Second edition · 2026
Alternative Funding
Bootstrap Your Company; The Self-Sustaining Business Model
You do the work. Your customer approves it. And then you wait 30, 45, or 60 days, while payroll, suppliers, and the next job need cash today. That timing gap is the problem this book is about.
In this second edition of Alternative Funding, Eric Standlee shows business-to-business owners how to grow on work they have already finished. When American Prudential Capital buys your approved invoices for completed work, at a discount, and sends you the cash, it is a sale. You are not buying money. You are selling something you already own.
It is a sale, not something you pay back
American Prudential Capital (APC) buys approved invoices for completed work. It is a true sale, never a loan, debt, credit, line, advance or financing.
You can sell invoice by invoice, or even part of an invoice, on approved accounts. There are no monthly minimums, no audits, and no prepayment penalties. The arrangement is month-to-month, and you can cancel anytime.
- Since 1989 APC has been buying invoices since 1989, and is based in Houston, Texas.
- Where APC buys APC buys in every U.S. state except California and New York. It also buys federal government receivables.
- Who it is for Business-to-business owners with approved invoices for finished work, including oilfield services, staffing, manufacturing, IT services, and government work.
Inside the second edition
The first edition came out in 2009. This edition is a full rewrite. It walks through the self-sustaining business model, how an invoice purchase works, who it fits, and who it does not.
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Chapter 1
The Self-Sustaining Business Model
How to grow on work you have already finished, without giving up the company.
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Chapter 2
When the Bank Can’t Say Yes Yet
Why a banker often has to say “not yet,” and how to work with them.
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Chapter 4
How an Invoice Purchase Works, Step by Step
Nine plain-word steps, from approved work to cash.
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Chapter 5
Cards and Fast Money vs. Selling an Invoice
How each option is built, side by side.
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Chapter 7
Four Real Stories
Companies whose invoices APC has bought, with the names left out.
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Chapter 8
Getting Paid Faster
Paperwork, portals, and follow-up that help you get paid sooner, even if you never sell an invoice.
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Chapter 10
Who Doesn’t Qualify
Straight talk on who is not a fit today.
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Also in the book
Who This Is For, Give First, and the FAQ
Plus a short history of invoice buying, an invoice-readiness checklist, and a glossary.
About the author
Eric Standlee is SVP Marketing and Sales at American Prudential Capital, Inc., in Houston, Texas. As he puts it: “I buy approved invoices for completed work. Houston.”
He served in the United States Air Force as a cryptologic linguist in Chinese Mandarin from 1991 to 1997. In September 2007, he founded InHouston, a local business community. He publishes The Working Capital Letter on Substack, writing in plain English for owners about cash timing, invoices, and banks.
This is the second edition of Alternative Funding: Bootstrap Your Company; The Self-Sustaining Business Model, first published in 2009.
American Prudential Capital
APC buys approved invoices for completed work. It is a true sale. You are selling something you already own.
APC has bought invoices since 1989. It buys federal government receivables, and it buys in all states except California and New York.
If you have approved invoices for finished work, send your aging to eric@apccash.com, call 281-377-6296, or visit apccash.com.
Have approved invoices for finished work?
Start by sending your aging. That one report tells a lot about your customers, how they pay, and whether APC can help. There is no cost to have the conversation. If it is a fit, Eric will walk you through the next steps. If it isn’t, he will tell you straight.