Workflow model applied traditionally
A standard workflow that can be managed through an automated workflow system is the lease application process. Typically, a lease application traverses through various departments or stages before an approval or rejection decision is made. An application may, for instance, first go to the credit department, then funding, and finally to the legal department before getting approval. Moreover, certain applications (i.e. those which exceed a certain pre-defined dollar limit) may have to make two (or more) stops in the credit department before moving forward. Workflows such as these can be easily modeled in an automated system; further, based on certain user-defined conditional logic (such as a credit limit), the application can even move through different paths within the same workflow.

Extending the workflow concept beyond the traditional
With the advent of sophisticated leasing software applications, it is now possible to automate entire workflow processes within an organization. Workflow automation in the leasing environment lends itself to a high degree of control over the typical processes followed by companies with tight security controls and access rights of users and roles. It also lends itself to planning, based on the data that is maintained by the system. At any given point, managers can, for instance, accurately assess where applications stand, which payments need approval, their stage in the approval process, and any related impact on cash-flow planning, etc. Performance can be appraised based on approval rates, the quality of applications, the number and type of credit checks made, the length of time a particular role/user took to make certain types of decisions, etc. Therefore, an automated workflow system not only allows for greater efficiency, but given its data-richness, also serves as a natural control and planning tool for the entire organization.

Workflow software functionality
Automated workflow software provides businesses with unparalleled flexibility and functionality. Users can easily perform a range of functions such as:
-Replicate real-world workflows for efficient management of front and back office processes
-Receive applications online or through any source desired
-Set up vendor programs, unique to each vendor
-Automate credit decisioning
-Apply pre-determined price matrices
-Automate decisions based on one or many variables
-Set up unlimited workflows to process decisions
-Define unique conditions and tasks for each stage in any workflow
-Comprehensively generate and manage all related documentation
-Process complex decisions that exactly represent the needs of each situation
-Manage and control the overall system with extensive levels of control

This week we’ll discuss the most important aspect of the process: signing a commercial lease (insert dramatic music here). One of the biggest mistakes many entrepreneurs make when leasing commercial space is not reading the lease. Forget reading the fine print. When it comes to a lease its ALL fine print.

Don’t believe me? Let me tell you the true story of my friend, Homer, whose name I have changed to protect the ignorant. Homer signed a two year lease on a suite of offices for his business. As the owner of the business Homer signed on the dotted line and agreed to personally guarantee payment of the lease and to abide by its terms. Homer moved in and it was business as usual until the end of the two year lease term drew near. It was then that Homer discovered that failing to read the lease was going to be a very costly mistake.

Toward the end of the two year lease period Homer decided to relocate, but when he gave the landlord what he thought was the customary 30 day notice, he discovered that the lease had automatically renewed for another two year term at the 60 day notice point. In other words, Homer didn’t realize that the lease required a minimum of 60 days notice to let the landlord know that the lease would not be renewed. Because Homer did not know that he was required to give at least 60 days notice of his intent to vacate, the lease automatically renewed for another two years. And there was not a darn thing Homer could do about it but reach around and slap himself in the back of the head for not taking the time to read the lease.

What was the landlord’s position when Homer pointed out that he had not read the lease and therefore was not aware of the 60 day notice? The landlord, while sympathetic to Homer’s plight, stuck to his guns and told Homer that he would have to honor the lease, which meant that even if Homer moved out as planned, he was still on the hook for paying the rent for another two years.

Does the fact that the landlord chose to enforce the lease agreement rather than let Homer off the hook make him an evil man? Not at all. From the landlord’s point of view, he had no choice but to enforce the terms on the lease. He had a signed contract that told him his space was going to be rented for the next two years. He had not planned on the space suddenly being vacant. Being a landlord with unrented space is like being a business with no paying customers. Empty space means no revenue from rental fees which means no money to pay the mortgage payment. As the old saying goes, “It’s just business…”

Sure, any landlord with a heart might feel bad that Homer was ignorant of the auto-renewal clause, but not so bad that they are willing to risk their own financial well-being by having Homer’s space sit vacant. The bottom line is this: whether Homer read the lease or not is irrelevant. Homer signed the lease, thereby agreeing to its terms, and therefore he must hold up his end of the bargain, period.

