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Vendor Financing Benefits Vendors and Their Customers

by Financing

Vendor Financing Benefits Vendors and Their CustomersEven in a booming economy, closing sales on large equipment or machinery can take time and finesse. In a down or uncertain economy, making sales is even harder. A combination of comparison shopping, exploring purchase options and choosing the right equipment is standing between you and your customers regardless of the state of the economy. However, if you are not offering an easy and affordable financing program, you risk losing sales.

Putting a vendor financing program in place takes choosing an established and trusted partner, like Global Financing & Leasing Services (GFLS). Founded during The Great Recession, we’re no stranger to financing equipment leases in both up and down economies, as well as approving applicants with less-than-perfect credit. Since we specialize in equipment vendor financing in several heavy equipment industries and work with all customer credit tiers, GFLS can tailor a financing program designed to help you sell more equipment.

Increased sales are attractive advantages to offering a vendor financing program. However, they aren’t the only benefits to both vendors and their customers.

 

Offering vendor financing opens up more buying options for customers.

Without the restraint of a large cash outlay or the inconvenience of going through the traditional bank loan process, customers can “afford” to look at and finance a more expensive piece of equipment rather than settle for with a smaller cash payment or a bank approved amount. A higher sales price equates to a higher revenue per sale for the vendor and the best equipment for the customer.

 

Retain control over your own vendor financing program.

Working with a partner, like GFLS, to create your vendor financing program lets you retain control. Our team works with you to design a program that creates a win-win for you and your customers. We’ll take your best interests and preferences in mind, so you can offer your customers terms that work for everyone.

 

Take advantage of the fact that many business owners can’t or don’t prefer to obtain a traditional bank loan.

By offering vendor equipment financing, you’re saving customers the hassle of doing the legwork to find financing on their own or going through the long, arduous process of applying for bank loans. Some customers’ credit scores exclude them from obtaining traditional equipment financing. Others need equipment quickly and have little tolerance for waiting for traditional banks’ approvals. When your vendor financing program is inclusive and fast moving, customers appreciate your willingness to meet them where they are.

 

When all else is equal, a vendor financing program can be the deciding sales factor.

In areas where customers see little difference between their equipment options, having a vendor financing program could be the deciding factor in choosing to finance equipment with your company.

 

A vendor financing program supports customer loyalty.

When customers have financed equipment through you before, chances are higher that they will return when the time comes to upgrade and/or add equipment. Customers gravitate toward the known, and having gone through the vendor financing process with you before, they know what’s expected.

READ: Why Equipment Vendors Outsource Customer Financing to GFLS

 

Choosing the Right Partner is Key to a Successful Vendor Financing Program

Talk to our team about how you can increase your sales without taking on financial risk. GFLS works with many vendors as their primary or secondary financing partner. Thanks to our streamlined processes, your customers will have a financing decision in less than 48 hours without any additional work on your internal staff’s part.

Our strong connections to publicly traded financial institutions means you can expand your target customers from “A-type” credit applicant’s to “B-type” and “C-type” credit and startups. Let vendor sales representatives focus on finding sales opportunities, not financial solutions. That’s what GFLS is for.

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Your Approach to Financing an Equipment Lease Matters

by Benefits of LeasingFinancing

Your Approach to Financing an Equipment Lease Matters

You’ve performed your due diligence and decided that obtaining a certain piece of equipment will bring undeniable benefits to your business. Those benefits might include streamlining or improving your processes, increasing employee or operations productivity, innovating your product or service offerings and ultimately boosting your bottom line.

Making an investment in the equipment to take your business to the next level also usually takes a substantial investment, which can have an immediate and/or long-term effect on your cash flow. To mitigate or offset financial risk, your approach to equipment lease financing matters.

The time invested in creating a strategic approach will not only help ensure you get the equipment your business needs, but also help you avoid costly mistakes.

Let your answers to the following questions help guide your approach to financing an equipment lease and move your business forward.

 

What is your expectation for financing an equipment lease?

We listed some in the first paragraph. Maybe those apply or perhaps there are more reasons, such as staying ahead of competitors, evolving with the marketplace, etc.

By having realistic expectations, you’re less likely to accept the wrong equipment lease financing for your budget and situation. You’re more likely to assess payment and terms compared to benefits gained and return on investment.

