Meet our new neighbors

Please allow me to take a break from the business day to share some fun from our family's life...

Unexpectedly, the Fox Family has moved in to our back yard. While the video is not great (they're a little camera shy so I didn't want to try and get any closer), if you watch carefully at about the 30-35 second mark you'll see the mom and her 6 kits.

Riggins is not happy about having to share his yard!

"What could we be doing better?"

In good economies and bad, a question I'm frequently asked by laser owners is, "What else can I be doing with my laser?"
I think that's a great question and one that I should try to get to in days to come but I'd like to tackle another topic first. It's one that stands to make some people more than a little defensive, uneasy, maybe angry.
The question that I think we all should ask ourselves more often is, "What could we be doing better!?!"
The football fans out there may remember Marv Levy, Buffalo Bills head coach for their record 4 straight trips to the Super Bowl. While I've never seen a formal quotation, it's been reported that Coach Levy felt that one of major strengths of the franchise at that time was their ability to self scout. Basically, they constantly asked themselves, "What could we be doing better or differently?"
While the answers to this question are sometimes not pretty, they can be critical to the success of any franchise or business. When is the last time you or someone you trust took a hard, honest look at your business and how you're operating these days? Of course, the investigation may bring some difficult issues to the table but isn't it always better to acknowledge problems as opposed to ignoring them? And, to take the glass-half-full approach, maybe you'll find that you're doing things very efficiently. If nothing else, it'll give you peace of mind that at least this part of your life is running smoothly.
In good economic times and in difficult economic times, I have to agree with Marv that asking yourself, "What could we be doing differently?" might be the difference between outstanding achievement and failure.

Windows 7

We're already starting to field questions about Windows 7.
The short answer is that we don't have enough knowledge to endorse it yet.
The longer answer is that we do have reason to believe that the new Microsoft Operating System is going to be a very nice change for those of you who hated Vista. I have only heard of precious little testing of the Epilog drivers on Win7 and those tests have gone nicely.
While Epilog itself has not officially endorsed the use of Win7, in coming weeks I may have the need to get a new computer and I'm likely to immediately update it with the beta version of Win7 that is available for download.
I guess I may be the Guinea pig for y'all.....

Leasing a Laser

For whatever reason, in our sales region we do not deliver a lot of lasers under lease agreements. There have been more inquiries about leases of late however so let's talk about them for a few moments.
First off, few, if any, laser manufacturers and/or distributors offer direct funding. It is generally done through a third party funding source. We have several options for our clients and they are also free to use their own agent. We have a very short list of lease companies with whom we will not work.
Second, and this is BIG, many new to leasing are under the misconception that a lease is a trial of some sort. They figure that they'll get a lease and if it doesn't work out, they'll just *send it back*. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you enter a 60 month lease for a laser, you are bound to that 5 year contract with the lease company. Anything other than completing the deal in the agreed to 60 month time frame is difficult and expensive. Again, do not mistake a lease for some sort of test or trial program.
Third, leases have both up and down sides to them. They will, most often, cost more than a bank loan would when all is said and done at the end of the term. However, they give you a chance for some significant tax benefits and they tend to keep credit available for other needs. And regardless of who you are considering, be sure your credit is not checked too often as the checks do lower your credit score. Shop your options without submitting applications at first. Good agents will understand this approach.
At the end of the day, my best advice to you is to ask your accountant whether a lease or a loan of some sort is the better deal for you and your business. Your laser sales professional should not care where you get the money to acquire your equipment. If you're getting pushed in to a specific funding option, I'd suggest that you should ask "WHY??". There may be very good reasons for the salesperson's suggestion but there may be less noble reasoning as well.
To wrap up, leases can be a great option for a laser buyer, but they are not for everyone. Ask around (including your accountant and lawyer) and be sure you completely understand the agreement that you're entering. It will be with you for a long time.

Have a question on Leasing or want a lease agent referral? Contact us at-
http://www.classact.net/contactus.asp?catid=19710&fileID=9439