How Small Businesses Can Afford Their Equipment

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A key challenge for many small business owners starting off is covering their operating expenses. The following contributed post is thus entitled; How Small Businesses Can Afford Their Equipment.

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Entrepreneurship is one of the primary principles of your ecosystem of success. As you get to build your business, you build, with it, its path to success. Every strategy, every market research, every service or product moves your company forward along the success ladder. The aim, naturally, is to climb the ladder, and not to fall back one or few steps lower. However, expenses, and especially equipment purchases can exercise a negative drain on your cash flow and your rate of expansion. While a company can’t provide its offering to the market without the appropriate equipment, its purchase can bring insurmountable obstacles and threaten growth. In a desire to continue your business journey safely and on stable grounds, you need to be able to look out for alternatives solutions.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

They look for cost-friendly alternatives
High tech machinery comes at a price, especially in industrial sectors such as agriculture and construction businesses where the business can’t perform without specialized equipment. For many small businesses, the cost of purchasing brand new machinery can drag the budget in the red and put the company at risk of bankruptcy. Entrepreneurs are rightly suspicious of second-hand equipment, which could present faults and represent an even higher cost in the long term. However, you can find safe and professional auctions online that guarantee customer care services and precise description of each item. You can save money on used equipment that works for your business.

A typical auction room

They choose not to buy
Expensive machinery requires specialist maintenance and servicing. Needless to say, if the equipment is draining the budget, it’s likely that the necessary maintenance schedule might affect your cash flow significantly. As a result, only a few small businesses are happy to commit to the purchase of equipment during their first years of existence. For many, hiring the equipment they need for the duration of specific projects and tasks ensures that the teams are supplied with everything they need in real time without permanent commitment. Ultimately, while it’s not a viable approach in the long term – especially as projects multiply and the need for equipment increase – it can allow your company to build up the necessary capital to purchase.

They sell their specialist knowledge to partner companies
A subcontractor is, by definition, a professional who owns their own business and is hired by another company to support a project. Their skills are designed to enhance the set of talent the company has to offer. For small businesses, acting as a subcontractor can ensure access to high-quality equipment on a project basis without needing to purchase or hiring additional machinery.

They use tax relief
Last, but not least, small companies can receive a permanent tax break when they buy new equipment. Indeed, by using the Section 179 deduction, a small business can immediately write off the items of equipment – without waiting for the natural depreciation to run its course over several years. The tax provision is only aimed at small and medium companies in an attempt to support growth.

Applying any of these financing solutions can ensure that your small company gets access to the equipment you need for growth without putting your cash flow at risk.

Author: anwaryusef

Anwar Y. Dunbar is a Regulatory Scientist. Being a naturally curious person, he is also a student of all things. He earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Michigan and his Bachelor’s Degree in General Biology from Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU). Prior to starting the Big Words Blog Site, Anwar published and contributed to numerous research articles in competitive scientific journals reporting on his research from graduate school and postdoctoral years. After falling in love with writing, he contributed to the now defunct Examiner.com, and the Edvocate where he regularly wrote about: Education-related stories/topics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Financial Literacy; as well as conducted interviews with notable individuals such as actor and author Hill Harper. Having many influences, one of his most notable heroes is author, intellectual and speaker, Malcolm Gladwell, author of books including Outliers and David and Goliath. Anwar has his hands in many, many activities. In addition to writing, Anwar actively mentors youth, works to spread awareness of STEM careers, serves on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the David M. Brown Arlington Planetarium, serves as Treasurer for the JCSU Washington, DC Alumni Chapter, and is active in the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Ministry at the Alfred Street Baptist Church. He also tutors in the subjects of biology, chemistry and physics. Along with his multi-talented older brother Amahl Dunbar (designer of the Big Words logos, inventor and a plethora of other things), Anwar is a “Fanboy” and really enjoys Science-Fiction and Superhero movies including but not restricted to Captain America Civil War, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Prometheus. He is a proud native of Buffalo, NY.

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