More earnings, less stress: Original Grain’s shift to AI powered treasury

About Original Grain

Original Grain is a premium watch and accessories brand that uses sustainable, eco-friendly materials in all of their products. Over the years, the brand has grown rapidly, expanding both online and wholesale operations. Along with this growth came an increasingly complex financial landscape—managing cash flow, treasury, and working capital was tougher than ever before.

Ryan Beltran, co-founder of Original Grain, talks about scaling his business: 

“As the business grew, financial operations started to take up more and more of our time,” says Ryan Beltran, co-founder of Original Grain. “A lot of it was still manual—treasury, cash management, even just tracking where funds were. We needed a more modern, automated approach to keep up.”

The hidden cost of manual financial ops: time, stress, and missed earnings

For Ryan Beltran, co-founder of Original Grain, treasury management quickly became a drain on time and focus. Moving funds between operating and savings accounts to chase better interest rates was entirely manual—time-consuming, error-prone, and easy to deprioritize.

“Treasury management was an administrative grind,” Ryan says. “We had to track every transfer ourselves, and with so many other priorities, it was easy to delay. That meant our cash wasn’t always working as hard as it could—we were leaving money on the table."

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Even when transfers happened, they were often too late to take full advantage of yield. The team ended up holding more cash than necessary, just to stay safe—tying up capital that could’ve been used to invest in growth.

“Managing cash was reactive,” Ryan adds. “We were always playing catch-up instead of proactively optimizing liquidity. It wasn’t efficient—and it definitely wasn’t scalable.”

The solution: automated treasury, daily yield, and real-time visibility—all in one platform

Highbeam brought everything Original Grain needed into one modern platform—automated treasury, real-time visibility, best-in-class yield, and a team that actually understands ecommerce.

Their AI treasury agent automatically moves funds between checking and high-yield savings accounts, earning daily interest on both. No more missed transfers, idle cash, or manual busywork—just a system that ensures every dollar is in the right place, earning what it should.

“With Highbeam’s AI moving money automatically, we don’t have to think about it,” Ryan says. “It’s like having a treasury expert working behind the scenes 24/7.”

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The platform itself is clean and intuitive, with live insights into cash position and upcoming needs with automated cash flow forecasting—giving Ryan and his team the confidence to plan ahead without guesswork. And when they do need support, Highbeam’s team is responsive, sharp, and genuinely helpful.

“It just works,” he adds. “The product makes sense right away, and when we have questions, the team is on it. That mix of smart tech and real support has been rare to find.”

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For the first time, treasury stopped being a chore—and became a strategic advantage.

The impact: more earnings, more time, and a proactive financial approach

Since implementing Highbeam’s AI treasury agent, Original Grain has earned thousands annually through optimized cash management and best-in-class interest rates. More importantly, the team has reclaimed more than 80 hours per year previously consumed by manual treasury tasks.

“The time we’ve saved alone is invaluable,” says Ryan. “Highbeam transformed treasury from a tedious, reactive chore into a seamless, automated profit center. We now have clarity, control, and confidence to scale aggressively.”

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Beyond direct financial gains, the partnership has improved the team’s financial workflows and reduced stress, enabling Original Grain to focus on strategic growth rather than daily cash management.

“What stands out most is the trust,” Ryan says. “We’re not just getting a tool—we’re getting leverage. Highbeam gives us the confidence that our cash is handled, so we can stay focused on building the business.”

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If you're interested in learning more about Highbeam and how we can unlock growth for your brand, book a demo here.