4 Common Questions About Equipment Lease Rates
Answers to Your Equipment Leasing Rate Questions – No Head Scratching Required
If you’re in the market for a new equipment lease, you might be thinking about leasing rates.
- What’s a “good” rate?
- How do I find the best equipment lease rates for my situation with a minimum of hassle?
- Will my rate change over the course of the lease?
- How does equipment leasing compare to other forms of credit?
No one wants to spend a lot of time on financing, but as a business owner you’ve got to watch the bottom line. We get it. In this article we’ll go over the four questions above and help you map out your options and find the solution that’s right for your company.
What It Takes to Get Approved for Your Equipment Lease
The Basics Your Lender Will Want to See and How You Can Optimize for the Best Rates
Equipment leasing is a powerful business growth tool and is a lot more flexible than a traditional bank loan. Leases are easier to qualify for, offer more stress-free terms and can usually be obtained without a down payment.
Though the up-front costs to you may be minimal, they do represent a major investment for the lender. Your lender will be playing it safe, especially in this day and age, and looking for indicators that your business is a good credit risk.
Lease brokers have specific measures they look for in a lease application. Some of these are things you can optimize, like a strong business plan and a solid credit score. Some are factors out of your control, like the number of years you’ve been in business and your credit history.
Knowing beforehand what the lender wants to see is key to a successful application.
7 Common Fees and Hidden Costs in an Equipment Lease
Avoid Surprise Costs on Your Next Equipment Lease Before You Sign
Equipment leasing is designed to make expensive equipment affordable. Your lease will break down the purchase costs overtime and allow for minimal cash spending on the initial purchase.
Like any big transaction, you can expect some fees and costs associated with starting an equipment lease. Of course, not all fees are respectable or necessary. Protecting your cash from a bad deal is obviously important.
In this article, we’ll explain the 7 most common fees – which costs are legitimate and which costs are not.
Make Your Next New (or Used) Excavator Pay for Itself
How Lease to Own Financing Can Break the No-Cash = No-Contracts Cycle
Big tools are a big expense.
The costs associated with big ticket equipment like an excavator can be daunting. Sure, the right machine will mean new opportunities, new contracts and a better bottom line. But what if you simply don’t have the cash? Without cash you can’t get the equipment you need to make cash. It can be a frustrating cycle.
Don’t be a Target: How to Recognize Common Business Scam Tactics
Simple Steps Your Business Can Take to Outsmart Scammers and Avoid Being a Target for Fraud
An email from “the Financial Minister of Nigeria” may be easy to write off as a fraud, but not all scams are so obvious. Today’s scammers are clever and the money they steal is no joke. In 2019 alone, Canadians lost nearly $100 million to fraud.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre lists over 16 types of scams that target businesses specifically. Your business may present a tempting target to scammers, but there are ways to minimize the risk.
You Can Increase Equipment Sales by Reframing the Price Tag
How to Prevent Sticker Shock, Help Your Customers Afford What They Need, and Look Good Doing It
You’ve got what they need. They know it, you know it.
All that is standing in the way of a successful sale is one number – that piece of equipment’s price tag. Equipment is a big-ticket item and the numbers involved can send a potential buyer running for the door.
The key to increasing sales lies in reframing the price tag with monthly payment plans. Breaking down that sticker price into manageable chunks helps your buyer reframe the equipment cost in a way that fits their budget – and thought-process. Few small operators can lay down the $40,000 needed to purchase a mini excavator upfront. But, $800 a month for 5 years? That is a possibility. That number that fits the world of monthly operating costs.
COVID-19 Financial Lifelines for Your Canadian Small Business
Subsidy and Benefit Information and Links for Canadian Small Businesses
Yes, these are interesting times. Trying to wade through the new (and ever changing) COVID-19 advice and information can feel like a fulltime job. When you’re running a small business at the same time it can quickly become overwhelming.
To help you out, we’ve pulled together a list of Federal, Provincial and private company resources currently available to Canadian small businesses. These programs, subsidies and benefits are designed to create a way forward so that your business will be ready to thrive when COVID-19 is a thing for the history books.
The Hidden Costs of Cheap Equipment
Buy Smarter by Calculating Equipment Operating Costs
We all like a good deal and, as business owners, we all need to watch the bottom line. It’s tempting to look at the equipment’s price first and its specs/maintenance records/user rating second – if at all. But this can be a costly mistake.
The real cost of a piece of equipment can only be calculated once you include the actual operating costs. The dent in your cashflow when you purchase is only the first of many costs associated with owning heavy equipment. Labour, maintenance, efficiency and downtime are all business costs too. If you get a “deal” on a cheap machine, but it is less efficient to run, breaks down more often and requires more expensive parts, is it really saving your business money?
Low prices do not always mean a better deal.
Canadian Equipment Lease Tax Benefits
Two Leasing-specific Deductions That Deliver Valuable Tax Savings for Your Business
Leasing your business equipment in Canada safeguards your capital, cuts red tape, allows for quick and easy upgrades — and offers significant savings at tax time.
Leases and loans are treated very differently by the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency). Two of the most significant differences are found in monthly payment deductions and how you claim Input Tax Credits. Some businesses will benefit from larger, short term tax rebates and some will benefit more from smaller rebates over a longer period of time. Either way, leasing can help bring down your tax bill.
How to Take Charge of Your Cash Flow
Essential Tips to Controlling and Keeping Your Cash Where You Need It
Cash flow management is critical to your business’s survival. Cash is king and nowhere is that more apparent than in the day-to-day finances of a business.
Poor cash flow planning can leave you short — struggling to pay employees or cover operating expenses. You may have plenty of business coming in, but it won’t help if you need funds now. Good cash flow management means you plan ahead and minimize those gaps.
Simply put, cash flow management is postponing capital expenditures as long as possible while encouraging anyone who owes you money to pay as quickly as possible. The first step to taking charge of your cash flow is evaluation.