Saturday, January 24, 2009

Equipment Leasing the Benefits

By Guy Phillips

There is an argument to be made for businesses that buy versus those that lease their equipment. Some business owners are not sure which avenue is the best for their company. Most people, however, recommend that if you are a business that has a long history, with plenty of capital, it makes sense to buy. Other people suggest that new business owners can save a lot of upfront costs through leasing. Leasing, though, is the boulevard that both businesses should take, as the benefits of leasing equipment outweigh the detriment of buying it.

One of the most important benefits in leasing equipment is cash"whether its upfront cash, business cash or profits turned cash, leasing equipment helps put it back into your business. When you lease the equipment you use for your business, say the twenty office computers, the cash is not spent (and gone forever) on those computers, easily $25,000-$30,000 dollars. The money can be more wisely spent on advertising, investments, business trips, working capital, employee benefits or simple cash flow needs.

Additionally, you wont need the money upfront to lease the equipment you want and need. A small initial start up investment, say $3,000-$4,000 dollars, can get you started and your business jumping. The leftover money could undoubtedly help your business grow and move forward. Plus, the monthly costs for leasing the equipment is generally lower than bank loan payments. All around, you save more greenbacks.

Leasing your equipment will benefit you further since youll have the personal freedom to be flexible. As your business and clientele needs change, your equipment will need to be upgraded to offer the best youve got. When you lease equipment, youll have the opportunity to add equipment to your line up or actually replace the older equipment with the more efficient merchandise. The equipage you have to offer your customers, and the tools your employees (or you) use to do your best, will be of the newest and finest sort. What you produce, therefore, is of the highest standard and ensures repeat business and positive word-of-mouth publicity.

Another positive advantage to leasing equipment is the terms of leasing often side with the buyer. That is, if something happens to the equipment youre using, say a computer hiccups with a virus, then the leasing company will fix or replace the computer for free"try getting a bank to do that! On the same token, if your business heads in another direction, say printing rather than advertising, you can often return the un-needed equipment for a small (termination) fee. Either way, you dont lose out and your companys credit remains intact and strong. Or, the leasing company can replace the obsolete equipment with something you do need. The pliant advantages of leasing keep trickling down.

When you lease rather than own the equipment you use for and in your business, your immediately creating revenue. You are using equipment that you didnt pay for to make you money, essentially. Moreover, your monthly payments to the leasing company are set and known. There are no surprise fees, save for the processing fee of starting up with any company. If you consider the equipment leasing company as your partner, then youll see that they are actually helping you make money. Over time, leasing saves money for both the large and small business. As Benjamin Franklin once said, A penny saved is a penny earned. Thats always true! - 15790

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