Tweet

The Hidden World of Bartering

Written by: Jay Conrad Levinson

Article Overview: I remember vividly my first experience scuba diving. As soon as I went beneath the surface of the sea, I realized that an entire world existed every day within my own world-and I wasn't at all aware of it. Whether or not I knew of it, that world was still alive and happening.

The Hidden World of Bartering

I remember vividly my first experience scuba diving. As soon as I went
beneath the surface of the sea, I realized that an entire world existed
every day within my own world-and I wasn't at all aware of it. Whether
or not I knew of it, that world was still alive and happening.

The same is true of the world of barter. It's alive and happening, now
more than ever, and yet, most small business owners are completely
clueless as to its existence - and its value to their companies. To
fully comprehend the magnitude of barter in today's economy, consider
that in 1998, more than 55 percent of media was not purchased, but
obtained by barter. And that's just media. Many other goods and
services are obtained for no money whatsoever - simply by bartering.

Almost all small businesses want and need something. Perhaps it's
exactly what you offer. And it's practically certain that your small
business also wants and needs something - and other small businesses
offer it. Not only that, but they may be very interested in bartering
for it with you.

When that happens, you'll be able to get what you need for a fraction of
its normal cost since you'll be paying with your own services or goods at
their full retail price. Guerrillas learn of this exciting and enormous
world of barter by visiting www.lassobucks.com - a site especially
created for small businesses worldwide to barter what they have for what
they need. Best of all, membership is free.

Barter enables small-businesses to address a pressing need: cash flow. By
empowering businesses to trade their goods or services for the goods or
services offered by other businesses, bartering facilitates enables
complex exchanges among multiple businesses.

Any unused time, inventory, or capacity can be transformed into business
value. Small businesses around the world are learning to conserve cash,
find new customers, and convert their excess time or capacity into the
things they need. All it takes is a simple barter.

Since learning of the immense power and economy of bartering, I have
personally bartered my own marketing services for a solar heating unit
for my pool, a giant-screen TV set, a hot tub, an electric scooter for my
wife, a year's supply of coffee, a palm tree, a vacation in Hawaii, a
cruise to Russia, and scads of secretarial services. I tell you this
only to open your mind to the variety of goods and services available to
those who are willing to trade what they have for what they want and need.

Many small business owners want and need products and services for both
their business and their non-business lives. Often, these offerings are
just too expensive to purchase and don't fit into the budget. But by
bartering, they do not require any cash outlay and fit easily into
anyone's budget.

Bartering is at the very core of guerrilla marketing because rather than
requiring a financial investment, it requires only an investment of your
time, energy and imagination. Simply by visiting a site such as
lassobucks.com, the astute small business owner can learn of offerings
that can make the difference between success and failure, growth or
stagnation.

What you may consider to be an overstock of inventory or downtime for
your employees can be transformed into exactly what your company needs
right now. In the past, such complex barter arrangements were
time-consuming and often led to frustration.

But as the online world grows, and small businesses pop up all over the
globe, barter has become much simpler, much faster and within the reach
of any small business. What you desperately need today, but just cannot
afford, may be yours tomorrow - and very easy to afford.

Traditionally, small businesses had to rein in their growth plans because
they just plain didn't have the money to fuel their dreams. But
guerrillas are rapidly learning that they don't need the money. They
already have just what is necessary for them to acquire the goods and
services they desire - and all it takes is opening their minds to the
concept of barter.

Centuries ago, barter was commonly used by small businesses, but as cash
assumed a greater role in the economies of nations, barter seemed to fall
by the wayside. Today, that trend has been reversed and barter is
assuming a greater role than ever.

Small businesses are realizing that they already have just what it takes
to get what they need - and get it in a hurry. It is not complicated.
It is not time-consuming. It is not reserved for huge corporations with
a lot of clout. The business and marketing plans of an increasing
number of small businesses include bartering for resources.

They now comprehend that rather than visiting their banker, they can
simply click their mouse and enter a world where they are welcome, a
world teeming with valuable offerings that can shift them into
hyper-profitability.

If you're a guerrilla, you'll discover this world and become intimate
with the benefits it offers to your business. Whether you discover it
or not, it will continue to thrive, continue to propel small businesses
to their goals, and continue to become an integral part of the world
economy.

Related Articles
  The Barter System -- Overlooked and Underrated
  Bartering 101 – Tax Implications
  How to Access the Hidden Market in Your Job Search
  Your Self Employed Hidden Paycheck – How to Pay Yourself More with Less (Part 1)
  Use Barter In Your Business

Article Tags: bartering, business value, cash flow, economy, enormous world, entire world, excess time, existence, experience scuba, first experience, fraction, free barter, guerrillas, magnitude, money, retail price, small business owners, small businesses, time inventory, unused time



Related Forum Posts
Name for website - Hmmmm Authors World Authors Network Authors World Wide Weblog World Wide Authors Arboretum (or some other alliterative word) WritertoWriter Writer to Reader WritersWorld WritersConnect AuthorsandtheirReadersBlog
Re: Books for the Entrepreneur - I like "A Whole New Mind" by Daniel Pink, and "Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape our Decisions" by Dan Ariely.
Re: How Much Do You Need To Start? - I have been called the Bootstrapping Queen by many of my friends. I've started businesses with no money and only the ability to sell anything. Once I had an 'order' I took the deposit and invested in what I needed to deliver. In my own consulting and business development company we are really great for clients who say, I have no money because often they really do but arent using it well, or we can share some ideas that are very low investment. The key is to focus only on revenue generating activities. I have also developed a very strong network of freelancers and people who can help me. Bartering is great when you start too, as long as you both measure value with the same criteria. For someone just thinking about starting, I would recommend they really do the research first. Always sell it first before building it....just be upfront about timing and delivery. good luck J
Re: Books for Business Owners - Hi DougSchadle, Thanks for sharing your favorite business book with us! A good book I'm reading now is "Maximum Achievement: Strategies and Skills That Will Unlock Your Hidden Powers to Succeed" by Brian Tracy as it was a birthday gift from a friend. Tracy's book is helpful in identifying what's important in your life and then setting an action plan to achieve it.
Who Said Twitter Doesn't Work...? - Last month, the BBC World Service programme, The Strand, featured 21 year-old Icelandic pianist/composer Olafur Arnalds. Arnalds achieved extraordinary success through his internet-led project to compose 7 tunes in 7 days, post them on his website and then post links to it via TWITTER. As a result his website got thousands of visitors eager to listen to his music, catapulting him to fame and bringing his music to the attention of the BBC, who featured an interview with him on the World Service programme, The Strand! So who says Twitter doesn't work? (HINT: It does help if you have something uniquely your own that other people want to get hold of...)


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How To Calculate A Minimum Fee For Your Services

The Right Job - Part Five 'Compensation'

Web Design in 30 Minutes - Can this be Right?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.