A line of credit, integrated payments, and a partner built around how fulfillment actually works.
Every fulfillment company runs the same math problem. Labels get printed every day. Packages get picked and shipped every day. Labor and warehouse costs run every day. But the invoice does not go out until the end of the month, and the payment does not arrive for another 30 days after that.
For the first three to four years of Manifest's existence, that gap was the central problem of the business. Not a slow quarter, not a bad client — a structural feature of how fulfillment works that made it almost impossible to grow without constantly scrambling for capital to cover the next two weeks of operations.
Traditional banks are not built for fulfillment companies: they see the business through their own underwriting templates and offer products designed for different operating models. What Manifest needed was a financial partner who would take the time to understand how a fulfillment company actually works before deciding what it needed.
Aion was not trying to force us into a box. Everybody has their template and this is what you get, it does not matter what your business is. Aion took the time to understand our business model, not just the top-level functions.
— George Wojciechowski, Co-founder and CEO, Manifest
Before Aion, Manifest was paying whatever it took to survive the gap between the first of the month and the next invoice cycle. That meant turning to high-cost, short-term capital sources that charged rates no growing business should have to absorb just to cover two weeks of operations.
The company had also tried regional banks and traditional lenders. Each conversation ended the same way: here is our product menu, pick one. None of them were willing to build around how Manifest actually operated.
When an investor with ties to Aion's founding team made an introduction, George and Brian were skeptical. There was no shortage of lenders making promises. But the more they talked, the more the conversation felt different.
We were skeptical, but you guys turned that around really quick.
— George Wojciechowski
The thing that stood out most to Manifest's leadership about the early Aion relationship is not a feature or a rate. It was the approach.
Manifest does not pick partners lightly. Both George and Brian describe a deliberate process of evaluating who they want to work with, based not just on what a product does today but on who can grow with them. Aion passed that test by demonstrating something the other options did not: a genuine willingness to understand how Manifest's business works and structure a solution around it.
Founders care deeply about how capital behaves under pressure, but also how partners behave under pressure.
There has never been a moment where we have gone to Aion and heard 'sorry, we do not do that' or 'we cannot do that.' To us, that has meant everything.
— George Wojciechowski
When a feature was not available, the answer was not a flat refusal. It was: let us see if we can make that work, or here is an alternative. That posture, consistently maintained over the relationship, is what built the trust that keeps Manifest on the platform.
Migrating Manifest to Aion was complex but was made easier by weekly meetings and hands-on guidance through each step of the setup. As Brian puts it:
Your entire team was actually holding me to a much higher standard of 'you are going to get this done' than I was expecting. It was like homework from them.
— Brian Wojciechowski, Controller, Manifest
After initial setup, Manifest had settled into the platform well enough that the weekly check-ins dropped to monthly. Today, Brian configures accounts and manages operations within Aion independently.
Manifest runs three accounts within Aion: a settlement account, an AR account, and an operating cash account. Weekly ACH debits from clients clear through the platform, with invoices going out Monday and funds processing by Tuesday. Not a single client has complained about the process.
The invoicing workflow was also an improvement over the previous setup. With Stripe, Brian had to send the invoice through one system and then email supporting backup documentation separately. Two touchpoints, two emails, more room for things to get missed. Aion handles both in one: invoice and backup documentation sent together in a single email.
Customers really like that. Having it all in one package is something they appreciate.
— Brian Wojciechowski
The platform also integrates with QuickBooks for accounting, with ACH and wire transfers running seamlessly outside of that integration for one-off payments. And as new features have come online, such as bill payments, Manifest has adopted them without needing to switch to another tool.
The description Brian reaches for when asked how he would explain Aion to a peer: a one-stop shop.
It is a banker, a lender, an invoice payment processor. It integrates with your accounting software. Receivables, payables, all of it.
— Brian Wojciechowski
Brian draws a direct comparison between Aion and a Texas regional bank Manifest had used previously, known for its relationship banking and local responsiveness. But because the bank is regional, it's limited in what it can do for a growing national fulfillment company.
Brian found that Aion had the same quality of responsiveness without the geographic constraint.
The fact that I can speak with the Aion senior team pretty quickly if something happens with a client's invoice is what I rely on. That kind of access is usually reserved for a local bank, but Aion has the reach to be everywhere. There is no brick and mortar, but they behave like there is.
— Brian Wojciechowski
That combination, fast human access plus a platform that works nationally, is what makes Aion feel like a different category of financial partner for a business like Manifest.
Approximately 50% reduction in payment processing fees compared to prior processor — a meaningful cost improvement that Brian confirmed directly.
One to two days faster fund settlement, improving cash availability without any change to how clients are invoiced.
Seamless weekly ACH debit collection from clients, with invoice and backup documentation delivered in a single email — zero client complaints since launch.
Three accounts structured for Manifest's actual operating model: settlement, AR, and operating cash.
Eliminated the dual-system invoicing workflow previously required with Stripe, reducing administrative steps and client-facing friction.
Leadership freed from the constant capital scramble that defined the first three to four years of the business.
Brian's advice to a peer considering Aion is not a feature comparison. It is an invitation to have the conversation.
It almost seemed like Aion wants you to be a good fit for them, just like you want them to be a good fit for you. It was not a full-court press like you see from a lot of lenders. Just come and see what Aion can do for you and what the buildout would look like.
— Brian Wojciechowski
Manifest evaluates financial partners the way it evaluates any critical vendor — not on who has the best pitch, but on who can actually grow with them.
After nearly a year on the platform, with a credit line that has expanded in step with the business and a team that picks up the phone, the answer has been Aion.
Fulfillment companies incur costs every day: shipping labels, labor, warehouse space, and postage. But most invoice at the end of the month and collect payment 30 or more days later. That structural gap between daily expense and monthly revenue is a defining financial challenge for the industry, and it intensifies as order volume grows.
A revolving line of credit backed by receivables gives a fulfillment company access to capital between the time costs are incurred and the time client payments arrive. This allows the business to keep printing labels, staffing the warehouse, and onboarding new clients without waiting 30 to 60 days for cash to catch up to operations.
Traditional banks typically apply standardized underwriting models that do not account for the daily-expense, monthly-invoice structure common in fulfillment. A lender that does not understand how a fulfillment company actually operates is likely to offer products designed for different business models, leaving the real problem unsolved.
ACH debit collection, automated invoicing, and integrated payment processing give fulfillment companies a reliable way to collect from clients without manual follow-up. Platforms that include backup documentation with invoices, track payment status in real time, and provide faster settlement can further reduce the friction between invoicing and cash receipt.
Yes. Aion's credit and banking are integrated by design, and accessing the line of credit requires moving primary banking to Aion's platform. For fulfillment companies, this means migrating ACH collection, client payment processing, and banking operations into Aion's system. The transition requires a meaningful setup lift, but clients like Manifest have found that having banking, credit, and payments in one platform simplifies daily cash management significantly.
Yes. Aion's platform combines a revolving line of credit backed by accounts receivable with integrated banking, ACH debit collection, bill payments, wire transfers, and invoicing tools. For fulfillment companies that currently use separate systems for banking, payment processing, and financing, consolidating onto one platform can reduce administrative complexity and lower overall costs.
If your business incurs costs every day but invoices every month, Aion provides the working capital, payment infrastructure, and partnership to help you grow through that gap rather than around it.
