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Barter Fits the Bill for Strapped Firms |
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Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page B1
By RAYMUND FLANDEZ
Small businesses, squeezed for cash and unable to get loans, are turning to an ancient payment system: barter.
Daniel Blank, creative director at Bureau Blank Inc., a New York graphic-design and brand-identity company, first used bartering when he started the company in 2004, because it was hard to get capital for a start-up. But he hadn't had to barter since then, until now.
For the past couple of months, Mr. Blank has been getting advice on running his business from Joe Hunt, a former ad-agency owner who has started Workforce Enterprises LLC, a document-solutions company in New York. For about two hours each week, Mr. Hunt helps Bureau Blank with its accounting and finance operations, among other things.
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Short on cash? Bartering making a comeback |
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By ANNE WALLACE ALLEN
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BOISE, Idaho -- Tired of her pink bathroom countertops but short on cash for a remodel, Rachel Alemany decided to get the work done the old-fashioned way: through bartering.
Alemany has experience putting down flooring, so she and her husband traded flooring work with a neighbor who has tiling experience.
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Hotels bartering to combat low occupancy |
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By Jordan Melnickand Katie Rogers
April 09, 2009
Tough economic times are forcing Chicago hotels to get creative.
Chicago’s hotel industry has been hit hard by the recession. Occupancy rates downtown were 48 percent in February, down from 54 percent a year earlier, according to Smith Travel Research Inc., a firm that follows the hotel industry. The average cost of a room fell by more than $16 to almost $133—an 11 percent decline.
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No money to pay the bills? Barter baby |
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Posted: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 4:35 PM by Eve Tahmincioglu
My mom owns a two family home but lately her tenant just can't seem to find the money to pay all the rent.
He's a residential contractor but times have been tough. His wife ran a small dance studio, but the economy put a crimp on her business too and she had to shut it down last year.
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7 Keys to Smart Bartering |
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Posted June 10, 2008 by U.S. News & World Report
By Emily Brandon
As the economy continues to slump, the swap business booms
Watches, baseball cards, cupcakes and cookies, artwork, a journal entry, a bike, and even a dog all found new homes last month at Main Street Family Dentistry in Tupelo, Miss. Dentist Harry Rayburn and his staff accepted the tokens as a barter from 60 patients on a single day in May in exchange for fillings, extractions, and cleanings, mainly from uninsured patients. "A lot of them were extractions that had been hurting for two or three months and they hadn't been able to get to a dentist because of the cost," Rayburn says.
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This article appeared on page D - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Carolyn Said, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 17, 09
Fledgling businesses preserve cash by swapping services, goods online
Finally, an Internet trend Fred Flintstone could grok.
Barter, which has been around since a hunter first traded a woolly mammoth tusk for a flint ax, has moved online in a big way. Its primary adherents are small businesses that benefit by getting goods and services without having to lay out cash.
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Posted by University of Minnesota
Even when your income drops, you are not without resources. Take stock of all non-money resources you have as a family. Among these assets are time, knowledge, possessions, property and creativity.
Swapping resources with others is a time-tested way to stay in control when money is tight. Be creative. Think through the assets you have. List your skills, talents, and interests. Next, try to match your skills and talents to community needs. Try making your first swap with a friend, neighbor or relative to build your confidence.
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No Cash, No Problem: Bartering Booms Online |
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Posted March 04, 2009 by MainStreet
By Farnoosh Torabi
The country’s personal savings rate rose to 5% of disposable income in January, the most in about 14 years. But people still need stuff even if they're spending less.
Short on cash? Trying to save? Still need braces? The Internet can help straighten things out.
At FavorPals a dentist in Cincinnati says he’ll offer free orthodontics in exchange for some network maintenance on his computer. He is not the only one offering a cashless exchange for services.
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Bartering booms during economic tough times |
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Published on 2/26/2009 by USA TODAY
By Emily Bazar, USA TODAY
Even though Ron Giesler, 42, lost his job wiring oil rigs three weeks ago, the Seabrook, Texas, resident is still working as an electrician. He's just getting paid in trade: laptops, computer parts and other used goods.
When Christine Rietsch, 41, of Fridley, Minn., had her hours cut, she got creative so her two children could have a merry Christmas. She drew a portrait of a man's wife and son and received the Guitar Hero video game in return.
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Bartering is a Modern Trade |
Published on Saturday, April 18, 2009 by The News & Observer (North Carolina)
by Sarah Lindenfeld Hall
Cash-strapped companies and people are putting a new and sometimes electronic spin on an age-old form of commerce - bartering.
As the recession has deepened and unemployment has climbed, more people are trying to husband dwindling dollars and coins by exchanging their goods and services for somebody else's. Bartering has always been around, but it rises in popularity when times get hard, such as the Great Depression.
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Here are some of the latest headlines to hit the wire. You will find articles and stories about people and businesses just like you that have found success in swapping their services and goods. Please feel free to leave your comments, stories and experiences to share with the swap community.