Tag Archives: Lease

How Do You Scale Up a Product That Is Taking off! Four Points

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Situation: Demand for a product produced by a company has increased dramatically. The CEO realizes that they need to scale up production quickly to meet this unexpected demand. The company is small and the CEO wants advice as to how his company can accomplish this without killing the product. How do you scale up a product that is taking off?
Advice from the CEOs:
• This represents a major change of both mentality and culture. Essentially, the company needs to move from a “handmade” process to a commodity volume process. This may also mean moving from low volume/high margin production to high volume/lower margin production. This shift will significantly change the company.
• If there is high confidence that the company will land a contract for long-term production consider establishing high volume production at a new site. Rent or lease another facility. Alongside this hire a set of experienced people who understand the challenges of scaling up rapidly. Consider giving this facility a new name to suit the new team. This will help to establish a new culture suitable to the new opportunity.
• While negotiating a lease, ask for an option for additional space to be included in the lease. If things don’t pan out, look at this new space as the eventual location for your existing team.
• Two other options to consider: (1) Outsourcing to a 3rd party manufacturer. This is an option unless the company is an OEM outsourced producer itself. However, be careful – you could be telling your customer that they could go directly to your OEM source at a lower price. (2) Establishing an overseas production capability – one where you own the facility and manage quality control. This will be a challenge if the customer wants to specify “Made in US”, or where quality concerns are essential.

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How Do You Downsize Intelligently? Three Perspectives

Situation: A company has run into a rough patch and needs to cut costs. The CEO is considering a number of alternatives, but wants to hear input from other CEOs on how they have faced this challenge. How do you downsize intelligently?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • The key to intelligent downsizing is to take a different perspective. Look at the needs of the business in terms of a 3-5 year plan, not just at what is needed to do to survive today.
    • What key talent will be needed 3 years out? What key roles will need to be filled? Who is on-board today who will be needed in 3 years? How does this affect the decision on where to trim? Are there other options to simply laying off staff?
    • Answering these questions helps to consider options with a rational long-term view.
  • Establish a new paradigm. What do you want the business to become?
    • Is it the same as, complimentary to, or completely different from the current business model? Once the paradigm is developed plan personnel needs in line with this paradigm.
  • Look at all resources proactively.
    • For example, if you are considering moving your offices to a smaller space, look at your vision for the company 3 years out.
    • It may be more sensible to stay where you are and negotiate a new lease with your landlord that is more favorable short-term than paying for multiple moves.

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How Do You Find the Right Funding Source? Six Solutions

Situation: A company is short of cash and needs a source to fund their cash flow needs. Their needs are mapped out for the next four years and they can fund current operations for a few months. However, their bank will not extend their credit line. How do you find the right funding source?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Try another bank. Ask friends and contacts about their banks and see if they’ll refer the company to their bank.
  • Explore renegotiating the company’s lease to ease the cash flow needs.
  • Explore renegotiating payment terms with suppliers. See what can be worked out. The bottom line – if the company goes Chapter 7 or 11, they get nothing.
  • Consider going to a larger company and working out an arrangement.
    • Ask that they allow the partners to operate as an “independent” entity retaining their titles.
    • In exchange for funding the company’s cash needs, the larger company shares in the profits.
    • Seek a temporary arrangement to allow the company can get back on its feet financially.
    • Use the friends and reputation that the company has developed over the years. The company is a good outfit and respected. Others may help if asked.
  • A similar tactic is to approach a larger company to negotiate an arrangement that will allow the company to survive. Start with a business plan.
    • Highlight the company’s reputation and the quality of its products. Use references from highly satisfied customers.
    • Highlight the company’s key strength – developing the critical path and plan for a successful project.
    • The thrust of the presentation: the partner gets a quality team and shares in the profits from projects completed. The partner provides the cash to fund the projects. Compare the risk and return on these funds compared with other investment options available to highlight the value of the proposal.
  • Other CEOs shared similar situations that have worked for them.
    • The financial realities were kept secret from staff, customers, and competitors.
    • All unnecessary expenses were cut.
    • The focus was on making money today.
    • Supplier payments were delayed as necessary to manage cash flow.
    • The process was managed creatively, sometimes with the assistance of friends, and the companies were able to prevail.
  • There is no shame in facing and dealing with this problem. Determination will pay off.

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How Do You Position the Company for Growth? Four Key Points

Situation: A company is completing the design of a new line of equipment which is expected to drive future growth. An important distributor for a company’s principal product – a consumable – also distributes equipment. The CEO is concerned that this distributor may perceive his new line of equipment as competing with their existing line. How should the CEO handle this? How do you position the company for growth?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Meet with the CEO of the distributor and ask two questions:
    • Can they sell the company’s new line of equipment, as well?
    • Do they have any other source for the company’s consumable product?
    • If the distributor must rely on the company for the consumable, whether they decide to distribute the new equipment line or not, there should not be any risk.
  • The company has a wonderful opportunity to start doing business in a new way.
    • The company has a proprietary consumable and chemistry/formulation knowledge that will be difficult for others to copy.
    • The company now has knowledge of how to design equipment that utilizes the consumable.
    • Proprietary trade secrets may be more valuable than patents, presuming that the company can keep a lid on these secrets. Coca Cola and 3M have never sought patents on their key products. In a well-managed environment, trade secrets have a much longer life than patents.
  • Think about the sales mix in a new way, one that would address concerns about the annuity vs. capital equipment mix as well as improve overall profitability.
    • Focus on turn-key solutions. Use Hewlett Packard as a model. HP makes the most money selling paper and ink cartridges – annuity products; not from selling printers which sell less frequently than the cartridges. A busy office will spend far more on ink cartridges and paper per year than they spend on printers – and at a better margin for HP.
  • Combine the two prior points to leverage the new model.
    • Lease or provide the equipment at just above cost, in exchange for a contract commitment to purchase the consumable for a defined period.
    • Triple the cost of the consumable over time!
    • This should provide a more profitable and sustainable model. Adjust the cost of the ink upwards so that it pays. On a per-piece basis, the consumable at 3x or 4x current cost will still be a miniscule part of overall product cost. Further, the buyer won’t have to amortize the cost of the equipment over their production, making this an attractive option.
    • Concentrate on equipment design and outsource the manufacturing on a modular basis while keeping control of the one or two most critical components.

