From the desk of Bob Meyer... 10/11/2011

Steve Jobs’ Succinct Advice To Entrepreneurs

“Stay hungry. Stay Foolish.” (Steve Jobs, Apple Co-Founder)

Focus On Your Communication Skills To Build Stronger Image

Want to project a stronger professional image? Rita Rocker, founder of Transformer Academy in Boystown (NE), says it will revolve around your communication skills, because those skills affect the way others perceive you. Effective communication can help ensure that others take you seriously, trusting in your ability to do business with them.

Why 90% Of Businesses Fail

According to Glen Stansberry, speaker on business growth, the nine out of ten businesses that allow fear to cripple them will fail. Innovation, he contends, is what got you started in the first place and you should continue to invest in it. Don’t let the fear of profitability, success, or anything else convince you that maintaining the status quo is more important than creating.

Marketing Should Be On-Going

Ever notice how many (most) companies are “too busy” to focus on marketing, especially when they have a lot of business? Sometimes they even cut the “marketing expense” all together. And then when they finally get around to doing some type of marketing, it usually means they have little or no business. This keeps their business flat and perpetuates a feast or famine cycle.

What strategy should be followed? Implement a system that builds trustful relationships over a long period of time. Remember, we can’t sell anything to anyone, we just need to be there when people are ready to buy.

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 10/04/2011

Bartering New Again, Reports Craigslist

Zuckerman Concerned About America’s Future

Major Story In New York Times On Greeks Turning To Barter Networks

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 09/27/2011

Barter Industry Anticipates Excellent Holiday Sales, Given Forecast

Shoppers are expected to make fewer trips to stores and when they do show up, to head straight for bargains they have researched in advance. Given such a forecast, trade exchange owners expect to see their savvy members taking advantage of the numerous barter offers within their exchanges this holiday shopping season.

FedEx Sees Stalled Growth

According to reports by the worldwide package delivery company FedEx Corp., the U.S. economy is treading water, at best. (The sheer volume of goods moved by FedEx makes its shipment trends a bellwether for consumer demand and economic growth.)

They report that businesses continue to keep inventory lean based on weak consumer sentiment, thus containing shipment volume and heightening the focus on cost controls to boost profits.

Hotelier Bartered For 1/3 Of A Multi-Million Dollar Empire

Last week BarterNews reported on how hotelier Laurence Geller had recently, through a string of clever deals, rescued Strategic Hotels & Resorts and its 17 trophy hotels from the brink of financial ruin. What we didn’t include in the article was how the 63-year-old Englishman acquired his empire through barter — by teaming with Goldman Sachs Group and its partner famed real-estate investor Bill Sanders’ Security Capital, to form Strategic Hotel Capital back in 1996.

It occurred when Goldman and Security Capital each contributed $200 million, while the wily Geller chipped in $4 million plus his hotel expertise for a third of the action!

Advice From All-Time Most Successful Coach

Former UCLA coach John Wooden’s accomplishment of winning 10 consecutive NCAA college basketball championships, will likely never be duplicated. Known for his ability to communicate, one of Wooden’s succinct suggestions was this, “Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 09/20/2011

BarterQuest Joins IRTA, Will Attend Convention

Hotelier Used Barter In His Turn Around Success

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 09/13/2011

ITEX Cash Dividend Provides 4% Cash Yield

The ITEX Board of Director’s approved a quarterly cash dividend of 4-cents per share, payable on September 20, 2011, to stockholders of record at the close of business on September 9, 2011. The yield is 4% based on a $4-stock price. This is the company’s 6^th consecutive quarterly dividend, which has returned $790,000 to stockholders since June 2010.

What’s Your Target?

Looking for more motivation? Try focusing more specifically on your goals and targets. Targets create a sense of purpose and add meaning to even the most repetitive tasks. Without a goal to shoot for, work is just work.

TradePal Introduced

TradePal, a people-centric marketplace that helps users list, discover, share and trade unique items with trusted peers, has been announced.

For more information on this social P2P marketplace click here.

Observe, Listen to Others

More success in social interaction and sales comes about by closely observing people. Whatever they talk about the most is what’s important to them, so listen closely. Frame what the other person is by identifying their fears, successes and choices. Some people may surprise you, but that means they’ve just given you more information to incorporate into your understanding of future encounters with them.

Think About This Suggestion

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 08/30/2011

IRTA Renames OAA

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 08/23/2011

Consumers Paying Down Credit-Cards

U.S. credit-card debt shrank 5% in the second quarter from a year ago, approaching a 10-year low. Consumers have been tightening their belts and working second jobs to pay off their credit-card bills. And more consumers are setting up a savings account once they’ve worked their way through their plastic debt. The goal for most is having at least three months of cash to cover living expenses and preventing emergencies from sending them back into the red.