As of this moment, Homer is relocating his business in spite of not being able to get out of his old lease and he will continue paying the payment on the vacated space for the remaining two year term of the lease or until he can sublease the space. Even then Homer is not fully off the hook because he will still be considered the legal tenant unless his sublessor agrees to sign a new lease with the landlord. Hopefully he will just have someone else making the lease payments.

Again, the moral to this story is READ THE LEASE. Or even better, have an attorney read it for you. I have learned over the years to never sign a legal document of any kind without letting my attorney review it, especially if the document involves money and my first born child.

Here are a few other points to ponder before signing a commercial lease.

How is the lease payment calculated? The most basic equation for calculating a lease payment takes the number of square feet times the cost per square foot, then amortizes that over a 12 month span. For example, if you have 1,000 square feet and the cost per square foot is $12, the annual lease payment would be $12,000. Divided by 12 months the monthly lease payment would be $1,000. Again, this is a simplified scenario. These days most commercial leases include additional factors that affect the final price, such as rent increases, operating expense escalations, common area charges, etc.

Who pays for what? It’s important that you understand exactly what you are paying for. Are you responsible for any costs other than the rent? Will you be responsible for paying your own utilities, for example? Will you have to pay for parking privileges or janitorial service? Who handles maintenance and repairs?

Is there an escalation clause? It is typical that the lease contain what’s known as an escalation clause that allows the landlord to pass on increased building operating expenses to the tenants. If your lease contains such a clause you should ask for a cap on the amount the lease payment may rise over a given period of time. And if the escalation clause is ever activated by the landlord you are well within your rights to ask for an itemized accounting of the expenses that are being considered as cause for your raise in rent.

What rent increases might there be? One very important factor to know is this: if you do renew the lease how much can the landlord go up on the rent? It is expected that rents will increase as property values increase. If your landlord can rent the space for more than you agreed to pay a year ago, he is within his rights to ask for the increase. However, it would be a nightmare if your rent suddenly doubled overnight. Negotiate the increase before you sign the lease. Most rent increases are calculated by percentage, not by flat rates.

Renewals and terminations. Most leases require that you give a minimum of 60 days notice if you intend to terminate the lease and vacate the property. As Homer learned, many leases also renew automatically for another term unless you give notice within 60 days of expiration. Know when your lease expires and the time required to give notice.

Is a personal guarantee required? What happens if your business goes south and can no longer afford to make the lease payment? Are you then responsible for paying the rent out of your own pocket? Probably so. Most landlords insist on a personal guarantee from the owner or an officer of the business. This means that even if you go out of business you are still personally on the hook for the remainder of the lease.

Finally, clarify all points. You should be clear on every point in the lease. And if you are not, ask for clarification. Exactly what space are you leasing? Who is responsible for repairs? What common areas will you have access to? Who is responsible for maintaining the little things, like keeping the shared restrooms stocked with soap, towels, and most importantly, toilet paper.

A small detail to consider now, but not when you suddenly find yourself without such amenities at the wrong time.

Mistakes to Be Avoided in Contracts

One of the primary mistakes made when negotiating their lease is the use of a very short contract. The short contract text may not address issues involving problems with software in computer leases or litigation issues such as employee piracy. Other issues that are not addressed in many short contracts include:

Software transaction agreements
Troubleshooting Support Issues
Clauses handling providers going out of business

Its important to make sure that all parties have their expectations clearly outlined in the contract. The contract helps avoid mistakes in leasing equipment by detailing the obligations of both parties. Contracts that possess clarity and completeness are important and the shorter the contract, the more likely there will be legal risks and ramifications for the company leasing the equipment.

Performance Details

The contract should detail the performance of the equipment. If someone is leasing a computer system, a server or a backhoe, they need to know that it will handle the load they are preparing to deliver to it. The performance details are an area where equipment can fail in leasing if they are not clearly stated. Its important to make sure that both parties have those issues clarified before closing on any contracts or deals regarding performance issues.