READ: Should You Finance a Lease or Raise Equity to Acquire New Equipment?

 

Are you too close to the situation to make an objective decision?

When the investment in new equipment is on the cheaper side, a mistake can be absorbed pretty painlessly. Chalk it up to live and learn. But often Global Financing & Leasing Services (GFLS) works with business owners who are investing thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars in financing an equipment lease. Leasing the wrong equipment for your business goals is a costly mistake with potentially serious business consequences.

The bigger the equipment lease finance payment, the more important it is to vet your options. What separates GFLS from other equipment financing providers is that our team provides objective advice and best-in-class service. Our clients have grown to trust our insights in their industry, and we can help you determine how financing new or upgraded equipment leases might impact your capacity, efficiency, competitive advantage and sales.

 

How does the new equipment fit into your overall operations?

Will your new equipment fit your needs right now or in the long run? Equipment financed for your long-term goals can come with additional costs in the short term in areas like training and peripheral investments in marketing in order to achieve maximum return on investment.

For example, medical equipment. Will your staff require training? Are there any software purchases, subscription fees or supply costs involved? Will patients need education on the equipment’s value to their health? In other industries, billing, manufacturing, shipping/receiving costs may be considerable factors.

 

Can your customers and finances tolerate a learning curve?

Considering what having the newest or upgraded equipment can do for your business, it’s understandable to be so excited that you underestimate the learning curve. Any equipment that will innovate your business is going to come with a learning curve for your employees, and maybe even your customers.

Make sure your customers and finances can tolerate the cost of downtime or temporary decreased productivity while your team gets up to speed.

READ: Test Your Knowledge on the Unexpected Benefits of Financing Equipment Leases

 

If new financing a lease on new equipment is out of reach, have you explored used alternatives?

Your finances may hinder your leap to the latest and greatest piece of equipment on the market. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your business goals. Consider taking an incremental jump in productivity or innovation. Taking a smaller step can sometimes boost sales to the point where you can more quickly afford to finance a lease for the equipment on which you originally had your mind set.

The GFLS team has expertise in equipment leasing across many industries. It’s worth your time to talk to us about all your options so you can obtain the equipment your business needs to grow while avoiding a costly mistake.

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How to Finance Your Packaging Machine

by Financing

Packaging EquipmentIf you’re in need of a packaging machine—whether it’s for your new business or you want to upgrade your system to grow business—financing the equipment lease is a viable option because packaging machinery can be a very expensive capital outlay. Packaging machine financing is worth considering, especially when you’re trying to stay within a certain budget for your manufacturing or distribution business or keep as much cash on hand as possible to fund ongoing operations.

There are specific things to keep in mind when you’re making plans to obtain or upgrade packaging machinery, so here are a few tips to help you determine if packaging machine financing is the right choice for you.

No One Understands Your Business or Its Packaging Needs Like You Do

Businesses of all kinds need packaging machinery. From the food and beverage industry to healthcare and pharmaceuticals, this machinery can be key in helping a company stay on the cutting edge and competitive.

Even the difference between two seconds and three seconds in production can be incredibly significant to winning business, and therefore a company’s growth potential. This is why acquiring or upgrading to newer, more advanced packaging machinery can be well worth your investment.

However, state-of-the-art packaging equipment typically requires fairly high up-front costs. This is where packaging machine financing can make an even better piece of equipment attainable and affordable. Packaging machinery costs can be spread out over time, meaning you won’t need to delay upgrades until the time is right. Increasing packaging speed, ensuring correct weights, changing the package material, and more impacts quality and reliability. If you suspect or know that your packaging machine or system is undermining speed and quality, you can’t afford to wait for the right time.

Ask Yourself the Right Questions

Business investments are made with your company’s future in mind. When going through the process of acquiring or upgrading packaging machinery, a few of the questions you’ll need to answer are:

  • How many machines will you need?
  • How often you will be using the machinery?
  • Are your investors willing to pay for machinery? If not, can you afford to buy the machinery?
  • Do you need the machinery for a short-term project or will you need it permanently?

The answers to the above will help you and your leasing partner choose the best leasing solution for your situation. 

