When You Can't Pay Rent - A Bookkeeper’s Tale

Ben was sitting on $20k in inventory and couldn't pay his rent.

He ran an online supplements company; protein powders, collagen blends, vitamin stacks. The formulas were solid and his audience trusted his product. Orders came in steadily, and his shelves were fully stocked.

But every time cash got tight, Ben defaulted to the same solution: launch a new product, run a flash sale, restock the bestsellers. In his mind, more inventory meant more income.

It didn’t.

He didn’t realize how much cash was trapped in boxes, waiting to be sold. Meanwhile, he had no money set aside for taxes, overhead, or himself.

When we reviewed his finances together, the issue was clear: he didn’t have a sales problem, he had an inventory problem.

More product won’t solve broken margins or misaligned priorities. Inventory sitting on shelves isn’t profit. It’s potential. It's fake income.

He started showing up to Path to Profit, my weekly coaching calls, and little by little, his mindset shifted. He began to see inventory not as a quick fix solution, but as a seasonal strategy. Within a few months, he stopped over-ordering, focused on selling what was already in stock, and finally watched his bank account settle into something steady.

If you’re drowning in inventory but still starving for stability, it’s time to rethink the “more is better” approach. Your customer might need to see your product 7 to 12 times before they buy, so sell what you have, again and again, by changing your marketing and advertising messaging.

Lub you,
Crystal 🦄