Barter to the Cause
Does cutting costs sound like a good start-up idea? Read on for 5 tips to help you save money by bartering.
Almost every start-up expert tells you to barter to save
money-but very few actually tell you how to realistically use
bartering to reduce costs. We went to Bob Meyer, publisher of
BarterNews Magazine, to get the skinny on this oft-mentioned
start-up strategy.
- Know the difference between
direct barter and exchange barter. Direct barter means
to swap your product or service for the product or service of your
vendor. Exchange barter is when you're part of a barter group
with other businesses, and each business earns "trade
dollars" that can be exchanged for needed items.
- Don't believe the
misconception that you'll somehow get shady products
or services in barter.
- Do your homework
on any barter exchange you plan to join. Check out
www.barternews.com for information on exchanges in your area.
- Realize that what you barter
away has value to you, says Meyer.
- Check out these other barter
resources for more details: the International Reciprocal
Trade Association (www.irta.com)
or the National Association of Trade Exchanges (www.nate.org).