It’s a new world out there. We’re living in it, and we can’t ignore the changes to our society.
Buying things for life has been replaced by renting them for quick use and then moving on with no pressure to maintain them forever, creating a market of upcycling and re-using without the need to buy new all the time.
In this article, I will explore why we’ve made this shift from ownership, i.e. buying a website, to leasing: a subscription-based model, and the pros and cons of this new way of working.
What we will cover
- Introduce the topic of leasing vs owning
- Discuss the benefits of leasing
- Talk about the drawbacks of leasing
- Summarizing the pros and cons of leasing
- Where they can go for more information
Leasing? Renting? Subscriptions?
A lease, or subscription service, is a way of renting something for a set amount of time (or indefinitely, if you wish). You can lease anything from a car to a house, and now a website. Many website subscription services already exist but often leave the user having to handle all of the actual work – we’ll discuss this later in the article.
For businesses, think about leasing a company car for work
A company car lease is a way for businesses to get a car for work without buying it. You may rent the vehicle for a set period of time and, in most cases, for a shorter time than you could buy it.
Leasing a car is a great way to get the newest models and features without committing to buying it outright. It’s also a good way to get a car if you don’t have the full amount of money upfront to buy one outright, spreading the cost over time and managing your business cash flow without a huge upfront investment.
There are some drawbacks to leasing a car, however. One is that you will never own the car outright, so at the end of the lease, you have to return the vehicle – but, most likely, you’ll start the process again and upgrade.
Perks of leasing
The benefits of this shift are that people can have access to nicer things than they could otherwise afford, and they don’t have to worry about long-term maintenance or upgrades.
Downsides of leasing
There are also some drawbacks. It can be difficult to build up equity when everything is leased or rented – especially in today’s credit-controlled world. Additionally, there’s always the possibility that the thing you’re leasing could be discontinued or no longer available for rent.
So, what are the pros and cons of this new way of living? Let’s take a closer look.
The Pros of Leasing
- You can access nicer things you could not otherwise afford.
- You don’t have to worry about long-term maintenance or upgrades.
- It can be easier to budget since you know exactly how much your payments will be each month.
- You’re not tied down to one service since you can easily lease something new if your business changes.
The Cons of Leasing
- You can never own the thing you’re leasing.
- You may be stuck with a lease if the thing you’re leasing is discontinued or no longer available.
- It can be difficult to build up equity or business value when everything is leased or rented in the case of software.
So, those are some of the pros and cons of leasing. As you can see, there are some definite advantages and disadvantages to this way of living. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide if leasing or a subscription is right for you.
Why have we moved to lease (i.e. subscription) websites?
You always have access to new features
One of the benefits of leasing a website is that you can keep adding new features every month or year as your business grows. This is a huge advantage over buying a website that may only offer a few updates a year (if you’re lucky).
When you lease a website, you can add new plugins, tools, content, SEO improvements, and more. Monthly improvements can be a great way to keep your business up-to-date without reinvesting in a new website every few years.
Monthly control over your business cash flow is essential
In today’s world, it’s more important than ever to have monthly control over your business cash flow. This is especially true if you’re a small business owner or entrepreneur.
How subscriptions allow flexibility over time
In a world where everything is leased or rented, it’s more important than ever to have options for how long you want to lease or rent something. This is especially true for websites.
With a website, you can lease it for a set period of time and then renew the lease when it’s up. You can also choose to rent it indefinitely if you wish. This flexibility is important because it allows you to control your business cash flow without committing to a long-term contract.
It’s much easier for us to offer clients the services they need without the huge upfront development costs
Leasing or renting everything from websites to physical office space has become increasingly popular because it’s a way for businesses to get what they need without making a huge upfront investment.
This is especially true for websites. In the past, if you wanted to have a website, you had to pay someone to develop it for you. This could cost thousands of pounds upfront.
With the popularity of website subscriptions, leasing or renting, you can simply pay a monthly fee to have a website. This is much easier for businesses, especially small businesses or startups because it allows them to get their services without huge upfront investments.
Riselabs VS other subscription services
Squarespace, one of the many website builders out there
There are many website-in-a-box services out there. For example, Squarespace is a website builder and hosting platform that allows users to create a website, blog, or portfolio. It offers a range of templates and designs to choose from and easy-to-use tools for editing and adding content.
Hosts like GoDaddy and WIX also offer website builders, often included for free (or cheap) with domains and other pay-for services.
If you’re confident with a DIY approach, give them a go!
If you want to have a website that looks professional and functions well, you need to hire a web developer. Web developers have the skills and expertise to create beautiful and functional websites.
To be a web developer, you need to have skills and expertise. Some of these skills include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP. You need the coding skills, but you also need the web design and creative skills to make it all work well together and provide an excellent user experience.
Web development is a complex process that takes time and effort to master. However, if you want a website that looks amazing and works well, it’s worth the investment.
With Riselabs, you get far more than a “website-in-a-box”. We’ll expand more on what you get with Riselabs in another article.
To conclude, website subscriptions make business sense
In conclusion, we’ve moved to subscriptions because it’s a way for businesses to access all we can offer without huge upfront costs; they can manage their cash flow, add more services as they grow and know we look after the website for them every day.