Non-Profit Mentors Women Business Owners

The non-profit organization Count Me In helps mentor and grow female-owned businesses. They are behind the movement, “Make Mine a Million $ Business,” with an ultimate goal to get 1,000 women business owners to the million dollar mark. The organization is coming to Philadelphia, September 25 & 26.

For more information click here.  

Unique Trading Marketplace

A real estate and personal property barter session is scheduled for October in Oklahoma City. It’s where merchandise, services, real estate, boats, cars, and excess inventory are traded via a flat visual exchange auction board.

Thoughts To Ponder:

“The way to do research is to attack the facts at the point of greatest astonishment.”

—Celia Green, British writer & philosopher

“Inspiration usually comes during work, rather than before it.”

—Madeline L. Engle, American writer

“It is as impossible to withhold education from the receptive mind, as it is impossible to force it upon the unreasoning.”

—Agnes Repplier, American essayist

“Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.”

—Khalil Gibran, Lebanese/American writer & philosopher

“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”

—Kurt Vonnegut, American writer

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 08/16/2011

Small Business Entrepreneurs Prefer Contract Workers

In today’s economic environment everyone is focused on controlling costs. And that’s the major reason why small business owners are so attracted to part-time or free-lance “contract workers.”

Such workers provide staffing flexibility in addition to avoiding costly full-package employee benefits, such as retirement and health insurance, which can cost between 20% and 28% (or more) on top of a base salary.

Malaysia Airlines Trading Shares

Malaysia’s two largest airlines are collaborating in a bid to reduce competition and cut costs in one of Asia’s key economies. The two competitors have also agreed to barter shares of their respective companies further cementing the companies’ ties.

NATE Has New Banc Web Site

The National Association of Trade Exchanges (NATE) has announced that the NATE intercity currency, called the Banc, has a new web site (www.NateBanc.com). It will provide additional information, as well as a Banc membership agreement.

NATE members can also contact Lauren@Natebarter.com.

The Economy, Not Credit, Is Today’s Issue

The myth that small business can’t get credit is incorrect, according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). The organization reports that two-thirds of their members that requested loans were approved.

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 08/02/2011

Gallup pollsters report that most Americans have a great deal of confidence in small business — more so than the churches, public schools, the police or the Supreme Court. Small business ranks second only to the military. Gallup has been conducting annual confidence surveys since 1993.

In the latest poll 64% of respondents said they have a great deal of confidence in small business, compared with 19% who said the same about big business.

U.S. Bancorp found that three-quarters of small business owners surveyed believe the U.S. economy is still in a recession and 85% of them expect it to continue next year. The most pessimistic owners were in Oregon and Arizona.

Just a year in existence, Fiverr.com has become an international marketplace for people to buy and sell everyday services. With nearly 500,000 listings, almost everything can be bought in $5 increments. The focus of the site is on small professional tasks that could take a novice half-a-day to figure out, but an expert could turn it around in minutes, i.e., like solving an HTML problem.

The site’s growth underscores the shift from the traditional 9-to-5 job to one in which outsourcing and freelancing are becoming more commonplace. Sellers are paid only after a buyer confirms and rates a service.

A business can look at its customers and by ascertaining their value (to other businesses) can construct barter deals. For example, an enterprising business owner trades with airlines for travel by providing access to his client list. He also trades with marketing people for advice and sales techniques, in return for giving them “profile” (new leads) from his customer base.

Would you like to use those gift cards received at Christmas to pay for utility, car, or mortgage payments? Within the next two months it will be a possibility.

New software from ChargeSmart, a San Francisco-based online bill payment portal, and Plastic Jungle, one of the largest gift card exchanges in the U.S., have created a system where consumers can basically turn their gift cards into cash (up to 92% of the full value of the card) to pay household bills. It’s estimated that there’s an aggregate of about $30 billion in balances on unused gift cards.

Bond Guru Says U.S. In Bad Financial Shape

Entrepreneurs Are Waiting In The Wings

A Changing America … Back To The 1950s

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 06/14/2011

IRTA Convention Will Be Held At Mexican Resort

The International Reciprocal Trade Association has announced that the 4.5-star Aventura Spa Palace Resort in Riviera Maya will be the site for their 32nd national convention scheduled for September 19-21, 2011.

