teqlease, Author at TEQlease Capital

TEQlease to Attend the 2018 National Charter Schools Conference

TEQlease Education Finance, the national leader in equipment financing for schools, will be attending the 2018 Annual National Charter Schools Conference sponsored by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools on June 17-20, 2018 in Austin, Texas.

Representing TEQlease Education Finance will be Erika Aguirre, Dana Andrada, David Spahr, Victor Renteria, Jason Mayala, Mike Lockwood and Greg Hubach. TEQlease Education Finance has been providing equipment lease financing solutions to educational institutions for over a decade. These solutions include financing for laptops, chromebooks, smartboards, IT infrastructure, school furniture, security equipment, buses, modular buildings and many more types of equipment.

Please call your TEQlease Education Finance EDU Finance Specialist to set an appointment. For more information about the conference and to contact TEQlease, call us at 844-222-1006 or visit us at our Conference Booth.

TEQlease Education Finance Team Completes iLEAD Schools Capital Equipment Financing Projects

iLEAD Schools, a charter school group based in Southern California, has completed several capital equipment projects for its schools. These included financing IT devices, playground equipment, school furniture and school fencing. “We’re proud to partner with the savvy and innovative team at TEQlease,” said Phil Oseas, Chief Financial Officer of iLEAD Schools Development. “Dana Andrada and the rest of the TEF team are very knowledgeable. We were able to negotiate the appropriate financing for these different projects, and TEF was able to work with our equipment vendors and help us acquire the equipment in a timely manner. One of our schools was a very new school but TEF was able to provide financing to this school as well.“

“iLEAD Schools is a preeminent, growing charter school group that has to multi-task several capital equipment projects as it opens, maintains and expands its schools in the face of growing student demand,” said Mike Lockwood, President of TEQlease Education Finance. “We customized four different financing solutions based on its needs, so that iLEAD Schools could acquire the equipment that is essential to educating its students.”

TEQlease Education Finance has a unique focus on providing solutions to educational institutions. Founded in 2000, the company is based in Calabasas, California. Learn more about TEQlease Education Finance by visiting our web site here

TEQlease to Attend the 2018 California Charter Schools Conference

TEQlease Education Finance, the national leader in equipment financing for schools, will be attending the 25th Annual California Charter School Conference sponsored by the California Charter Schools Association on March 26-28, 2018 in San Diego, California.

Representing TEQlease Education Finance will be Erika Aguirre, Dana Andrada, Jecenia Trinidad, Victor Renteria and Mike Lockwood. TEQlease Education Finance has been providing equipment lease financing solutions to educational institutions for over a decade. These solutions include financing for laptops, chromebooks, smartboards, IT infrastructure, school furniture, security equipment, buses, modular buildings and many more types of equipment.

TEQlease Meets With Charter Schools and Partners at FCSC 2017

TEQlease Education Finance recently attended and exhibited at the Florida Charter Schools Conference in Daytona Beach, Florida. FCSC is a multi-day event that draws between 900 and 1000 attendees and more than 350 exhibitor representatives. Educators from around the State of Florida gathered to learn from one another and to promote engagement, rigor, and student responsibility for learning.

TEQlease Education Finance was represented by Dave Spahr, Eastern Region Manager. Dave had the opportunity to discuss equipment lease financing with many schools throughout the duration of the conference. Most were planning on purchasing equipment for the coming year such as Chromebooks, iPads, IT infrastructure equipment, school furniture, buses, modular buildings and more. TEQlease Education Finance helps schools get financing to acquire equipment, and fits financing terms within school budget restraints over terms up to five years.

We look forward to exhibiting again at FCSC 2018. We hope to see you there.

Flexible Financing Options for Q4

Using financing as a sales tool to help close business in the fourth quarter is much more than just waiting for customers to ask about financing. It’s about understanding your customer’s needs and putting together a solution to address those needs. That’s certainly true when you’re selling the benefits of your equipment and it’s also true when providing a financing solution tailored to meet those needs.

