With cash flow problems presenting roadblocks for business
owners across the country, it makes sense that people are looking for new,
innovative ways to make money.
Old trends, however, are also re-emerging. Bartering -
exchange of goods and services, without the use of money - has become a hit
among small business owners, according to a recent CNNMoney article on a barter
expo event. Bartering may not help a business make money; rather, it helps a
business hold on to cash precious cash, enabling them to use it to pay bills
and make payroll.
It's an age-old practice that, for some, makes a lot of
sense right now, as the battered economy is just starting to recover from a
huge recession. The article featured a jeweler bartering for a case of meat, or
for plumbing services for his stores.
Casual bartering is certainly common practice for a lot of
people. In my personal life, I barter all the time. I'll take someone to dinner
for fixing my guitar, or I'll accept a beer or two in exchange for helping
someone move. When I used to work at a newspaper, we bartered with a local
restaurant for our holiday parties, swapping the amount of the bill for ad
space. My friend who is a landscaping contractor has always bartered with other
contractors on projects.
Has the economy changed the way you look at doing business?
Have you bartered, or would you? Are there other ways to ease economic pains
right now?
Posted
11-25-2009 2:22 PM
by
Lisa Ridgely