Determine if Leasing or Financing is Better for Business

If your company only needs the packaging machinery for a certain period of time, your best bet is probably leasing it. However, if you’re using the packaging machine long-term, you should finance it for the best return on your investment.

Packaging machine financing allows you to have access to the machinery and begin using it to package products (and generate revenue), while freeing up the “extra” money that you would use up if you bought the machinery outright. 

READ: Save Cash When Leasing Equipment

Success is in the Bag

When you take advantage of packaging machine financing, you have more money to invest back in your business. This money can go towards more skilled employees, marketing efforts, consultation, and much more. You’ll have the machinery you need, but you’ll also have more of a budget to fund other business objectives. This will help your company progress and thrive, which will help you compete in your field.

If you’re thinking about packaging machine financing, but have questions, please contact us at Global Financial & Leasing Services. We have expertise in the field of packaging machine financing, and we would love to help you.

industrial-oven

Don’t Finance an Industrial Baking Oven Without Reading This First

by FinancingIndustry News

At the heart of every great bakery is an even greater oven. This piece of equipment is perhaps the most crucial investment you will make as a bakery owner. After all, every detail of the hard work and preparation you put into your baked goods is going to culminate in the baking process.

It’s also important to select an industrial baking oven that’s going to be dependable for a long time. It needs to provide you with consistency and reliability for years and years to come.

But, choosing the exact right oven for your bakery isn’t as easy as it may seem. When you begin shopping around for an industrial baking oven, you will discover that the options are seemingly endless. With so many on the market, how do you choose?

The first thing to understand is the basic different types of industrial ovens. This will help you determine which one will work best for your needs and meet your business goals.

Basic Types of Industrial Baking Ovens

Convection Oven

This is the most common and popular type of industrial baking oven because it’s the most affordable. A convection oven is the best choice for loaves of bread and individual cakes. This oven uses internal fans to circulate heat so that your batters and doughs bake evenly.

Rack Oven

If the amount of baked goods you produce is a priority, a rack oven may be the right choice for your bakery. If you’re planning to have a large-scale supply of bread or cookies at all times, a rack oven allows multiple goods to be baked at the same time.

Stone Deck Oven

If you’re an artisan baker who uses old-world style baking methods, a stone deck oven may be perfect for your bakery. These ovens provide modern heat distribution with artisan results, and they require less maintenance than a convection oven. They also feature stone decks, which means up to four chambers can be baking different items at once.

Revolution Oven

A revolution oven allows you to bake different types of goods at the same time via revolving trays.

And, that’s just the start! There are all sorts of sub-types of industrial baking ovens as well. The most important thing is to ask yourself questions to rule out what you don’t need—and then you can focus on what you do need.

The right industrial baking oven for you will depend not only on the type of goods you make, but also how many you’ll be producing per day, your personal baking process, the oven’s ease of use and baking speed, your building’s size and codes, and your budget.

If you fall in love with an oven, but find that it’s out of your price range and you can’t seem to get any help from banks for financing or leasing, consider industrial baking oven lease financing from a direct lender like Global Financial & Leasing Services. We work with bakery owners who have less than perfect credit in order to provide them with the equipment they need to run their business successfully.

If you need help with industrial baking oven lease financing, please talk to us at Global Financial & Leasing Services.

examination of the breast using the mammography x ray machine, which carry out examination of the breast . Prevention of breast cancer.Health care medical technology hi-tech equipment concept. Nurse. medical staff

The Nature of Medical Imaging Equipment Often Makes Financing a Lease a Better Choice Than Purchasing

by Benefits of LeasingFinancing

Medical Imaging LeasingYou might think that only large hospitals and medical facilities purchase x-ray and ultrasound equipment, and smaller facilities and practices finance medical equipment leases. After all, the larger facilities are more likely to have the capital to invest in buying x-ray and ultrasound devices, whereas a smaller or new facility probably doesn’t, and if it did, it’s likely that capital would need to be reserved for other expenses and operational items.

Unless you have a huge amount of cash on hand, you might be better positioning your facility for patient care and financial stability by financing a lease for your medical imaging.

Depending on your way of thinking, you might lean toward believing financing a lease or buying is more cost-effective than the other in the long run. And, there will be those who think financing a lease is and will always be more expensive. However, Jim Jenks, Global Financial & Leasing Services’ founder and CEO, says, “Leasing medical imaging equipment can be less expensive than purchasing things like x-ray and ultrasound machines if the lease is well managed and suited to the client’s needs and goals.”