To that end, TEQlease is rolling out a series of customized, flexible financing options designed to help our vendor partners sell more equipment. These are part of our special promotions available through the end of 2017.

These options include:

Deferred Payment Plan

This option is perfect for situations where it may take a few months before the equipment is generating revenue for the customer. It gives Vendors the option of making the sale today, getting paid in full today, and allowing the customer to defer payments for as long as 90 days.

Seasonal Payment Plan

This option is designed for customers with fluctuating periods of higher or lower revenue. Think of an ice cream store in Minnesota or a winter coat store in Florida. The customer can designate 3 consecutive months during any 12 month period for reduced (as low as $25.00) monthly payments.

Quarterly, Semi-Annual, Annual Payments

Different companies budget in different fashions. TEQlease has the ability to customize the timing of the payments to fit the client’s budget. For example, a Charter School may receive annual funding. We can create an annual payment option to mirror this. Or a contractor might get paid on a quarterly basis. We can schedule the financing payments accordingly.

Residual Programs

If it helps close a sale, we have the ability to “backload” a transaction and thereby keep the payments especially low. For example, we can defer 10%, 20%, even 30% as an end of term residual payment. As a result, the customer’s monthly payment would go down accordingly.

“Same as Cash”

Need a special program similar to the “5 years, 0% interest” programs you see on TV? Let’s talk! We have experience putting these together for qualified vendor partners.

Which of these programs would be most helpful to you? We’d be happy to discuss how these options can work in your business and help you close more equipment sales faster. Want to learn more? Give me a call (or email) today so we can get started for you. If you’d like schedule a specific time to talk, click here.

Fitch: Five Years Post-Crisis, States Stable, Locals Lag

In the five years after the Great Recession, most states and municipalities have seen pronounced drops in revenue followed by a slow growth trend that, in conjunction with budget austerity, has improved financial stability, according to Fitch Ratings. Many states expect to see lower tax revenue growth in the future than they did in 2013, the impact of federal healthcare reform on state budgets is uncertain, and a few states are pressured by increased funding demands from their state employee pension plans. Pressures for localities are heavier on labor costs, Fitch said.

Before the recession, state and local governments both benefitted from a period of sustained strong tax revenues and overall economic growth. The recession struck states more immediately, as their revenue structures depend heavily on income and sales taxes. The impact on local governments was less dramatic since they usually rely to a moderate to large extent on property taxes, Fitch said. The gap between property assessments and the collection of revenue therefore allowed for fairly stable revenue for an extra couple of years despite a sometimes-dramatic decline in home prices. Various protections kept property tax declines moderate even when reduced assessments were phased in. Those local governments reliant on more economically sensitive revenue or state aid were more immediately affected, the ratings agency added.

States began their recoveries sooner and implemented austerity plans while also benefitting from significant federal stimulus funds in the first years after the downturn. State revenues have been growing since 2010 and this year many saw a bump in income tax revenue motivated by acceleration of income into 2012 to avoid next year’s federal tax increases. Many are using these one-time funds to further rebuild financial cushions. The labor-intensive nature of local governments means salary and benefit growth will be a pressure even as tax revenues recover.

Today, both states and localities are growing moderately. Generally, revenues are recovering along with the tepid economic recovery. Reserves for both are, in aggregate, stable or growing. The risks facing both are distinctly different, Fitch added.

SPOTLIGHT: Leon Williams

When Leon joined our team earlier this year, we knew we were getting an accomplished Account Executive. Leon joined TEQlease after many years with Xerox as a President’s Club Award Winner. His experience, track record and dedication to his customers is unmatched. We knew all that!

What we didn’t know at the time is that Leon is an accomplished Grill Master and is launching his line of barbecue sauce. He is also known as “Torchy Burns“, producer of Torchy Burns Famous Flaming Ember BBQ Sauce. He was kind enough to cater lunch in our office a while back.

