May 27, 2008 Written
by Bob Meyer, Editor of BarterNews
We
Want You To Know...When you sign up to receive the
FREE weekly Tuesday Report announcement your e-mail address
will never be sold, traded, or given to another party.
Please
Note: We receive e-mails from people who have signed up
for the Tuesday Report, and then tell us they’re not
receiving our weekly announcement. In most cases this is because
they’re blocking unwanted e-mails.
To
ensure that our weekly Tuesday Report e-mail announcement
reaches your mail box, we suggest you add
bmeyer@barternews.com
to your address book or safe sender list.
If you are a frequent visitor to our site we suggest
you hit the �refresh� button from time to time as we add information
to our site several times a week.
From
the desk of Bob Meyer...05/27/2008
Globalization Isn�t The Driver For Today�s Accelerating
Change
Many people (and companies) around the globe are struggling
to adapt to change, which is accelerating. A McKinsey study
suggests that today's leading companies�top performers in
every industry�drop out of leadership at a rate that is four
times greater than in the 1970s.
Years ago you could bust your tail to achieve success, then
put your company or career on autopilot and face little risk
of upset. That�s not true today. The paradox is that
economic turbulence is increasing as the world prospers at
levels unimaginable three decades ago.
Globalization gets the blame, especially in election years.
But the real driver is technology: cheap processing power,
cheap storage and cheap bandwidth. Cheap tech lets
entrepreneurs around the world invade established industries
for very little money.
If the first entrepreneur fails to storm the castle, a
hundred more will follow. There is no shortage of capital
ready to fund creative destruction, even with today's credit
bottleneck. The only way to slow the rate of change and
disruption is to repeal Moore's Law...and that will not
happen.
I�ll Trade You My Drawing For Yours
No membership required at
SketchSwap.com. Just draw something and once your
masterpiece is finished submit your drawing, so you can
receive a drawing that someone else has drawn. Personally, I
think this is a neat little web site (http://www.sketchswap.com)
even though there is not much to it. Sometimes simple is
better.
Like Surprises? Swapping Files Might Be Your
Bag!
FileSwap (http://www.FileSwap.com)
enables visitors to swap computer files, photos, music,
wallpapers, audio files, animated icons, videos or even PDF
and text files, quickly and simply. Use the browse button to
retrieve the file or files that you want to swap, then hit
the swap button to continue.
After the file you have selected has been entered into the
system, then you will receive a random file that someone
else has submitted. Yes, it is kind of like playing the
lottery, but your chance of winning something interesting is
far better than the lottery.
Remarkable Achievement For Ambitious Chinese
Last week�s announcement on our
www.barternewsblog.com, regarding the China
Commercial Aircraft Co. being established in Shanghai with a
capitalization of $2.7 billion, is stunning.
The Central Government and the Shanghai Government are among
the major shareholders as are China�s two main aircraft
manufacturing and servicing companies�China Aviation
Industry Corp. I & II.
While it�s too early to say when a Chinese-developed jumbo
jet will be taking off, it�s yet another remarkable
achievement for the ambitious Chinese people.
TV Product Placements Soaring!
Advertisers are concerned about viewers �tivoing� (erasing)
their ads. As a result we�re seeing dramatic growth in the
use of product placements.
The Nielsen Company reported that product placements for the
first quarter of 2008 rose 6% on primetime programming for
the eleven measured networks on broadcast. Overall,
broadcast television placements rose 39%, while cable
television was essentially flat at 1%.
There were 117,976 brand occurrences on cable and broadcast
networks in the first three months of the year, according to
Nielsen. The most prevalent type on broadcast television was
�foreground,� which represented 35% of all product
placements. On cable television, �wardrobe� placements were
most common, accounting for 32%.
The top 10 prime-time programs on broadcast networks
featured 15,404 occurrences in the first three months of
this year-compared to 8,893 occurrences in the same time
period in 2007.
All back issues of
"From the Desk...� can be accessed by
clicking
here.
(Please feel
free to forward our newsletter to your friends and
colleagues. We have a �box� at the end of the
newsletter for your convenience.