If Your Goal is to Preserve Cash

Buying medical imaging equipment often means making a hefty down payment. “In some cases, the down payment alone is the decided factor for our clients to finance their x-ray, ultrasound or other medical imaging equipment, even with interest rates low right now. In other cases, they have the capital, but feel they can put that money to another use in their facility, saving it from being tied up in equipment,” says Jenks.

If Your Goal is to Stay Ahead of the Medical Imaging Technology Curve

Unfortunately, old x-ray or ultrasound equipment doesn’t become a valuable “classic” with age. Instead, aged medical imaging equipment becomes outdated and can put your practice or facility at a competitive disadvantage to those offering the latest technology. For example, an expectant mother is excited to see her baby. Given a choice between scheduling a 3D image and a traditional sonogram, which do you think she’ll choose?

Medical equipment is constantly improving, making past models obsolete pretty quickly. Depending on the nature of the equipment and its typical lifespan, buying it can leave you with equipment that is hard to sell when you are ready to upgrade. Leasing medical imaging equipment gives you more options at the end of the lease. You can return it to the leasing company or pay its market value and keep it. Bottom line: leasing gives you more control over your medical equipment upgrade schedule.

If Your Goal is to Work with a Company That Understands Medical Equipment Financing and Leasing

Having financed x-ray machines, ultrasound devices and other medical equipment for medical professionals since 2009, the Global Financial & Leasing Services (GFLS) team has found that it’s not the size of our clients’ facilities, but rather their long-term goals that drive their decisions to lease or buy.

Whether it’s medical imaging or other types of healthcare equipment, GFLS can help get it in your office so you can provide the best patient care. We do not require a down payment. Your first payment in advance is sufficient and then you can pay when your finances and schedule allow. GFLS helps clients with good and bad credit scores and you’ll always quickly receive a decision—just a few of the reasons GFLS is a preferred partner for those in the medical industry. Get started today with an application or contact our team for more information.

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Growing Your Practice by Financing a Medical Equipment Lease

by Benefits of LeasingFinancing

Medical EquipmentLike you and your staff advocate for patient care, the Global Financial & Leasing Services (GFLS) team is your advocate in financing leases for medical equipment. We understand that your ability to provide the best patient care hinges on having both standard and state-of-the-art medical equipment. And, like you, we know the high cost of medical equipment can be a barrier to having it in your practice, especially if your credit is less than perfect for whatever reason.

GFLS partners with medical practices of all types, human and animal, to acquire much-needed financing to lease essential medical equipment. In addition to the benefits patients gain by having in-office medical equipment, our clients with medical practices are able to start and/or grow their practices.

Get Your Practice Off the Ground Faster and Easier

Whether you’re taking over a practice or starting one from scratch, working capital can be tight and medical equipment difficult to come by when you’re getting your medical practice off the ground. Your medical practice can gain equity and worth in a short amount of time with the right lease financing.

Financing a lease for medical equipment is easier if you’re a qualified borrower. GFLS works with customers with good credit, as well as those with bad credit. We listen to your “story” and when other financial institutions say no, we can often say yes so you can provide better care faster and get your practice off to the best start.

READ: How to Improve Your Personal Credit Before Financing Business Equipment

Meet Patient Demand for Specific Tests or Services

When you have to refer patients to other practices for essential or elective tests or services, you are turning away revenue. GFLS has financed medical equipment leases that allow doctors to perform tests and services in-office, so you can keep leakage to a minimum and retain control over your patients’ quality of care.

Plus, leasing medical equipment makes it far easier for you to upgrade since you can turn in equipment once the lease is finished and refinance newer models.

Expand or Relocate Your Practice and Keep Capital Outlay in Check

If your goal is to one day expand the number of your locations to meet the needs of popular or underserved areas, chances are you will require medical equipment at the new location(s). One of the most common obstacles is not building a practice in the new location(s), but funding the medical equipment there. GFLS finances medical equipment leases so you have what your practice needs to move into your new location and preserve capital for other aspects of expanding or relocating.

