Can't read the text above?Try another text or an audio CAPTCHAText in the box:What's this?Standing desks are, like, so two years ago.Go to the gym instead. But working while you’re lying down? That’s the wave of the future, according to Geyserville entrepreneur Che Voigt. His Sonoma County-based company, Altwork, lit up national and international news outlets Thursday morning when it unveiled a reclining workstation for “high-intensity” computer users. Set to go to market in 2016, the hybrid desk-chair design allows the user to go from standing to sitting to reclining with little more than the push of a button. After that, gravity does the rest of the work for you. The workstation — which resembles a high-tech dentist’s chair — is designed for software developers, people who produce computer-automated design work, gamers and those who might have difficulty sitting for prolonged periods of time, said Jim Shissler, the marketing head of Altwork. “Technology has evolved over the last century, but we’re still forcing our body to conform to the needs of the computer,” he said.
“We’re constantly forced to interface with them through tables and chairs, and so what we wanted to do is create a workstation that makes the computer conform to the needs of our bodies.” Voigt said the workstation could also be useful for people with injuries or disabilities that prevent them from sitting at a conventional desk, such as longtime collaborator John Speicher, a co-founder of Altwork. The idea of developing a reclining working environment came to Speicher after he injured his back, which left him unable to sit at a conventional desk for longer than about 10 minutes, Voigt said. “When his back got better, he decided he was so much more productive in that reclined environment that he wasn’t going to go back,” Voigt said. “So he came to me.” The project, which is backed by $1 million of angel investor funding, has been under development for five years. The company of 12 works out of a barn Voigt’s father built in Geyserville, and has been testing early prototypes with friends and family for more than two years.
“We’re out in the woods. Sometimes we call it Area 52,” Voigt said, laughing. Altwork recently began giving demonstrations for the public. On Thursday, for example, the team was at a co-working space in San Francisco called Galvanize. The workstation is listed at a price of $5,900, but for early adopters, Altwork is offering a discount of up to $2,000, depending on the model. “Obviously (the reclining feature) is getting all the press because that’s really unique,” Voigt said. “But what’s truly unique about this is that it transforms between those positions at the press of a button.” Voigt, a mechanical engineer, spent at least 18 months trying to figure out why no one had created such a product before. “And after we spent a year or two in the development and a lot of personal time and personal money, I started to understand that it’s just a really hard problem to solve,” he said. To keep the design as compact as possible, all the motion is done with just four actuators.
“What we needed to do was create a system that, when you press the button, the monitor moves with your eyes and the desk moves with your hands as you recline,” Voigt said. We understand the uphill battle that you are about or have undertaken. In 1969 when Harris Leasing went to purchase their own office furniture and equipment and requested a 30 day credit extension to help them establish a credit record we were told that no matter that our personal credit was perfect and the startup balance sheet was substantial, we would have to pay cash! So our foundation began with the idea that if a leasing company gives a start to a new company, and the company owners have a business plan in place and some tenacity, and are willing to put part of their startup capital in the form of advanced payments and personal credit guarantees. They will probably be successful and as they grow and become established, most people remember and appreciate who gave them a start and will continue to use that company when every other lender is lining up at their door.
After 47+ years in the leasing industry, Harris Leasing Company can certainly attest to that fact, 60% of our business is from repeat customers. Your Startup or seed money usually comes from saving, family, credit cards and bank lines of credit, probably a combination of all. One thing is certain, it is a set amount of funds for witch you have to open and operate your new business until it can stand on its own, and this is easier said than done. Your startup or seed money needs to be spent wisely, the equipment and furniture that is needed to run your business does not make you money but the use of it does! So hold on to your precious gold for where it is really going to work, you know, those little things like payroll, insurance, inventory. Oh and let’s not forget about Uncle Sam, he would just love to hear you say that you going to leverage your tax’s and pay him latter. Many companies buy their essential equipment and lease their buildings; it should be the other way around.
Buildings generally appreciate, and equipment and furniture do not. So, let’s talk about what is required to master the application process for your startup or growing business by following these simple steps to make it a smooth and quick process. Startup and new businesses have their own special requirements and "startup restaurant” requirements for example, are the most stringent and least flexible.put your best foot forward here, It makes underwriters absolutely joyfully when they can read and process your application and financial questionnaire without having to interpret what you have written. If you do fill in your application by hand, please do so in print and not cursive, I can’t even read my own writing. Also you should sign and date your application in blue ink. From a legal document standpoint, it shows your John Handcock as an original. Here is a link to a very nice, young attorney that explains it well. Harris Leasing’s application is a fillable PDF that you can type in your information and print, sign and fax or email.
Startup and new business leasing in particular, is a "credit-based" decision (as opposed to asset based). The, business plan "the idea”, projections and the value of the equipment are all considerations in an approval, but none will outweigh the importance of the principal's credit. As the new business doesn't have any "credit," the only credit left to consider is that of the owners. The decision for any lender to extend credit to startups and new businesses will be greatly dependent on the financial strength and the ability to manage credit of each of the principal owners with 15% or more ownership of the company seeking lease financing. Number of Guarantors - You improve the chances of obtaining an approval by increasing the number of guarantors on the lease or finance agreement. Additional guarantees can sometimes help when a deal is weak in some areas; this will not always overcome overall poor personal credit, but could make the difference. If a transaction is a sole-proprietorship, partnership or closely held corporation and the spouse is actively involved in the business (e.g.; signs checks, handles the bookkeeping, sales, etc.) obtain their guarantee as well.
- Minimum FICO score is 600 (650 is better, 700+ is where you "want" to be) (>700 is MANDATORY for startup restaurants/food service) - No slow pays during the previous 12 months (or VERY GOOD explanations) - No unpaid charge offs (or VERY GOOD explanations) - No unpaid collection accounts (or VERY GOOD explanations) - Depth of credit, at least 7 "trade lines" and at least 3 years old - If you have maxed out your credit cards and/or have lots of installment debt this is a significant negative. If you have ever bought a home, the mortgage lender or broker has sad to you, don’t buy anything on credit until you have closed on your loan, it can affect your ratios, the same apples here. In contrast, having too much availability for credit can be a red flag as well, a good place to be is somewhere down the middle it shows an ability to manage credit. - Inquiries - There is no maximum but the lower the number of inquiries the better. - Prior Bankruptcies – Owners with previous personal bankruptcies will be considered, you should have reestablished satisfactory credit since the bankruptcy.
Equipment, Industry and State Guidelines: Harris Leasing is a general equipment leasing company. We fund many different types of equipment. The equipment type is a factor in the overall credit decision. Generally, the stronger the equipment is in terms of useful life, resale value and re-marketability, the more value it brings to the credit decision. A wide variety of business types and new and used equipment are acceptable and state guidelines vary widely from state to state. What you will need to get started with your equipment lease or equipment finance agrement. - You have filled your D/B/A in your home county, EIN and tax ID if required. - A minimum equipment or furniture purchases of $5,000 and a maximum of $45.000, (this can be from multiple vendors.) - 24 to 60 month terms - Beacon/ FICO scores above 600 - Low to med 4 bank average are recommended - A clear and completed application, click here for our fill & fax application - Startup questionnaire and personal financial statement are recommended