· Money Moves · Business premises
Lease or Own the Shop: a free game about business premises
Your café is booming. Rent the space or buy the building, and don't run out of cash on the way.
What is Lease or Own the Shop?
Three cafés, each booming. Lease the space for a deposit and rent, or buy the building with a down payment and a loan? Five years play out month by month, slow months included, and the deal that wins on paper can still run out of cash first.
Lease or Own the Shop is a free money game about business premises. Three booming cafés each need a home: lease the space for a deposit and rent, or buy the building with a down payment and a loan.
Five years play out month by month, with slow months. The deal that ends richest on paper can still run out of cash on the way.
At a glance
- Category
- Money Moves
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Play time
- 4–6 min
- Price
- Free, in your browser, sign-up optional
How to play
- Compare
- Leasing: a deposit and monthly rent. Buying: a down payment and fees, a loan payment, upkeep, and a building to sell at the end.
- Survive
- Pick the deal that ends richest without the café ever running out of cash.
- Three levels
- Beginner, Intermediate or Expert, picked before you play: the content and the clock change, and each level keeps its own best score.
- Coins
- Example numbers in plain fictional coins, made up for the game. Not financial advice.
Scoring
300 for the better deal without a cash crunch, 120 for a deal that survived, 20 for any choice.
Three cafés per run.
What it trains
- Lease vs buy
- Comparing two ways to pay for premises.
- Cash flow timing
- Surviving the slow months.
Strategy and tips
- Check the cushion
- A big down payment leaves less cash for a slow month. See what's left in the bank on day one.
- Count all the costs
- Buying brings fees, upkeep and a loan payment, not only the price.
- The end counts too
- Owning builds value you get back when you sell; leasing keeps your options open.
Why play Lease or Own the Shop?
Many small businesses fail from a cash crunch, not a bad idea. Comparing deals by their cash flow as well as their total is a skill for any big decision.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lease or Own the Shop free?
Yes. It is free and runs in your browser, with no download. Signing up is optional.
Is this financial advice?
No. Every number is an example in fictional coins, made up for the game. It teaches the ideas; for real decisions, look at your own situation and local rules, or ask a qualified adviser.
Are there levels?
Yes: Beginner, Intermediate and Expert. The numbers, the hints and the clock change, and each level keeps its own best score.
Is this the same as Rent or Buy?
No. Rent or Buy is about your own home; here the café's takings pay the bills, and running out of cash closes it.