ITEX “New Era” Now Into 8th Year

It was eight years ago this month that Steve White took over as the new CEO of the ITEX organization in Sacramento (CA). He immediately began implementing changes at the largest trade exchange in the U.S. A focus on greater efficiency was of foremost importance. After one year the headquarters relocated to Bellevue (WA).

Shareholders in the publicly-traded company have done very well under White’s leadership, seeing 100% per year gains, on average, since 2003.

Squatter Nation …

In the U.S., homeowners who haven’t made a payment for as much as 5 years continue to live in their homes. Nationwide, it takes an average of 565 days to foreclose on borrowers in default — from their first missed payments to the final auction.

NATE Convention Was Notable Success

The National Association of Trade Exchanges annual convention was recently concluded, with the participants returning to their home offices having gained renewed enthusiasm for the barter business. The event was held at the beautiful Phoenix Marriott Mesa Hotel & Convention Center, and was hosted by the Arizona Trade Exchange.

Some thirty independently owned and operated trade exchange owners and staff met, exchanging ideas and aspirations, as well as products and services. Such annual meetings are the ideal setting for brainstorming where exchange owners can gather new ways to better their individual operation, as well as furthering the commercial barter industry.

The video ABC-coverage of the event can be viewed on their web site. For more information on NATE click here.

How Long Will You Work?

Fifty-six (56%) percent of U.S. workers have less than $25,000 saved, while 60% percent of retirees have less than $50,000 set aside. Additionally, some 45 million Americans are on food stamps. People in these situations will likely be working long after retirement age.

California Still Economic Powerhouse

Statistics from the Bureau of Business Analysis reports that the Golden State accounted for 13.1% of all the goods and services produced in the U.S. last year. (They have approximately 10% of the country’s population.) Texas was a distant second at 8.3%.

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 06/07/2011

Almost daily, the newspapers have stories relating how the gap is closing between China and the United States. Here’s a statistic that we came across recently that was quite revealing, given that China’s population is four times as large as that of America. In China there are 130 executive business jets … in the U.S. there are 15,000 executive jets.

A very rare and special live charity-event for Friendly House LA (helping women since 1951) will be held by the famed Pointer Sisters on Monday June 27 at 7 PM at the world-famous Roxy.

Tickets are $50, for details call 213-389-9964.

The National Federation of Independent Businesses recent report foresees a tightening for small business. It suggests that small business credit will become harder to get once again. The report says we are closer to very negative levels of expectations about future credit availability, similar to levels seen at the depths of the recession. Now’s the time to contact your local trade exchange for credit extension to grow your business.

Just a few days away, on June 19 (Father’s Day), there will be a $10 billion business opportunity. The average shopper will spend $100 on this day, according to BigResearch.

The Revel casino development in Atlantic City (NJ) is nearing completion of a deal with the aid of barter. The 1,900-room resort with 19 restaurants received a commitment from a Chinese bank for an additional $1 billion, in exchange for using a Chinese construction company and Chinese materials.

“A man with a surplus can control circumstances, but a man without a surplus is controlled by them, and often has no opportunity to exercise judgment.”

—Harvey S. Firestone, American Entrepreneur & Industrialist

“Our greatest weariness comes from work undone.”

—Eric Hopper, American Writer & Philosopher

“It’s more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement.”

—Mabel Newcomer, American Economist

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 05/24/2011

Small Business Owners Have Ideas To Cut Federal Deficit

According to a survey by the National Association for the Self-Employed, small business owners say the government should minimize social security for wealthy recipients and increase the payroll-tax cap on wages in an effort to reduce the federal deficit. And nearly 60% also chose repealing the health care overhaul and cutting defense spending as a way to cut costs.

Los Angeles Food Swap Takes Place

A Los Angeles edition of Food-As-Currency event recently took place after similar events in Seattle and Brooklyn.

For other food swaps in California as well as other parts of the country see: www.lafoodswap.com.

What They’re Saying …

“Don’t dream it, be it.”

—Tim Curry, British Actor

“If you hire only those people you understand, the company will never get people better than you are. Always remember that you often find outstanding people among those you don’t particularly like.”

—Soichiro Honda, Japanese engineer/industrialist

“Challenges make you discover things about yourself you never really knew. They’re what make the instrument stretch — what makes you go beyond the norm.”

—Cindy Tyson, American Actress

“It is the still, small voice that the soul heeds, not the deafening blasts of doom.”

—William Dean Howells, American author & literary critic 

ITEX Concludes 29^th Annual Convention

The largest American trade exchange, with 24,000 small business members across the U.S., held their 29^th annual convention in Las Vegas last week. One hundred forty brokers and corporate staff spent four days strategizing and socializing. The annual event is eagerly anticipated by many as a positive way to reconnect in today’s hectic world.

