The cash-flow playbook that keeps you alive between payouts
Profitable arbers go broke on timing, not on ROI. Here's how I manage the gap between spending and getting paid.
The setup
Spend is daily and instant. Network pays net-7, net-15, sometimes net-30. The gap is where accounts die.
The move
— Step 1: know every offer's exact payment term, write it down. Sort offers by how fast they pay.
— Step 2: size your daily spend to your float, not your ambition. Float = cash you can deploy before the first payout lands.
— Step 3: on a new network, run weekly payouts even at a fee until trust is built. Faster cash beats slightly higher net.
— Step 4: keep a reserve equal to your worst-case payment gap, never deploy it.
— Step 5: scale spend only as confirmed payouts actually hit the bank, not as the tracker turns green.
The numbers
I once had +30% ROI on paper but $4,000 stuck in net-30 while my cards were maxed. Couldn't scale the winner because I had no cash. The reserve I built after that was ~1.5x my biggest payment gap.
The lesson
ROI is the scoreboard. Cash flow is whether you're still in the game to play it.
What I'd do differently
Negotiate weekly payouts from day one. Figures illustrative.
Arb Files
@ArbFiles