Structure Defects

Structuring agreements is key to understanding where responsibility lies. An equipment leasing agreement needs to stipulate the structure of the deal. In other words, the salesman is unlikely be the primary contact for system defects. The primary contact may be the manager in charge of that account, but they will likely only handle negotiation issues. Customer support issues may be directed elsewhere. That structure and allocation of responsibility must be clearly spelled out in the contract.

Equipment Hardware Leasing Specialties

When leasing computer equipment, there are often software leases that are required. Its important to coordinate the duration of the software leases to be comparable with the duration of the equipment lease. Its important to ensure the compatibility of all leased equipment with other equipment from different vendors. Its also important to make sure that a projects start and completion dates are commiserate with the equipment lease. Balancing the needs of the developers with the equipment support is a difficult thing to assess, but its important to make sure that the leases support the needs of the company small or large.

Solicitors Not Welcome

Solicitors (lawyers) are often not consulted during the initial drafting of equipment leasing. This is a mistake, especially for small businesses that do not possess an in house legal team. Lawyers can help smooth the transaction and avoid loopholes that might cause legal problems for both parties during an equipment lease. However, when utilizing a lawyer, its important to find one experienced in lease transactions.

The Results versus The Resources

Be sure to clearly define the need for the equipment lease. Most leasing companies see themselves as providing resources. Companies large and small are not looking for a resource as much as they are looking for a result. Its the end of the line result they are seeking most of all.

Communication

Clear communication is important from the get go. When negotiating for an equipment lease, be sure to have all questions answered prior to agreeing. Companies make a mistake in leasing equipment from a vendor if they have trouble getting them on the phone or returning calls. Those issues can lead to service problems in the future.

Be Realistic In Expectations

Client companies must be realistic about what they are expecting. Vendors will usually negotiate and do their best to fill customer requirements, however the client company must also keep in mind industry standards and limitations. While technology continues to grow, its important to realize that not every goal has been achieved as yet.

Short Term Versus Long Term

The final and most important mistake made in equipment leasing is considering a contract as something that needs to be closed immediately in order to make a deadline that occurs in the next few weeks. Realistically speaking, avoiding looking at the long-term effects of an equipment lease may leave the client with a piece of equipment they do not need or a bad contract altogether. If their short-term goal is to launch a new product or get the foundation of a new project started, but the equipment will not help in the long-term goal, that should be addressed.

Equipment leasing provides numerous benefits to businesses large and small. Its important to recognize the benefits, but to also avoid the pitfalls of mistakes that can be made when negotiating an equipment lease.

This is no different from the hundreds of millions of dollars the banking industry is going to have to spend to develop a system that can stop the transfer of money from one account into the account of online casinos for the purposes of casino gambling, which everyone involved in coming up with the rules and means to block these transfers admits there is no way to make it work.

In both cases the government would be smarter to legalize the usage of Marijuana and online casinos, regulate the industry to make safe and use the tax revenue to increase the living standards of our poorest citizens.

By keeping Marijuana illegal the government is not stopping anyone from getting it. All they do is make people have to travel to shady areas to purchase Marijuana. Making it unsafe for people to purchase, but if they legalized it, they would be reducing traffic to drug related areas and it would allow the police to better target dealers and users of harder drugs like crack, coke and heroin.

By keeping online casinos illegal they are missing out on all the tax revenue and causing those who prefer to gamble online to risk being ripped off with no possible recourse. One of the main reasons given for banning online gambling was the war on terrorism. There is a chance that terrorists could open an online casino and use the money to fund attacks of Americans, but banning it just makes it harder to see where the money is going. By legalizing and licensing the online casinos you would have a transparency into the industry that would allow the government to see that the money does not go to terrorists or to fund terrorism.

It would also allow some of the money that leaves the country every day to online casinos overseas to stay here to help create jobs and opportunities here that is currently going to someone else, by allowing American casinos to open casinos and Sportsbooks online. Bringing new industry to the USA would be an excellent way to give a desperately needed boost to a struggling economy.

Both the war on Marijuana and the war on online gambling cost the country a lot of money but have done little to stop drugs from entering the country and being sold or to stop people from gambling on a daily basis in online casinos and poker rooms.