See you next week. . .) |
* * ANNOUNCEMENT * *
25
Years Of BarterNews Issues Now In Digital Format
Welcome to the largest
repository of barter contacts, strategies, and barter techniques in
the world. All 64 issues of BarterNews now available in
digital format at
http://www.barternews-ezine.com.
IMS Posts First Quarter
Expansion Results
International Monetary Systems (OTCBB:INLM) has filed its 2008 first
quarter report on Form 10-Q (www.sec.gov).
During this quarter, IMS continued expanding its sales staff and
investing in other infrastructure enhancements. As a result, the
company enrolled more than 900 new members in the quarter which
management believes will provide strong organic growth in the
future.
IMS
also continued the conversion of its proprietary accounting and
tracking system and added additional personnel to accelerate the
finalization of its new interactive online marketplace. Both of
these will be rolled out soon, with completion expected during May
and June of this year.
For
the three months ending on March 31, IMS generated gross revenue of
$3,518,839 compared to $3,301,009 last year, an increase of 6.6%.
Total expenses increased from $3,349,666 in the first quarter of
2007 to $3,828,108 for the same period in 2008. This increase of 14%
occurred primarily because of additional overhead costs from prior
acquisitions, the expansion of their outside sales force, and the
infrastructure expenses described above.
As
a result, the net loss from operations was $309,269 for the first
three months of 2008, compared to a loss of $48,657 for the same
period last year. Of the 2008 loss, $96,676 resulted from the
increase of non-cash items such as depreciation, amortization and a
higher provision for bad debt. After including the income tax
benefit, net loss for the current period was $230,907, compared to
$63,272 last year.
Net
cash provided by operating activities for the first quarter totaled
$43,457, compared to $409,601 from last year�s first quarter, while
operating profit or EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes,
depreciation and amortization) totaled $92,674, a decrease of 68%
from the $291,277 of the prior year.
On
March 31, current assets were $3,192,720 and total assets were
$17,788,650. Current liabilities were $4,119,992 and total
liabilities were $8,954,338, resulting in total shareholder equity
of $8,834,312.
At
the end of the first quarter of 2008, IMS�s unrestricted cash
balance was $695,184 compared to $812,365 on December 31, 2007.
For
more information visit
http://www.internationalmonetary.com.
Former Barter-Pro Sondra
Ames Teams With Daughter Allison To Create National Footprint For
Their Wonderland Bakery
Sandra Ames was a driving force with husband Mike Ames in building
TradeAmericanCard back in the early �90s. After going out on her
own, and subsequently selling her trade exchange to ITEX, she left
the barter industry. Then in 2005, joining forces with her culinary
award-winning daughter Allison Ames, they launched Wonderland
Bakery.
Wonderland is a high-end bakery and gift concierge business,
offering an array of highly customizable gourmet cookies, cupcakes,
cakes, chocolate-dipped treats and whimsical gifts, which are
available at the flagship Newport Beach location, or via nationwide
shipping.
The
firm is on its way to becoming a national brand through its
strategic partnership with Errand Solutions, a Chicago-based company
providing on-site concierge services to more than 300 corporate and
hospital sites nationwide. (Wonderland launched the partnership in
February 2008, leading with a successful beta site at Irvine-based
Allergan, Inc.)
In
just over two years, Wonderland has earned such titles as �Bakery to
the Stars� and �Official Sweet Ambassador of Newport Beach.� In
2007 the company celebrated its second anniversary with partnerships
with the giant toy-company GUND and Department 56.
For
more information on Wonderland see
http://www.WonderlandBakery.com.
IMS Schedules Annual
Shareholder Meeting
International Monetary Systems (OTCBB:INLM), a worldwide leader in
business-to-business barter services, has scheduled its annual
shareholder meeting for the afternoon of Tuesday, June 17, at the
Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel.
Shareholders of record on May 1, 2008, will be eligible to re-elect
three directors, to ratify Webb & Company as the company�s auditors
of its 2008 financial statements, and to vote on any other business
that may be presented.
Don
Mardak, CEO of IMS, stated: �This meeting, although routine in many
ways, will also include a segment that highlights the team and tools
that IMS has invested in over recent months. We are proud to present
the people and the work they�ve accomplished on behalf of IMS.
�I
am confident that shareholders will benefit from learning directly
from our team members about significant infrastructure upgrades
recently released and other strategic initiatives.�
For
more information see
www.imsbarter.com.