Make sure to catch his episode of Lifetime TV’s upcoming episode of Supermarket Superstar on Thursday, September 12, 2013. Check your local listings.

20 Beats 60, Big Data, Paying More, Innovation

Obama did it in his inauguration address. Guy Kawasaki has been preaching it for years. Ever notice at the 15 minute mark during a presentation that the presenter is pretty interesting but by the 30 minute mark you are confused? That’s apparently because there is real science behind “a 20-minute presentation always beats a 60-minute one! Carmine Gallo reported for Forbes that Dr. Paul King of Texas Christian University, a noted communications scholar, says “that cognitive processing—thinking, speaking, and listening—are physically demanding activities. If you pile on too much information, you create “anxiety”—cognitive backlog—and your audience will actually turn on you!”

If by chance you have made some career missteps, Jessica Kleiman writes it’s not too late to bounce back in her recent Forbes article. According to Jessica, the first step is to:

Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst.

Go with your gut. When you see a red flag, pay attention. How many times in life have you kicked yourself for not listening to that little voice in your head that says, “Something is wrong here”?

Have a plan and a back-up plan. In PR, we try to lay out a strategy and do our best to identify potential pitfalls and problems on the horizon. While we may not always be able to predict what’s coming our way, by doing the exercise and putting a solid plan on paper, you’ll be prepared to deal with it if the issue ever sees the light of the day.

Big Data

Have you been wondering what all the noise is about Big Data and whether you should even care? Well according to Techcrunch, Big Data and SaaS will become relevant for small business in 2013.Why the change? According to the author, “ this year is going to be a year of dramatic changes for small businesses because startups are finally giving them access to previously inaccessible data, delivering actionable visualization of data, and driving loyalty automation. It’s going to be an amazing year!”

Paying More

Prices are going up on a number of staple items Americans enjoy reports CNN Money. In 2013, Americans will be shelling out more for steaks, hamburgers, bacon, satellite television, mail, public transit, and taxes; you will also be paying higher airline fees. Melanie Hicken reports for @CNNMoney, “Many airlines now charge a range of fees for redeeming miles. US Airways tacks a $25 award processing fee onto any ticket. Redeem your miles within 21 days of travel and you’ll be facing another $75 fee on top of that. US Airways said the processing fees help support its mileage program.

Innovation

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last 20 years, it should come as no big surprise that San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara lead the U.S. and the world in innovation as measured by the number of patents according to a new report by the Brookings Institution. But what may surprise you is how other cities fared. Burlington, Rochester, Corvallis, Boulder, and Poughkeepsie rounded out the top six innovative cities in the U.S. all beating San Francisco which ranked number 8. Curious how your city fared? You can see a full listing of the top 20 at Business Insider.

Are You Leaking Money?

With the half-way mark of the first quarter at hand, many of us are turning our attention to the looming April tax deadlines. It is also a good time to assess whether you are having any “money leaks” which are according to Money magazine, “small expenses that you hardly notice but that add up every time.” Here are four money leaks that caught our attention.

Flexible Spending Accounts. According to WageWorks, a third of all employees fail to use a third of their account totals each year, forfeiting an average of $120 of their balances back to their employers. First step to make sure you aren’t part of the statistic, check with your employer to find out what your 2012 ending balance was. Then check to see if you had to use the funds by Dec. 31, 2013 or if you have the later March 15, 2013 deadline.

Data Costs. Are you wasting money on your cell phone data plans? Chances are yes according to Billshrink.com. You can track your smart phone data usage through your cell phone carriers or download DroidStats for the Android or DataMan for the iPhone. According to Money Magazine, the average money leak for data costs is $360 per year. You may be leaking even more if you are paying for data on your tablet. With so many locations offering free Wi-Fi now, consider if it makes sense to pay another $10-$15 a month to cover your tablet.