Utah Legalizes Gold & Silver As Currency

The State of Utah has legalized gold and silver as an alternative currency, although shop keepers/retailers have the option of accepting it or not. The state will exempt the coins (typically considered an investment) from capital gains taxes. There are other states considering similar laws including North Carolina and Idaho.

NATE Convention Coming June 2-5

Lombardi To Emcee At Connecticut Hall Of Fame

Good Sound Advice …

International Monetary Systems Buying Back Stock

Don Mardak, CEO of the publicly-traded International Monetary Systems (OTCBB:ITNM), reports that the IMS Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan. The company intends to buy back up to 10% of its outstanding shares from time to time at prevailing market prices. On Friday, April 29, 442,468 shares were traded.

For more information click here.

Correction On Last Week’s Martin Nobler Story

Last week’s tribute to Martin Nobler stated that he died of a heart attack and was 69. BarterNews has since been informed that the cause of his death is still undetermined, and that Nobler was age 70 at the time of his passing.

The Question That Increases Sales 16 Percent

Sherri Comstock, the owner of retail boutiques “The Cheshire Cat” and “The Spotted Crocodile” in Grayslake (IL), always asks visitors to her shops the question “Have you ever been here before?” (She contends asking this single question will expand a retailer’s sales by 16%.)

If the visitor’s answer is “no” the staff will briefly give a couple minute informative rundown on what brands and products they offer. The interaction also allows tracking on how the visitor heard about of the boutique.

Update On Social Security Benefits

The Social Security Administration last month stopped mailing out annual estimates of benefits to future Social Security recipients, as part of its cost-cutting measures. (It’s a $60 million savings!)

To obtain future Social Security benefits information, go to: socialsecurity.gov/estimator and click on “Estimate Your Retirement Benefits.”

Restaurateur Bobby Flay’s Advice To Aspiring Restaurateurs

Have twice as much capital as you think you will need. If you think it will take eight months to build the restaurant, realize that it will be twice that. Expect the unexpected, it will ultimately happen. And go slowly. Don’t try to feed 300 people on the first night. You want to be a good restaurant for 20 years, not twenty weeks.

Going Public Takes Time

The time it takes for a venture-backed company to reach an IPO from its inception has increased steadily over the past decade, to a median 8.1 years, according to data from Dow Jones VentureSource.

BarterFirst International is staging its “Second Annual Spring Business Expo” for the Central Florida business community on June 9.

For information call Cynthia at 407-478-3156.

ITEX’s Art Kaliel To Tie-In With The Beatles

Super salesman Art Kaliel of the San Diego ITEX brokerage, has arranged a piggyback agreement with the San Diego Beatles Fan Club. The day-long event is scheduled for May 21 and Kaliel envisions a huge turnout. His goal is to introduce barter to thousands of first-timers. Booth space on trade is available.

For more information call Art Kaliel at 760-613-6412.

U.S. Hotel Occupancy Rates Creeping Up

Occupancy increased by 6.1 percent to 61.4 percent in March (year over year), according to hospitality research firm STR. Leading the way were luxury hotels with the highest rate of growth.

50 Year Low For New Home Purchases

The painful turn-around process for the U.S. housing market isn’t getting much better. Annualized new home sales in February was 250,000, the lowest monthly figure on record dating back to January 1963. They were down a stunning 82% from the July 2005 peak.

Loyalty Points (Frequent Flyer Miles & Rewards Points) A Multi-Billion Dollar Enterprise

Customer loyalty specialists Colloquy and Swift Exchange report that Americans rack up at least $48 billion (yes, billion) of reward points and frequent flyer miles every year. And, they contend, at least a third of them go unredeemed.

Noteworthy Quotes

“The unfed mind devours itself.”

—Magic Johnson, NBA Hall-of-Fame and entrepreneur.

The Securities ad Exchange Commission (SEC) is considering adapting its rules to make it easier for fast-growing companies to raise money by tapping investors, through social networks, for very small amounts of shares. The issue is part of a wider review by the agency into whether to ease decades-old constraints on share issues by closely held companies.

For example, a company looking to raise $100,000 could use the Internet to invite interested parties to buy as much as $100 in shares per investor.

Keith Olbermann, who left MSNBC last month, will be hosting a new prime-time news and commentary show on public-affairs channel Current TV. Olbermann will assume the role of chief-news-officer of Current TV, taking an equity stake in the company which former Vice President Al Gore founded in 2005 with Joel Hyatt.