Money-Making Reports Available From BarterNews
Barter Is Good Business
�
Barter is more than just a fair exchange of goods and
services between two businesses. It often provides financial and
marketing bonuses for both sides as well.
�
It�s best to work through a trade exchange network, which
acts as a broker for its clients� goods and services.
Such networks have thousands of clients, making them a viable source
for many business needs, such as office equipment and supplies,
printing, advertising, cleaning and maintenance services,
professional services, and travel and entertainment.
�
All barter income is on the cash basis, and the IRS treats
barter transactions as income received for both accrual-basis and
cash-basis clients.
The
value of trade dollars received must be included in gross income for
the tax year in which they are credited to the client�s account.
�
Some of the goals barter can achieve are marketing advantage,
debt collection, cash conservation and lines of credit�particularly
when a business needs to borrow money to relocate, expand, or launch
a marketing program.
Barter Is Not An IRS
Target!
Perhaps the most entrenched myth about barter�one that many CPAs
themselves perpetuate out of lack of current information�is that it
flags a company for an IRS audit.
Source of the myth: Between 1979 and 1983, the IRS put considerable
resources into a project to examine the barter business. During that
period, all trade exchange networks were audited, along with a
sample of their clients� returns. The study disclosed that
businesses that used barter had a better than average record of tax
compliance.
Today, a company that barters has the same chance of being
audited as any other organization.
Hotel
General Managers
Work With Audio/Visual
Vendor On Barter
Collect cash, as usual, from the guest accounts staying at
your facility that require the use of professional AV
services. And rather than shouldering your ongoing employee
costs, or your current vendor�s cash agreement for AV
services, here�s a much better alternative:
Work with a proven national vendor (a sterling 25-year track
record) who will provide all of the AV services for your
hotel on a 100% TRADE BASIS! (Payment to be in the form of
trade dollars.)
Your hotel�s annual AV billings must be a minimum of
$200,000, and this offer is available only in the
continental United States.
For a confidential introduction contact Bob Meyer via
e-mail:
bmeyer@barternews.com.
Attention Trade Exchange Owners:
If your member hotel(s) have a minimum of 10,000 sq. feet of
meeting space and annual billings of at least $200,000 for
AV services this is a great opportunity to earn substantial
cash service fees on the hundreds of thousands of trade
dollars your hotel member will be paying the vendor. Contact
Bob Meyer at the above e-mail. |
(Advertisement)
How To Get More Sales In
Hyper-Competitive
Restaurant Industry
Our street-smart restaurant
marketing report shows proven ways to rapidly boost your
restaurant�s sales & profits.
More-->
Our Web Site Has A Search Tool For You
Ever
wondered if a certain topic, person, or organization has been
written about on the Barternews.com web site? Now you can easily
find out, as we�ve added a search tool. It will quickly give you the
answer to your questions, in 3 easy steps that take about 12
seconds!
At the top
right of the page, just under where you sign up for the Tuesday
Report you will see a little Google box. It is where you can (1)
type in the name of a subject, company, or person. Then (2) click
the button www.barternews.com to search the site, followed by (3)
hitting the search button.
The Growth and Use of Secondary Capital (New Money) Creates
Unprecedented Wealth In Today�s New Age Of Possibility
There are
many forms of secondary capital�which can be defined as any
financial instrument that measures and communicates value in a
common language. Would you like to see and learn more about the many
forms of secondary capital?
We have 70
free, informative and inspiring, articles for you in our �Secondary
Capital Section.� Check it out...
www.barternews.com/secondary_capital.htm.
Get
New Money-Making Ideas And Valuable Contacts!
You can obtain
useful, informative ideas and contacts in every available back-issue
of BarterNews.
Every
barter company in the world is listed on our web site,
click through to our Global List
of Barter Companies.
Give
A Gift To A Friend Or Associate.
If you know someone who might benefit from this newsletter, feel
free to forward it to them! (See the �box� at the end of the
newsletter for the forwarding service.)
We welcome your
comments, questions, and observations.
�
Copyright BarterNews 2008. Redistribution of BarterNews
content expressly prohibited without the prior written permission of BarterNews.
|
|