These laws need to be thrown away and the countries attitudes towards them need to be looked and have a more accurate assessment on their impact on the country. In the end I believe we will find that online gambling and the legalization of marijuana will provide us with the tools we need to fix other more serious problems with the country.

When buying a vehicle there are a couple of aspects people think about: whether their future car will be a new one or a used one and where they will get the money from. Regarding the money, problems can be solved by obtaining the car finance from banks, credit unions, dealerships, or auto manufacturers. However, when considering buying an old car, one has to think of the differences between car finance for a new or for a used car and its advantages and disadvantages. People tend to favor new cars. If you are asking yourselves why? then you surely heard some attractive commercials. Most of the unbelievable offers are too good to be true, but they come with extra requirements like high down payments and very high interest rates. For a good deal, negotiation is the only adoptable strategy that will make room for more advantages and less terms and conditions.

Making a loan requires a copy of your credit report and a check of payment histories. The lender will verify every aspect of your financial background in order to give you car finance. Once you have all the paperwork done, gather information, ask the dealers for the best offer and use every detail to bargain.

Pre-Approved loans are better for your car finance because you can find near market rates. Start by looking for a good sub prime lender. Search the Internet, look at closing costs, fees, compare and use the APR number to get the overall cost. This car finance can save you money.

You can also use online loan applications from car finance companies to speed loan processes. Before choosing a car finance company you should compare prices and rates. The dealer will want to make the best for him and choose the appropriate car finance company.

Try not to let yourself be persuaded to buy the dealerships finance pack when you can make a better car finance deal elsewhere. You should calculate your APR and take into account how much the car costs in cash and if you have additional rates. Also see if car finance works for you and if you agree with the down payments and closing payments. Even if it seems complicated, it doesnt have to be if you educate yourself in car finance.

Car finance is a very important part of your credit-related decisions and you should be careful not to take offers that exceed your income. If you end up in a bad deal you will waste your money on unnecessary things and your car finance will lower your budget drastically. If you try to take your car finance from a bank, the disadvantage is that banks take a lot of time to process a loan. The disadvantage in dealership rates is that they cost more overall. You can also try the Internet for online car finance deals, but the offers have to be carefully analyzed before (not to be scams). Some people may even get your car finance information and use it in their own interest. A little research about the online car finance can save you a lot of trouble. However, if you choose online lenders, you will get low interest rates and save time and money.

To obtain the car finance you are looking for, it will take some time to research and find the appropriate solution for you. You have to know exactly what you want and, after that, be careful not to let salespeople convince you into a car finance deal that you dont want. Being familiar with car finance will enable you to go out and get the beast deal for you and your family.

The real estate market is booming across the United States, especially in select areas of California as well as Las Vegas. Even the sleepy town of Boise, Idaho is experiencing record breaking primary residential development. Where ever you happen to live, you have probably noticed its not so easy to get into that coveted house you have always dreamed of, despite the favorable mortgage rates. So what should you do?

Lessons Learned from the Past

With such uncertainty around the real estate market, perhaps it is best to stay away from owning your own property. Many so called experts predict the housing market in the US has finally reach bubble status, and expect that bubble to burst in the near future. They may have submitted their predictions a bit early, but their advice should be considered. If we learned anything from the stock market bubble and subsequent crash of 2000, we realized frequently a conservative approach to investing serves us well when uncertainty surrounds the market.

Protect yourself and consider the advantages of renting or leasing versus buying your own home. A renter assumes far less risk by signing his/her name to a lease agreement than when closing on a house. Typically a rental agreement locks you into a contract for a short period of time, relatively speaking, during which the rental rate is locked as well. Such a contract can protect you from the downswings of the real estate market, especially the volatility frequently demonstrated by adjustable rate mortgages. Granted, as a renter you dont stand to gain any equity in the house should the market turn up. However, you also dont expose yourself to the violent downswings in housing values wrought by an oversaturated market. Should you buy a house now and a year later need to move to pursue a new job opportunity, what happens when your realize those inflated prices you paid for your house are not so inflated anymore, and suddenly you owe more on your house than it is worth? That is called negative equity, and instinctively you realize no good can come of such a situation. Hence renting offers flexibility, both financially and physically speaking.