Former basketball great Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Ron Burke’s Yucaipa Companies are investing in Vibe Holdings LLC, the parent company of Vibe magazine and the TV show “Soul Train.” The transaction will install Johnson as chairman of the media company. Johnson says the company will continue to look for opportunities to invest in African-American media.

Entrepreneurship among blacks is expanding dramatically. The number of businesses owned by African-American men and women has grown by more than triple the overall national rate in recent years. The number of black-owned businesses jumped to 1.9 million, a 60% increase from 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. (Overall, U.S. businesses grew by 18%.)

A Remarkable Statistic

Given the economic downturn of he last few years, it is quite surprising to learn that across the nation last year 28% of all the homes purchased were on an all-cash basis — no financing at all was used. This figure was supplied by the National Association of Realtors. When the trade group began tracking the measure in October 2008, the rate was 14%.

Anguilla Resort Gains National Exposure In Barter Deal

A reality show, “The Bachelor” was shot at Leandro Rizzuto’s CuisinArt Resort & Spa on the Caribbean island of Anguilla, thanks to a barter deal between the ABC reality show producers and the general manager of the 90-room resort. Free accommodations for the week were provided for the bachelor and the six remaining lady suitors, as well as the film crew.

International Monetary Systems (OTCBB:ITNM) has opened another office in Connecticut — IMS Southern Connecticut. The new office is located at 999 Foxon Rd. #30, North Branford, CT.

For more information contact Jay Greene (203) 871-3813, Ext. 2.

Air Travel Up Globally

In 2010 worldwide air travel jumped 8.2% and air freight did even better, up 21%, according to the International Air Transport Association. After the biggest demand decline in the history of aviation in 2009, the world is flying again.

Corporate Barter Company Receives Kudos

ICON International, a corporate barter company located in Stamford (CT), was selected as one of the top 25 “Best Places To Work” in Connecticut for 2011. ICON is a subsidiary of the Omnicom Group.

Henderson’s Take On GDP Measurements

Noted futurist Hazel Henderson says a nation’s Gross Domestic Product measurement provides an incomplete and inadequate measurement of national progress. She says GDP undervalues the real wealth, for example, of Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain by ignoring their well-educated workforces, efficient infrastructures and productive ecosystems — all missing in GDP measurements.

For more information: www.HazelHenderson.com and www.EthicalMarkets.com.

Mileage Rates For Tax Year

With tax season here, remember the standard mileage rate for business use of a car is 50-cents per mile. (See IRS Publication 17, chapter 26.)

Plenty Of Hungry People Out There

Here’s a rather startling number — the number of people in the U.S. relying on food stamps, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is now 43.6 million.

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 02/01/2011

NATE Convention Coming In June

Barter Media Baron Drops Price Of Equestrian Estate

Ideas Worthy Of Your Time

Media, Restaurants, Printing & Travel

The co-owner of one of Vancouver’s (Canada) internationally acclaimed restaurants wants to create a special network with a social conscience. Meeru Dhalwala’s idea is a city-run web site that connects people and enables them to barter services and favors. People using the site would be clustered together by their postal codes.

More than three quarters of U.S. businesses have no employees, generating only 3.2% of sales nationwide, according to the Census Bureau. Firms without employees average $45,000 in sales.

The average business posts sales of $1.1 million a year and has about four employees.

Thoughts Worthy Of Your Time

“Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”  

—Mark Twain, American author and humorist.

Mackay Says Success This Year Depends Upon Your Goals

Small business columnist Harvey Mackay stresses that a person needs a specific and clear direction, and understanding of what is wanted, before achievement is attainable. In other words, know what you really want — be very specific. What is your motivation for this accomplishment? Focus on one or two areas, and be willing to take risks.

Make 2011 different by setting reasonable, measurable goals, then take charge and move forward with determination.

Small businesses will get even more specialized as customers will increasingly seek customized products and services. Startups will be lesws arduous and cheaper, as lower equipment costs and better technology will make it easier than ever to launch a business without a big investment.

And they see big and small firms joining forces as collaborative partnerships increase. Small companies will bring innovative practices, market agility and intimate customer knowledge … the big firms will contribute marketing and distribution power.

Seattle-based BizXchange (see link at top of page, Platinum Sponsor)  reports that trade dollar donations from BizXchange members to non-profit BizXchange members increased to $40,000 this year, up from $9,000 in 2009.

One of the nation’s leading “green” non-profit organizations, Green America, has 160,000 members. Their goal is to build a green and just economy. And recently the organization has created The Green Business Network, a B2B trade exchange.