Cable. More and more people are cutting the cable cord with Yahoo! Finance declaring, “it’s official: cord cutting has gone mainstream.” But, if you are not ready to go cold turkey with your cable provider, there are steps you can take to save on your cable bill. First, do an audit on your bill and decide what you can live without. Are you spending too much for On Demand movies? Compare the costs of other online streaming entertainment services including Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Or, simply plan ahead and pick up a movie for $1 through one of Red box’s 34,600 locations nationwide.

Next, call your provider and ask for a discount. If they refuse, make sure to shop around. If you decide to stay with them, check to see if you are paying a per month fee for a modem. If you are, purchase your own modem and start saving up to $84 per year.

Insurance. When was the last time you got a quote on your car and home owner’s insurance policies? Chances are it has been a while according to a study by J. D. Powers and Associates that found that “75% of policyholders renew without getting a new quote.” By bundling your auto and homeowner’s insurance policies together under the same insurer you can save up to 25% a year according to Kelly Blue Book which accounts for $300 per year for an average home and auto policy. If you have added a new alarm, upgraded your plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling systems, you might be eligible for even steeper discounts of 40% or more.

Resolutions, Social Capitalism, and the Death of the PC

Resolutions

45 percent of Americans usually make New Year’s resolutions according to research from the University of Scranton and reported by Statistic Brain. However, by the end of January 64% of resolutions are still being kept but that number slips dramatically to 46% at the end of six months. But what about your business resolutions? Mike Maddox believes that business resolutions are essential for success and writes about them in his Forbes article “Ten Resolutions the Most Successful People Make and Then Keep.” Topping his list at number one and number two are:

#1 Spend more time on the not-to-do list. Strategy is the art of sacrifice. That’s why you may consider creating a larger clearing for what really matters by first identifying, and then avoiding, what matters the least. Your time is a treasure to be invested. Creating a list of things that you are not going to do, allows you to invest more of your treasured time on the few things that matter the most.

#2 Essential first, email second. What’s the first thing you do in the morning? For many of us, it is looking at email. We wake up with a renewed mind and spirit, ready to take on the world, and then we immediately allow ourselves to be distracted by an insignificant email. Instead, wake up, take on the most important task of the day, and then (and only then) hit the email.

Social Capitalism

Do you want your business to become one of the most admired in the next ten years? If so Gartner’s research says your business will need to change to being part of the “social capitalists”. Gartner reports in “Maverick* Research: Capitalism Goes Social, or How Technology Will Enable the 99% to Change Your Business Forever”:

CIOs and business leaders must understand how a new breed of social capitalists will exploit technology to disrupt their industry segments, according to Gartner, Inc. As the gap between the rich and the poor in developed economies grows, money, wealth and power are becoming increasingly concentrated in the hands of a small number of individuals — the “one percent” — while the other “99 percent” is increasingly using social media to collaborate, campaign and agitate against perceived inequities, leaving many management teams feeling under threat.

According to the research, “A key aspect of capitalism going social will be the use of social and mobile technologies by business to change the way it interacts with the 99 percent, bringing them inside the four walls of the enterprise to become part of the organization’s processes, rather than keeping it at arm’s length.”

“Capitalism going social is a reflection of the wider societal changes that are happening in the 21st century. These changes cannot be ignored, although their impact will vary by industry and organization. IT and business leaders must identify how soon their industries and companies will be affected by these changes,” said Nigel Rayner, research vice president at Gartner. “

The Death of the PC

Speaking of predictions, Business Insider predicts that by 2015, fixed PCs will be a small minority of Internet connected services. What’s the evidence? According to Business Insider’s research:

PC Sales have been flat since 2009
Smart phone sales are bigger than PC sales
Growth in computer sales is from tablets
More adults want to buy a tablet than a computer
People who own iPads are using them more as time goes by
Tablet sales will pass notebook sales this year

Will this prediction affect your future computing decisions?