Take Advantage of Section 179 Tax Benefits

Section 179 of the IRS tax code allows businesses to deduct qualifying medical equipment during the tax year it is purchased and put into service, even if it is a financed lease. We recommend consulting with your tax specialist on how to take full advantage of this tax code.

Learn more about the tax advantages of a capital lease and an operating lease.

Providing Not Only Medical Equipment Financing, but Also Valuable Expertise

When it comes to financing medical equipment, GFLS has the expertise that you can trust. We’ve provided financing options in the healthcare market since 2009, which means we can help you navigate the constant changes in both equipment, software and regulations. Get started today with an application or contact our team for more information.

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Why Equipment Financing Companies Ask for Additional Documentation

by FinancingIndustry News

It’s Not a Hoop to Jump Through. It’s a Means to Approve Your Financing Application.

Equipment Financing Global FinancialLet’s save you some time. If your credit score is 750 or above, feel free to read another blog. This one doesn’t pertain to you because typically your equipment financing will be approved based on your application alone.

If your credit score is below 750, and especially if it’s much lower, stay with us. Chances are that along with your application, that an equipment financing lender, like Global Financial & Leasing Services (GFLS), will ask for additional financial documentation. Worst case scenario is that your lender doesn’t ask for you additional documentation and simply rejects your financing application. Simply put, don’t look at gathering paperwork as a hoop your lender is asking you to jump through, but rather as a means to get you the funding you need for equipment.

There are two reasons equipment financing lenders ask you for more documentation along with your application.

  1. They want to help you prove your income and your credit worthiness.
  2. They want to help you prove that you have the ability to repay the lease.

The following are the most common financial documents lenders might ask for if additional documentation is required.

Personal and business bank statements from the past three months

Bank statements let lenders visually verify income and provide a general overview of how you handle your finances. If your statements include negative balances and overdrafts, that sends a red flag to lenders that you could have a better handle on managing your finances.

What can you do if your bank statements aren’t going to help your application? Change your focus from getting equipment financing to improving your bank statements. Keep positive balances and avoid overdrafts. Think of the overdraft fees you’ll save. Then, revisit equipment leasing once your financials are in better shape.

Year-end P&L statements and balance sheets from the past one to two years

Profit & loss (P&L) statements and balance sheets are common business financial documents. They offer an excellent overview of a company’s financial health, which is what lenders need to see when deciding whether to take a risk on lending you money for business equipment.

Personal and business tax returns for the past one to two years

Like P&L statements, tax returns show financial strength, and they are seen universally as a legitimate reporting tool. Expect lenders to compare numbers between your P&L statements and balance sheets to your tax returns. If the figures don’t “add up,” lenders will see this as a red flag.

Personal financial statements from the company’s principals

Personal financial statements from your company’s principals might be requested, especially if the they are personally guaranteeing the equipment financing. The statements include assets, such as homes, cars and income, as well as debts, such as mortgages, car loans, etc. Personal financial statements show the principals’ net worth and ability to financially guarantee the loan.

Collateral

Lenders may ask if you hold any assets that can be used for collateral against your equipment financing. If you have an asset, documentation of ownership and worth will be required.

Current vendor quote or invoice for the equipment being financed

The equipment quote or invoice verifies the financing amount matches the sales price.

READ: You Need to Package Your “Story Credit”

Along with your credit score, how much additional documentation you’re asked to provide also depends on the amount of the financing you’re requesting. The higher the amount, the more documentation you might be asked to submit. Regardless of the amount, the more documentation you can provide when asked, the better overall idea the lender has of your financial situation. And, that can make a difference when it comes to approving your equipment leasing application.

If you want to learn more about the equipment financing application process, our team is happy to answer your questions.

Close-up of businessperson give agreement document with graph da

You Need To Package Your “Story Credit”

by FinancingIndustry News

Important To Submit Good Credit Packages 

Package your story creditSales people are typically “coin operated,” which is to say that they are motivated by money. With that said, it is sometimes surprising to me how many sales people don’t understand the importance of submitting a good credit submission package. The reason for that might be for many of the small transactions, credit scoring drives the credit decision. The only thing the sales person needs to supply to the funding source is a completed and signed credit application and a vendor quote/invoice.