For more information click here. 

Bartering Tourism For Oil

Turkey is going to be receiving oil from two African countries through a barter type of payment. Turkey will be providing (investing in) tourism, energy, health and other needed infrastructures. The aggregate value of the barter transaction is $1 billion.

Is Now The Time To Buy?

Is buying commercial property now a smart move for the entrepreneur? The CIT Small Business Commercial Real Estate Study says this could be an excellent time for entrepreneurs to buy a piece of property. (Only 6% of small business owners have bought at least one commercial property.)

The study notes that the Small Business Administration offers real estate loans with considerably better terms than bank loans.

Two Large Media Companies Can’t Agree On A Deal

Atlanta-based Cumulus Media (NASDAQ:CMLS) tried to buy Citadel Broadcasting Corp. in a $2.1 billion deal, but was rejected by Citadel’s shareholders. Cumulus is the second-largest radio broadcaster in the United States based on station count, with 343 radio stations in 68 U.S. media markets.

Las Vegas-based Citadel is the third-largest radio group in the U.S. with 166 FM stations and 59 AM stations in 50 markets.

Bank of America will hire 1,000 bankers nationwide in 2011 to focus on businesses with revenue of $250,000 to $3 million a year. The bankers will be based in local branches to focus on building relationships with community businesses.

Jack Schacht, former trade exchange owner located in Chicago, built one of the largest and finest independent trade exchanges in the United States. Since selling his operation to IMSBarter, back some five or so years ago, he has moved into another ambitious endeavor. You can see what that is by going to his web site (above) where over 10,000 products are available. A portion of every purchase one makes goes to your selected charity.

Many Americans Still Doing Fine

One in 106 Americans is a millionaire according to a recent article in Investopedia. And 31% of the world’s “high net worth individuals” with a million in assets beyond their home live on this continent. Experts say the key to building prosperity is to be patient, and pay yourself first by setting some money aside each month. Begin to save at a young age and set goals and realistic plans…you do need a road map.

Shredding The Plastic Continues

TransUnion, a Chicago-based credit researcher says 8 million Americans have cut up their plastic. The recession is the major factor. There are now 78 million U.S. consumers who do not have a credit card.

The average U.S. credit card debt fell by more than 11% over the past year, and delinquencies declined by nearly 25%. Both of which are good signs.

Gary Shilling, a noted economist who predicted the demise of the housing market long before anyone else, has authored a new book, The Age Of De-leveraging. Essentially, Shilling says we will see a decade of slow growth and deflation. We’re not going back to the “salad days” of the ‘80’ and ‘90s. People are in a savings-spree mode and therefore, he contends, big discretionary items such as cars, houses, cruises, etc., will drop in price. Excess capacity will be found worldwide in this new, changed environment.

Tradesource Barter Expo Scheduled For December 4

The Phoenix Convention Center is the site for the 24^th Annual Tradesource Barter Expo. The event will run from 11am to 5pm on Saturday, December 4.

For more information call Mary Ellen Rosinski at (602) 996-1557 or go to www.tradesoursce.net.

ITEX San Antonio Holiday Expo Slated For
December 2

This year’s holiday event will be held at the El Progresso Hall on Thursday, December 2, from 5pm to 9pm.

Further details are available by calling (210) 281-1111

Online Barter Network For Artists & Designers

A new online barter network that focuses on artists and designers is www.OurGoods.org. It promotes the trading of skills, space, labor and art objects. Monthly barter matchmaking events are also scheduled.

No Vacation For 33% Of USA Workers

The Rasmussen Reports contends that the United States has become a nation of workaholics, as 33% (one out of three) of workers haven’t taken any time off this year, and less than half planned to use all of their vacation time. (Of those who plan to take vacations, most don’t totally unplug from the office.)

A new online barter network that focuses on artists and designers is www.OurGoods.org. It promotes the trading of skills, space, labor and art objects. Monthly barter matchmaking events are also scheduled.

Assets That Are In A “Bubble” Category (Besides Real Estate)

The president of the Minnesota Federal Reserve recently published a paper wherein he suggests other bubble assets are lurking out in the global economy.

Here is his list: gold, real estate in China, alternative energy, commodities, Apple Computer (AAPL), social networking, emerging stock market, small tech companies, U.S. dollar, and U.S. government debt.

West Coast & East Coast ITEX Holiday Trade Shows Scheduled

The largest barter holiday trade show held on the West Coast will be held at the Fairplex in Pomona (CA) from 9am to 4pm on Sunday, November 21. For further details call 800-400-4294.

