Tom McDowell’s Barter Blog

When starting a business such as a trade exchange, it’s beneficial to have an industry veteran mentor you while your company grows. A mentor or consultant can help you avoid typical industry mistakes often made by start-ups. Take advantage of someone else’s experience in what works and what doesn’t. Save valuable start-up time by working [...]

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It was just reported yesterday that the unemployment rate is over 10%. One out of every 10 friends, family and acquaintances is out of work. Sadly, we also know people that foresee their job disappearing by the year’s end. Many companies have been trying to stop the loss of operating capital looking for ways to [...]

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Barter is a resourceful process of transacting business without the use of cash. In organized barter, business members use what they have to buy what they need, with a barter exchange serving as the marketing agency, facilitator and a third party record-keeper.
How can a trade exchange be a marketing agency? All the members [...]

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Barter is a method of transacting business without the use of cash. Trading one thing for another. Sounds easy but you may be wondering how the IRS feels about barter. It’s wise to check out the requirements at www.IRS.gov.
Here’s a general insight to the consumer end of barter by a barter industry veteran. [...]

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Barter. Trade. Swap. Exchange. Just a few common words used to describe something we have all done since we were children. We’ve traded baseball cards, packed lunch items, Barbies, clothes, records, books, and even household chores! We wanted something and traded something we had for it. Everyone was happy. Why did you stop?
Barter is [...]

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Barter is a way of conducting business by utilizing trades instead of cash. It’s nothing new…. been around for centuries. Any savvy businessperson would always have a barter option available in their business plan. It’s the most elemental concept in business and I can’t stress enough how long it has been in practice.
Granted, we [...]

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A common misconception is that businesses only barter with local businesses. There’s no need to think so narrowly. It doesn’t matter where in the world you barter with as it is based on two parties wishing to exchange or barter goods or services. A factory in Ohio may barter with a company in Texas that [...]

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Where can business owners find companies to barter? Turn to your own account payable/receivables vendor lists. These vendors are already familiar with your needs and expectations. You are an established client and they wish to keep your business. Other potential barter opportunity…Your customers.
Barter is a lot like networking. When you need something, you think [...]

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Barter is the simple concept of trading something you have for something you want…all without cash. Maybe you’ve heard of Kyle MacDonald who started with a red paperclip and traded 14 times to eventually make a trade for a house! Sounds outrageous I know. It’s also the power or barter.
Kyle started out by trading [...]

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Barter is the basic concept of trading something you have for something you want…all without cash. As a business owner, you might be wondering what you could get via barter for your business. The answer: virtually everything! Printing of advertising material? Yes. Accounting services? Yes. Computer services? Yes. Security System? Yes. Heating and Air Conditioning? [...]

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