Then again, there are the larger transactions that require additional information, such as financial statements and tax returns. In larger transactions, with credit worthy accounts, nothing much more than those basic items is required. The financials (and/or tax returns) tell the “Story” for the credit committee. The Scoring solution requires minimum input from the sales person, and for the larger transactions the financials and tax returns speak for themselves. However, when the transaction is a “Story Credit,” things seem to become challenging for the sales person. This is where many sales people fail to properly “package” the opportunity to obtain the desired results from the funding sources.

What qualifies as a “Story Credit?”

If the credit submission fails either of the above credit reviews, then likely it now qualifies as a “Story Credit” submission. Here the sales person needs to identify why did it not pass the credit review at the bank. For small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), the principals of the business will most likely be required to provide their personal guarantee on the financing. When their credit is pulled, the most frequent reason a bank declines the application is a legacy issue. Those legacy issues include foreclosures, bankruptcies, tax liens, short sales, student loan delinquencies, etc. An issue that occurred just six -months ago can negatively affected the borrowers/lessee’s FICO score. The borrowers/lessee’s FICO score might now be 710, but they had a short sale in 2014. To get these credit submissions approved, someone has to find out about the borrowers/lessee’s “Story.”

How does someone tell the “Story?”

If you want to get this opportunity approved, this is where the work begins. You, the sales person with the opportunity fulfills the roll of “Packager.” You need to ask questions of the borrowers/lessee and share that information with your funding source. What happened, how did it get resolved? If it did not get resolved, where does it stand now? Why did they file bankruptcy? If they did not file bankruptcy, but were severely delinquent with a number of creditors, what did they do and why? Are they now caught up or nearly caught up?

So, what is the funding source looking for? Typically, character of the principal, today’s cash flow and to assess the value of the collateral.

The character of the principal is a good starting point. When they faced adversity, how did they handle it? Did they file bankruptcy because of the divorce and walked away from all their creditors? Did they file bankruptcy and entered into payment plans with their creditors, paying everyone eventually all the money they owed? Assuming everything else is okay, the difference in the action one person took versus the other might mean one get approved and the other declined.

Sometimes, the opportunity is based on being awarded a contract or contracts. As a packager, the lease broker, it is important that a copy of these contracts (signed preferred) be included in the credit submission. Then there is the possible mismatch. The contract is for two years and the lessee wants a five-year financing term. Is there any explanation on how that is going to work out?

We had applicants come into our office several years ago who wanted to get a loan. They were local and since they had a credit “issue” on their credit report, it was their intention to make a good impression. We learned in that meeting that they entered into a loan on equipment with a bank several years earlier. Subsequent to that loan, as so many others did in the down turn, the vendor went out of business. We were told that since the vendor went out of business, they elected to stop paying the bank. Since the vendor would no longer service the equipment, they did not feel they needed to continue to pay the loan. The character of this applicant was clear, this was a business we did not want for our portfolio. We bid him good luck finding a lender for his financing needs. We have seen the lessee who has current or former tax liens. When you know they exist, or existed, you want to obtain the payment plans or document the closure if they have been paid off.

We entertain start-ups and they are never easy. This is where the Packager should be asking a lot of questions and submitting a “Transaction Summary” with all the information they have learned. We require the lessee complete a “Start-Up Questionnaire.” One question is “Do you have a business plan?”, if so include it. I am always amazed when the question is answered with a “Yes,” but the business plan is not included with the credit submission. Then there are those that submit a business plan, and it only contains the details of their idea for the business. No financial projections, no costs identified and no revenues, etc. I guess those folks are hoping for the best and they love the idea no matter if they can pay the bills or not. It is not uncommon for the principal to state on the Questionnaire that they have invested X dollars into the business and not include the details on where it came from nor how it was used. Those are basic details us, as lenders, want to know about and you, as the Packager, will want to include in your submission.

Global Financial & Leasing Services (GFLS) was created in 2008 for the purpose of serving these small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). GFLS has the capability to fund a wide range of businesses. In addition to its own bank lines, GFLS has established its own equipment lease fund. Now, as a funding source, we are able to peel back the layers of a credit request to uncover value and create a structure that will work to assist SMBs secure equipment financing with or without credit blemishes. We know that not every less-than-perfect credit story may fit into the credit boxes used by banks and other financial institutions, but GFLS believes a company’s character is more than its credit rating. In closing, a good Packager is more successful with their submissions and makes more money.