The East Coast location for the ITEX trade show will be at Amarante’s Sea Cliff in New Haven (CT). For further details call 888-294-6393.

TradeAmericanCard Expo Slated For December 4

Saturday, December 4, is the date for the 35^th TAC annual Holiday Barter Expo. The location will be the Business Expo Center, next to Angels stadium, from 10am to 3pm. For more information call 714-532-3500.

Twelve different Holiday Barter Expo’s will be held this year by IMS Barter. The first is scheduled for Saturday, October 16, in Chicago. The final one will be staged Thursday, December 9, in Las Vegas. All shows are open to the public.

For the complete list of cities and dates click here.

BizXchange Continues On Fast Growth Track

Seattle-based BizXchange has been named to the Puget Sound Business Journal’s list of Washington’s 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies, listed at #13. It’s the fourth of six consecutive years BizXchange has been named to the list.

For more information click here.

Advertising Industry Landscape Shifting Dramatically

The larger advertising agencies are feeling the competitive heat from small-shop advertising and marketing entrepreneurs. Tightened budgets have prompted many advertisers to scale back their needs and boost their reliance on freelancers, contracted for individual projects on an as-needed basis.

New York City (NYC) Attracting World’s Powerful & Wealthy

One of the country’s leading international attorney’s, NYC-based Edward A. Mermelstein (offices in NYC and Moscow), says foreign investors are channeling funds into the American market in hopes of cashing in on “American On Sale” before the deals have dried up.

He noted the recent purchase of a NYC home for more than $44 million by Mexico’s billionaire Carlos Slim, as well as Russian billionaire (and new owner of the New Jersey Nets NBA team) Mikhail Prokhorov who has established a business base in NYC. Over the past two years Mermelstein has arranged hundreds of deals for foreign buyers.

Oakley Provides Sunglasses To Chilean Miners

The famed eyewear, and later sporting equipment, Oakley is at it again. As noted in earlier editions of the Tuesday Report, founder Jim Jannard who launched the company with $300 in 1975, routinely used barter to promote and build his company’s caché in the marketplace. (One of his first efforts saw the company providing star athletes like Michael Jordan with a nice supply of Oakley sunglasses.)

Oakley, now owned by Luxottica, provided high-performance wrap-around sunglasses ($180-a-pair Radar Range sunglasses*) to the 33 Chilean mine workers who were being pulled to the surface on Wednesday (10-13-10), after 69 days stuck almost a half-mile underground.

The $30 billion Small Business Job Act just signed into law should make getting a bank loan easier because it is earmarked for small community banks and credit unions. And that money is available for SBA guaranteed loans where the federal government guarantees 90% of the loan.

Plus, the one big change in the law is the expansion of the SBA’s micro-lending programs from $35,000 to $50,000. (The typical micro-loan is $13,000) The SBA micro-lending is at an all-time high ... in the past 12 months the agency approved $16.84 billion for 54,826 small business loans.

New Employee Hiring Greater Among Large Firms

New Trend In Workforce

Day Spas Popularity Still Growing

Amazing Technology Keeps Expanding

It Only Happens Once Every 823 Years!

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 10/05/2010

Universal Currency Sets Trading Record

The International Reciprocal Trade Association’s “Universal Currency” was used by trade exchange owners (for inter-trading purposes) in a record amount for the month of August, 2010. A total of $582,486 in goods and services were exchanged using the UC platform.

For more information phone 321-397-2050 or e-mail patty@irta.com.

The Barter Network Supports Shriners Hospitals For Children

Winter Park (FL)-based Barter Network will again be providing advertising to support and publicize the annual 86th East-West Shrine Football Game, scheduled for national TV on January 12, 2011. The game showcases the top college seniors, and funds derived from the game benefit the Shriners Hospitals For Children.

Charity Giving In USA & China

Forbes magazine reports that China had 64 billionaires in US-dollar terms in 2009, second only to the United States which is home to 403 billionaires. These interesting figures also illustrated the difference in charity giving between the citizens of the two countries.

Chinese giving totaled $5 billion in 2009, according to China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs. And Americans donated $303 billion to charity in 2009, according to Giving USA, an organization that charts such information.

Foreigners Eyeing American Real Estate

One of Japan’s largest home builders and developers (Sekisui House Ltd.) has just acquired 500 acres in Texas, outside the city of Houston. The message they’re sending is: “We believe in the USA and in the growth of the real estate business.”

Reportedly multiple investors from Australia and Canada have visited the national Association of Home Builders’ Washington headquarters in recent months, inquiring which markets (and where) are poised to recover first.

