial liquidity. Now, when the market starts going crazy, he has a financial cushion for 3 months ahead. It wasn't magic or a complicated strategy. It was pure discipline in papers and the courage to demand what's yours.
We recovered almost 80 thousand in 19 days without spoiling relations with key contractors.
How can you do the same yourself?
You don't have to wait for payment bottlenecks to eat your profit. The first step is to list all invoices that are more than 7 days late. Don't call with the question 'when will the transfer be'. Send an email with a specific list of amounts and interest. You'll see that half of the debtors will pay within 48 hours. They know they're overdue, but they're waiting for your move.
If you currently have more than 15-20 thousand zlotys frozen, it's better not to act blindly. Sometimes one mistake in a demand makes the debtor gain another 2 weeks of delay. We at Korporacyjna Racja Stanu deal with such matters every day. We don't promise miracles, but we guarantee that order in procedures always brings money to the account. It's worth checking your lists even today.