Avoiding the Headaches of Ownership

By agreeing only to rent the dwelling, you manage to avoid many of the disadvantages associated with owning a house. Normally the landlord is responsible for general maintenance of the flat. Many home owners are quick to offer their stories of frustration, disappointment, and even anger when things go wrong in the house. Pipes burst, flooding occurs, air conditioning units break during the scorching summer days of July, and heating systems fail in the dead of winter. All these things can and will happen, setting homeowners back considerably. Thus, as a renter you can avoid many of the major financial investments owners must make to maintain the comfort and livability provided by a dwelling. Agreeing to a lease agreement helps mitigate the risks of living in a home or apartment.

Weighing your Options

A rental or lease agreement can offer many advantages to those of you looking for a place to live. Ultimately, each individual must decide what is right for them. Some are more than willing to bear the risk inherent to the housing market because they have a strong positive cash flow and are in a position to endure the twists and turns of the market.

Dont be afraid to weigh your options and consider the risks of owning versus renting. For many, playing the game conservatively and waiting for housing prices to come back down to Earth will prove to be a successful strategy. There is no shame in signing that lease agreement, living in an apartment for a year or two before moving on to that house you have wanted so badly.

Apres la mort du pre, ses enfants qui sont venus de l’tranger a cause du dcs du pre, ont dcide de lui offrir un ordinateur afin de combler sa solitude. Les pauvres amis de la grand mre sont trs vieillots mais mami julienne quant a elle rverait d’avoir un cercle d’amis de son style. En vain. Elle n’en a pas. Alors voila Marco, Remi et marie ont pense qu’un ordinateur, ferait le plus grand bien a leur chre mre.

Au dbut, elle n’y comprenait rien. Puis peu a peu, aprs quelques cours de base gentiment donnes par Mathilde (la fille de ma sur), elle apprit tous les secrets du net. A ce jour elle tape mme des thses d’universit des tudiants qui n’ont pas trop le temps a passer des heures devant l’ordinateur.

Mami Julienne, elle est geniale. Elle cuisine gnialement bien. Mais le problme c’est qu’a part les quelques tudiants qui viennent chercher leurs dossier tapes, mami Julienne ne sait pas quoi faire de cette nourriture. Elle languit son mari. Elle parle de lui tout le temps. Elle languit ses enfants. Elle languit ses neveux. Elle se sent seule. Trs seule.

L’ordinateur lui fait du bien mais elle est attristee chaque fois de nouveau car son mail est vide. Ses enfants n’ont pas le temps de lui crire des mails. Alors part un petit coucou lectronique de temps en temps son mail est vide.

Elle se sent seule. Elle se sent abandonnee.

Lundi matin, sept heures du matin. Comme a son habitude mami est sur le net a vrifier en vain si quelqu un a daigne penser a elle et lui envoyer un petit courier. En vain. Rien que du spam. Alors elle les ouvre. Et la, soudainement elle dcouvre une invitation a jouer au poker sur le net!

Mami a toujours adore le poker. Elle se souvient encore de ces jours ou elle jouait durant des heures avec ses amis au Caf de la Cigale. Mami gagnait trs souvent les parties de poker.

En dcouvrant la possibilit de jouer au poker en ligne sans avoir besoin de partenaires vivant. Mami sauta presque au plafond. Enfin une activit qu’elle aime tant et qui va l’occuper.

Mami est sure de ses coups. Elle va augmenter l’hritage de ses enfants puisque c’est sure elle va gagner tout le temps.

A ce jour, si tu vas chez mami,au 9 rue des Eclairs a Thionville,tu y trouveras la petite et vielle et menue Julienne assise devant son ordinateur en train de jouer avec excitation. Elle ne gagne pas tout le temps comme elle le pensait mais le jeu est sans l’ombre d’un doute devenu son meilleur ami.

Mami ne se plaint plus. Mami ne verifie meme plus ses mails. Elle ne languit plus ses enfants. Elle ne languit plus personne d’ailleurs. Mami est devenue accro aux jeu de poker . Mami est devenue joueuse compulsive.

