Bartering: Get What You Need Without Cash

No matter what the emergency is - lack of funds because the ex cleaned out your bank account, power outage making ATMs inaccessible, or global economic collapse making cash worthless - there is a skill that can help you acquire what you need without money. It's called bartering.

Bartering is simply the exchange of goods or services for other goods or services without the use of money. So a farmer may trade produce or eggs to a mechanic in exchange for repairs to his vehicle. In more modern times, you might see a wide variety of services exchanged by bartering. For example, I was recently able to barter my grandson's senior pictures in exchange for a few hours of social media marketing coaching.

In order for bartering to be successful, both parties must feel that they have received equal value. So it's important that you actually have something worth bartering.

What kinds of things can be bartered? Personal care services like haircuts, manicures, massages, lawn care, housecleaning. Clothing. Children's clothes and maternity wear are especially popular. Toys. Food items. Crafts. Technology. Professional services such as dental and medical care, bookkeeping, tax preparation, photography, web design, marketing and advertising.

How To Barter

1. This is a good way to get rid of any excess or unneeded supplies or other items you may have. I swapped brand new floor mats for my old Jeep in exchange for some pretty nice camping equipment. I didn't need the mats, since they didn't fit in my new Jeep. And the person who took them didn't go camping anymore. So we both had these basically brand new items that had never even been out of the box. We could have sold them online maybe for less than what we paid for them. Or we could exchange them with someone else for something we needed and wanted. Before you throw anything away, determine if you can exchange it for something you need.

Do you can food? Put up a few extra jars to barter. Bake? Make a few extra loaves of bread or some extra cookies to barter. Plant a few extra rows of vegetables. Whenever you make anything, always make a little extra to barter.

2. Learn some skills. Having a needed skill could be very valuable in an emergency. I recommend a variety of skills so you always have something to offer. In time of financial or medical crisis, technical and business skills could prove profitable. During the zombie apocalypse, skills like hunting, woodworking, and medical knowledge will be highly prized. If you don't have a set of skills to offer, now is the time to develop some.

3. Start now to perfect your negotiating skills and build your network. The Covid-19 pandemic has created a surge in bartering recently. The loss of jobs has forced many people to resort to bartering to survive. And many people are turning to bartering to avoid stores and exposure to the virus.

How Do You Find Someone To Barter With

First, tap into your own personal network. If that doesn't work, there are plenty of online sites devoted to bartering. Too many to list here. Just google "bartering websites" and you'll find them.

Remember, bartering is currently taxable, so you will have to report the fair market value of what you received as income. If we are in the midst of the zombie apocalypse, that will probably be less important.

By the way, I'm always willing to discuss exchanging my social media marketing skills, dried herbs from the garden, homemade jams, or some extra yummies (I'm a pretty good cook). And the hubs is really good with mechanical and electrical stuff. What have you got that we might be interested in?

How To Make Money Online

Some time ago, I read an article about how to make money online.  In it, the author compared online marketing to the California Gold Rush.  The article said that just as hundreds raced West in the hope of striking it rich, so too are hundreds rushing to get online with the same dream. And, it says, just as so many struck out in California instead of striking it rich, the same is happening to the vast majority of online marketers.

Are people really making millions online? Yes, they are. Are they the minority? I don't know. I don't have the data on that. Are there plenty of people making a decent living online? Yup! That I do know because I'm one of them and I know many others. Can you make a fortune online? Yes. It's definitely possible. But more importantly,I know that you can make a living online just like many of us are already doing.

How Do I Get Started Online

How do you get started? First, you need to decide what your business will be. Will you become an affiliate for others' products? Join a network marketing company? Will you create your own products? What types of products and/or services will you offer? Coaching? Training? Both? Will you be a paid speaker? 

Second, it's a business. Treat it like one. If you think you are going to sign up for free affiliate programs, put up some free classified ads, then sit back and watch the checks roll in, don't quit your day job. Join a network marketing company, sign up all your broke family and friends, and make millions.  Self-publish your book and wind up on the New York Times bestseller list. It doesn't work quite that way. You can't own a McDonald's franchise without a little upfront investment. The same is true of any business. You can find some legitimate businesses that are very inexpensive to start. Many network marketing companies have very low start-up fees.  And there are some very good affiliate programs that are free to join but pay very good commissions. Yes,you can self-publish a book for very little cost. Start an eCommerce site for a low monthly cost. But you still need to invest a little bit of money, no matter what business you start. And the less money you invest, the more time you will need to commit to make it successful. If you aren't ready to make the investment, in time or money, you might as well walk away now.

Once you have decided on the basis of your business, you need to learn all you can about internet marketing and your business in particular. There are many ways to do this and you will find all kinds of "gurus" offering to help if you will pay them enough. Some of them really do know what they are talking about and some of them don't. I can personally recommend some of them and we will be featuring many of them on this website. You can also read this blog for help. Be prepared to spend a little bit of money on some of the better books, courses, and seminars. Consider it part of your "online marketing degree!"

Spread the Word

Let everyone know you are in business! This seems to be one of the biggest obstacles for most online marketers. Either they think they can't afford to advertise or they don't know how to do so effectively. Some, especially the network marketers, are afraid to do so because they think no one will take them seriously. Let's face facts. You can't slap a McDonald's on a street corner and expect to do business if no one knows your McDonald's exists. You can't expect customers to find you if they don't know who you are. Tell people! If you don't have money to advertise, start by telling everyone you know. You can do that pretty inexpensively and you know far more people than you realize. When I started, the first thing I did was send an email or a postcard to everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE) I could think of telling them what I was doing and inviting them to visit my website. Some of them ignored me (Network marketing, after all). Some didn't. Some of those that visited became my customers. Six of them even became involved in the business with me. Those six helped me build my initial team of over 300. Not too bad for a few emails and a postcard or two. And the ones who laughed? They aren't laughing so much anymore!

Do the Work

Work your business. The number one reason most internet marketers fail is that they give up. They just quit. They don't make thousands of dollars overnight and so they just stop working. Do you know how much my first commission was? 84 cents! Twenty-five years later I'm not going to tell you how much I make, but it's enough to support me quite nicely. Am I a millionaire? Not yet. But I make more than enough to live on. So get up and go to work every day. If you have to keep your regular job while you build your business, that's okay. Just be sure you do at least one thing everyday to move your business forward.

Making money online is just like any other business. You will get out of it what you put into it. I can't promise you will get rich. I can promise you that if you find a legitimate business or affiliate program, take the advice of those who have gone before you, let people know you are in business, concede that you aren't going to get rich without some investment, and most importantly, WORK YOUR BUSINESS and DON'T GIVE UP - you can make a living online. Heck, if I can do it, so can you!

If you're looking for a very select company of entrepreneurs to hang out with, come join my private Facebook group. We'll support you, challenge you, train you and encourage you when you need that extra push. Come check us out!