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Do You Move or Negotiate a Lower Rent? Five Suggestions

Situation: A company has been looking at alternatives for expansion but would be willing to stay in their present site if the landlord is willing to lower their rent without requiring more time on the current lease. Another option would be to purchase a building and lease out extra space until they need to expand. The CEO seeks advice on how to move forward. Do you more or negotiate a lower rent?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Much has to do with the current real estate market. If the market is slack, there are more options whether the decision is to move or renegotiate the rent with the current landlord. However, if demand for space is high then landlords and sellers have the upper hand. This is a classic demand-supply situation.
  • Investigate lease buy-out options if the decision is to move. Better yet, if the decision is to move ask the new landlord to pay off the old lease.
  • For the money required to move an operation of substantial size, why not buy? In this case, the decision is balancing the size of the down payment with the company’s current cash position.
  • If the decision is to buy, consider creating an LLC to purchase the property and fund the purchase through a Small Business Administration loan.
  • The Devil’s Advocate Perspective while you make the decision: don’t worry about the least until it runs out. Instead focus on making as much money as possible and prepare for a move closer to the end of the lease. Renegotiating a lease and looking for a building at this time can consume a lot of time.

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How Do You Move a Live Online Data Center? Seven Suggestions

Situation: A company has run out of space and is planning a move to a new and larger facility. The biggest challenge is that they maintain a live online data center upon which their clients depend. How do you move a live online data center?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • This is not a rare event. Many companies with live online data centers have to upgrade their systems on a regular basis as equipment and software technologies evolve. Maintaining service during a move is not significantly different. Research what steps these companies have taken to minimize disruption during upgrades.
  • Don’t try to do it all by yourself. Seek outside expertise to help you plan the move, and to develop options that will minimize both downtime and service interruption.
  • Ask a trusted data center resource for a 3rd party audit of your move plan.
  • When one company moved, they overlapped their leases by one month, and their Internet connections by 2-3 months. This gave them breathing room as they completed the move and allowed them to stay live uninterrupted through the move.
  • Another company increased their back up servers and service. They also planned their move to occur during what they knew would be a low demand block of time. As a result, they were able to complete the move, plug in the servers and were only down for 30 minutes.
  • If it is feasible, consider leaving your old center in place as a back-up data center.
  • Conduct a number of practice shutdowns and restarts to test your systems.

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How Do You Test for New Product Appeal? Three Suggestions

Situation:  A company was challenged by a client to design a product to demonstrate the capabilities of the client’s processor.  The result was a wonderful success, and has received very positive press. The client does not care about the product, only about their processor. How does the company test the appeal and potential marketability of the new product?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Go to a local arcade, for example one operated by Golfland USA or a multiplex theater. Show them your product and ask whether you can test it for appeal with their customers. This will enable you to measure coin-drop numbers and generate demand and market appeal data. With these data you can assess the value of either selling or licensing the product.  The objective is to see whether the product generates sustainable demand, or whether it is just a short-lived curiosity.
    • The big issue with a product like this is very simple – is it addictive?
  • If your initial tests show that the product generates sustained interest and revenue it is similar to a console game. There are a number of avenues to pursue, including:
    • Early exclusives use agreements with casino or theater chains – it will have value if it helps them to drive traffic to their venues.
    • Novelty markets – corporate events, etc.
  • Other options:
    • Evaluate a lease model for target venues.
    • Consider selling the product to air table companies as a demo unit.

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When Do You Decide to Expand Your Office? Three Options

Situation:  A company signed a 3-year lease a year ago, assuming that this would accommodate their needs. Growth has been much more rapid than anticipated, and they’ve outgrown the space. Should the company expand or move now and run the risk of over-purchasing new space, or should they wait until actual growth requirements are more apparent?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • The answer depends on the risk that you are willing to take as a company. When you signed your lease you took a risk based on your expected 3 year needs. The current situation is no different. Analyze your current growth trajectory and take a comfortable level of risk.
  • Options will vary depending on whether the move is relatively high or low cost, and what space configuration you need.
    • Determine whether you have a high or low cost to expand or move – equipment, communications, wiring, etc.
    • If your costs to reconfigure space and move equipment are low, then the risk is relatively low beyond your new lease obligations.
  • Talk to your landlord.
    • With the amount of space currently available in Silicon Valley and the Peninsula, your landlord may have alternatives that are attractive to you.
    • Look for a solution that allows you the space you need under a comfortable risk scenario, but which also gives you options to expand into adjoining space as need arises.
  • Also talk to a broker about what kinds of space are available at what rates, and what incentives may also be available.
  • Short-term, consider leasing excess space from your neighbors as you consider alternatives.

Key Words: Office, Space, Lease, Growth, Risk, Cost, Landlord, Broker

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