Benefits of web-based design
One of the benefits of the added functionality attributed to Web-based software is an increase in operational efficiencies. In the past, the ability to manage complex relationships across all customer types has been challenging. Current technology enables users to connect with the fleet management company or lessor from any location equipped with Internet access. The traditional one-way pipelines of data delivery thus become forums for information exchange. Additionally, the integration of leasing software and fleet management systems can result in demonstrable cost savings for the business. More specifically, fleet management software is capable of connecting business partners in real-time, thereby significantly reducing communication cycle times.

Integrated Lease & Fleet management software solutions
Designed specifically for fleet and lease management companies, Odessa’s software suite can address the entire range of fleet operations while comprehensively managing the entire life -cycle of the underlying lease contract. Typically, the fleet leasing life-cycle begins with the issuance of a fleet card and ends when the vehicle is taken off-road. With a continually expanding choice of services, fleet management companies can choose software applications that are equipped with fuel purchase management, maintenance work management, accident management, license management, fleet card administration, exceptions reporting, and customer billing capabilities, just to name a few. When this is coupled with fully integrated lease management functionality, there is a new value add that is brought to the table. The customer can now be viewed in terms of all the services or products that they are paying for and not just in isolated fleet or lease terms. Further, the company’s internal profitability, as a result, can also be better analyzed. This allows salespersons, for instance, to more effectively negotiate the various terms of a customer relationship that includes fleet and leasing products.

Integration and customization
Fleet leasing services can be administered either as value-added services that complement the lease life-cycle or as separate, stand-alone product offerings – independent of leasing. The choice is entirely dependent upon the individual business’s needs. An advanced fleet management software product provides seamless integration between existing systems and allows for some level of customization thus ensuring the long-term success of the investment.

Having the latest high-tech equipment is crucial for an IT company, so they may lease the best computers and have a continuing upgrade in their contract. This is much more cost-effective than regularly having to purchase the latest model, especially because computers are constantly being improved upon and the older ones become obsolete in no time.

Many other types of equipment, such as those used in construction, entertainment, weddings, and offices are typically leased to the user. Bulldozers, loaders, graders, and cranes are just some of the equipment needed when constructing a new building. If the building owner bought these items for the temporary use needed, he would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars needlessly. By leasing the machines, he is paying less and also being guaranteed service, repair, and maintenance on them.

Equipment rentals are a big part of the entertainment industry, from a childs birthday party to huge corporate events. Many parents lease massive waterslides, cotton candy machines, and moon walks to enhance their childs party. Corporations trying to impress clients host big blowouts complete with extravagant light shows, live broadcasts, and other huge presentations, all requiring leased equipment.

Weddings and bat/bar mitzvahs are other big sources of leasing needs. These events often require large amounts of silverware, linens, tables and chairs. Some even opt to have huge tents erected for their event, another leased product. A wedding typically has five or more vendors, all providing various leased services, such as catering, supplies, and music for the event.

Business offices must supply their workers with adequate equipment required to produce a huge amount of paperwork and computer files. Machines such as computers, printers, scanners, copiers, and fax machines are often leased because the lease contract provides the lessee with service and maintenance. Many contracts also include supplies, upgrades, and installation, all of which would be too expensive to buy individually. Leasing is much more cost-effective than buying in many of these situations.

Another item that is frequently leased is the automobile. There is a lot of debate over whether it is better to lease or buy a car. On the one hand, the lessee gets the best years of the automobiles life at a slightly discounted price. But, of course, the buyer is able to sell the car at the end of its run, unlike the lessee, who must return it to the owner for no monetary return.

Homes, such as houses, mobile homes, and apartments, are very often leased. This is a great option for a person who is trying to save money for a down payment on a home. It is also a good way for homeowners to profit without selling their property. Many people make their entire earnings from the process of buying dilapidated homes, refurbishing them, and leasing them as homes to others.

Business leasing works similarly to home leasing. A person or company will buy a strip mall and lease each of the storefronts to different businesses, focusing on what sort of businesses will do well in the community and offering a variety of services on the property. The business owner would rather lease the store than buy it, because it is less expensive and the landlord will handle all service and maintenance of the building.

Today, leasing is common practice in business. Over the past two years, equipment leasing has risen approximately 20 percent, according to recent research by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). And 8 out of 10 U.S. businesses lease all or part of their equipment, reports the Equipment Leasing Association.