New-Years-Business-Goals

Stick to These Top 3 Resolutions for a “Healthy” Business in 2019

by Financing

Stick to These Top 3 Resolutions for a “Healthy” Business in 2019The midway point of January has passed. That means most people’s well-intentioned resolutions have already fallen by the wayside. Sticking to a resolution is hard. For busy business owners, it’s even harder because, well… you’re focused on running a business. We get it! We’ll skip the treadmill to meet with a new client, too.

As a leading provider in equipment financing, we have a unique perspective of what a “healthy” business looks like based on the hundreds of applications for equipment financing we review. If your 2019 business resolution is to create a “healthier” company, consider following these tips.

The Tax Advantages of a Capital Lease are There for the Taking

Changes in Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax code took effect last year, which allow you to deduct from your gross income the full amount of equipment financed through a capital lease in the year you put said equipment into service. You get the immediate deduction versus having to depreciate its value over years.

If you have long thought having a certain piece of equipment would boost your company’s productivity, sales, profit or a combination thereof, 2019 may just be the year to finance it through a capital lease. After 2022, the law will change.

Pay More Attention to Profit Instead of a Lease Payment

For business owners with less-than-perfect credit, the fear of a high lease payment can keep them from investing in equipment that actually could grow their business and generate profit above and beyond the payment expense.

Take a look at some numbers we ran to illustrate our point here.

Business ownership comes with taking risk. However, some risks are a no-brainer, especially when the numbers add up on your behalf.

Make This the Year to Improve Your Personal Credit for Business Sake

When you are not a corporation, lenders draw no line of distinction between your company’s and your personal credit history. The logic being that how one handles personal finances likely are the same as how one handles the business finances.

Your personal credit history will be reviewed along with a financing application when you apply for equipment lease financing. There are two things you can do to prepare for the inevitable. One, resolve to improve your personal credit by following these steps. Two, work with an equipment lease financier who sees you as more than a credit score and will consider your personal character and other more positive aspects of your financial history along with the numbers on your application.

Business goals are far less prone to slide into oblivion than personal resolutions. In reality, business goals you set for the year are similar to resolutions. The difference is that your commitment to business resolutions can have a measurable effect on your company’s year-end success, profitability and growth. Get in touch with us if you need support or advice to help keep your 2019 business resolutions and lease the equipment that’ll spur business growth.

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The Tax Implications of an Operating Lease

by FinancingWhat about Taxes?

The Tax Benefits of an Operating Lease Depends on the Asset Leased

While capital leases and their tax advantages are in the spotlight due to changes in the Section 179 deductions for 2018, operating leases may still offer tax benefits depending on the type of asset leased. Under an operating lease, the lessor maintains ownership of the asset and the associated deductions, while the lessee deducts lease payments as an operating expense and records those payments on the Profit & Loss statement as they’re paid or incurred.

The ability to deduct payments on an operating lease as an operating expense is one of the most popular tax advantages of this lease type. However, an operating lease’s tax advantages depends on the type of asset you lease.

You might see a greater tax break from the direct expense of each lease payment if the equipment (asset) you’re leasing is anticipated to become obsolete before the entire value can be depreciated off your books. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations determine the amount of depreciation that can be expensed, and the IRS dictates the lifespan of the equipment under normal use.

Another advantage is that you can offset operating expenses dollar for dollar against income earned, reducing your net profit, and thus, your tax obligation.

Read: How do capital lease tax advantages compare?

Whether your equipment lease is classified as a capital or an operating lease has significant implications. Your business’s tax situation is unique to you and your company, so you must determine what classification is most beneficial for your business. The most common distinction being that capital leases allow you now to deduct the full purchase price of equipment in the year it was put in use, while operating leases allow you to deduct lease payments as operating expenses for the term of the lease, reducing your taxable income.

As with all business transactions, a trusted professional can help you determine which type of lease will provide you with the maximum tax advantages based on your goals and financial situation. Global Financial & Leasing Services (GFLS) has been providing financial resources to help small and mid-sized companies gain the equipment they need to grow since 2009. Our team is known for looking beyond credit scores and history to find financing that works for you. Have a question about equipment financing? Contact us.