Leasing is appropriate for just about any business at any stage of development. For start-up businesses with no revenues, smaller leasesthose of $100,000 or lessmay be better managed on the personal credit of the ownersif they are willing to make the monthly payments.

Comparing Leasing to Buying When you buy a piece of equipment or vehicle, you usually have to pay for it in full either by using cash or by financing the balance. After you finish paying for it, you own it.

Equipment leasing, on the other hand, is essentially a loan. The lender buys and owns the equipment and then “rents” it to a business at a flat monthly rate for a set number of months. At the end of the lease, the business has several options. It can purchase the equipment for its fair market value (or a fixed or predetermined amount), continue leasing, return it or lease new equipment.

With a lease, you actually only pay for using the equipment. But at the end of the lease period, you could end up owning nothing. So why lease? The answer is simple: By leasing equipment, you leave money in the bank that can be used for other purchases. Since lease payments are usually smaller than regular loan payments, you don’t have to pay out as much each month.

However, keep in mind that a lease is not cancelable like a bank loan or other debt. If you need to get out a standard loan you can sell the equipment and pay off the loan, or even refinance it. With a lease, you generally have to pay off the lease in full. So you have to be sure you make the payments when you enter into a lease.

So what kinds of equipment make the most sense for a small business to lease? According to research by the SBA, the most common items leased are office equipment, computers, and trucks and vehicles.

Benefits of Leasing Leasing equipment offers a wide range of benefits, from consistency with expenses to increased cash flow. But perhaps the most significant advantage of leasing is the ability to maintain up-to-date equipment. Leasing allows you to easily and affordably add equipment or upgrade to a complete new piece of machinery to meet future needs. This lets you transfer the risk of being caught with obsolete equipment to the leasing company.

Here are some other benefits of leasing:

Alternative to financing – Leasing is essentially an alternative to traditional financing and can be great for companies not able to obtain business loans.

100-percent financing In many cases, leasing requires no down payment. This allows you to finance an entire purchase, including software, hardware, consulting, maintenance, freight, installation, and training costs.

Ease and convenience – Applying for a lease is easy, and lease arrangements can be structured to meet your individual requirements. Equipment leases can range from $ 2,000 to $ 2 million. For smaller amounts, you can complete a brief application and receive a final decision within daysoften with no financial reports or tax returns needed. Leases for more than $100,000 generally require detailed financial information from the business, and the leasing company conducts a more thorough credit analysis than it would for a smaller

Flexibility – Lease terms range from 12 to 60 months, depending on the equipment type. Most leases can be structured so that payments are made with operating rather than capital funds. This can eliminate or reduce capital budget delays. Leased equipment can be purchased later if capital becomes available. Plus, a percentage of the lease payments can be credited toward the purchase of the equipment.

Fixed, predictable payments – Having fixed lease payments enables you to accurately predict the impact of equipment expenses on your cash flow.

Conserves working capital – Leasing conserves your working capital by requiring only a minimum initial outlay of cash.

Tax Advantages – Operating leases are generally treated as a 100-percent, tax-deductible business expense paid from pre-tax earnings instead of after-tax profits.

Protection against inflation – Lease payments are based on the dollar’s current value. And unlike bank lines of credit with fluctuating rates, your payments are fixed regardless of what happens to the market tomorrow, making it easier to budget, forecast and grow.

Working with a Leasing Companies When leasing equipment, keep in mind that the company selling the equipment simply makes a direct referral to a leasing company with which it does business. And, usually, the company selling the equipment works with more than one leasing company. So be sure to get quotes from a number of leasing firms. Its also a good idea to ask for referrals from friends and business associates.

Additionally, make sure you understand with whom youre dealing. Are you talking to a brokerthe person who simply structures deals, then gets them financed through any of the leasing companies he or she works with. Or are you dealing with a leasing company that is actually putting its own funds on the line?

Brokers can be beneficial because they have valuable insight about the leasing market and can help you find the best leasing solution for your needs. But as when dealing with any type of salesperson, you are responsible for handling the due diligence. Do your own homework to ensure you negotiate the most favorable lease agreement for your company.