The New Normal On Investment Yields

Bill Gross, 66-year-old cofounder of PIMCO Investments in 1971, (and now the world’s largest bond fund with over $1 trillion assets under management) says conditions have changed and investors had better have more realistic expectations going forward. Gross asserts that the days of leverage and deregulation are behind us and much lower investment returns will be the norm.

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 09/28/2010

IRTA Extends Convention Offer To October 8

The International Reciprocal Trade Association is extending a discount offer for their upcoming convention. It’s an effort to include as many attendees as possible for the association’s 31st International Convention being held in Pittsburgh, October 28-30.

To take advantage of a 25% discount go to www.IRTA.com for details and registration.

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 09/21/2010

Savers Penalized By Low Rates of Return

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 09/07/2010

Barter Workshop Scheduled

Connecticut’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is holding a 2-hour “Building Your Business With Barter” workshop on September 15, in Middletown. Cost to attend is $20.00.

Editor’s note: If such workshops were regularly held nationwide, we would see greater use of this versatile business tool by the business community.

New Trade Exchange Opens Up In Pueblo

Bob Hunter, a native of Pueblo (CO) who was a chiropractor in Northern California (and a member of a trade exchange there) before he and his wife retired to Pueblo, has launched the Southern Colorado Barter Club. Presently sixty businesses constitute the membership, but Hunter’s goal is a thousand members.

For more information e-mail Hunter at thebarterclub@gmail.com.

Worldwide Surge In Barter Activity Is Noted

Paul Benson, the European managing director at Orion Trading (the corporate barter company of Interpublic Group’s Mediabrands), confirms, “In the past two years we have seen a surge in barter in the UK and around the world.”

Orion is the only global major agency-owned barter company with offices in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Mediabrands, the parent company, manages $30 billion in global media billings.

Economic Slump Tough On Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Fewer people are working for themselves since the recession began — self-employment fell 13% in August to the lowest level in eight years. There are now 8.68 million working for themselves. These figures indicate the economic slump isn’t supporting new entrepreneurs.

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 08/31/2010

United Nations’ Huge Multi-Billion Dollar Barter Program

BizXchange Makes Inc. 5000 List Again

Greco’s Thoughts On Independent Restaurants Closings

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 08/24/2010

5,202 Restaurants Are Throwing In Their Dish Towels

Thousands of restaurants are closing their doors …in Southern California alone, nearly 1,000 more restaurants closed than opened during the 12 months that ended in March.

Nearly all the closings were among independently owned restaurants: small, family businesses that just couldn’t hold on as customers held back on spending — which has dropped about 20% from what was spent during the economic boom. (And, independent restaurants are not utilizing trade exchanges as much as they did 20 to 30 years ago in Southern California.)

Nationwide, the number of restaurants dropped in 2010 for the first time in more than a decade, falling 5,202 to 579,416 according to New York research firm NPD Group.

Gift Card Rules Updated … No Expiration For Five Years

The latest update on the Credit Card Act applies to retail gift cards for individual stores as well as cards with a MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover logo that can be used wherever those brands are accepted.

Balances now, beginning 8/22/10, cannot expire for at least five years from the date of purchase, or from the last date additional money was loaded onto the card. (If the physical card expires before then, you may get the balance transferred to a replacement card at no cost.)

When money is added to a card, both the new money and existing balance will be good for another five years. However, the new rules do not apply to reloadable prepaid gift cards and cards that are issued as a reward or through a promotion.

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 08/17/2010

For 1 Billion People, A Dollar-A-Day Is Survival

According to the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization there are now 1.02 billion people in the world existing on between one and two dollars a day. (In the last year alone, 146 million were added to that list.) These figures are a pretty staggering commentary on humankind’s desire to make the world a better place.

The Trillion Dollar Shortfall — Public Pensions

Look for a future class war growing between retirees, who were once state or municipal workers (with guaranteed monthly pensions & benefits), and the have-not taxpayers who don’t have generous pensions.

A study by the PEW Center on the states shows an estimated $1 trillion gap between what states promised workers in the way of retired pensions, health care and other benefits, and the money they have to pay for it. (Some economists say the problem is three times the figure that PEW suggests.)

Correction On Last Week’s First Story ...

One of our reader’s informed us that Czechoslovakia doesn’t exist any longer, since the velvet revolution in the early 1990s when they threw the Russians out. They are now two separate countries: Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Is Your Idea A Good One?

How can you tell if your new idea is a good one? Ask yourself this question: Does your community care? Everyone has a “community” of constituents — customers, users, readers, clients, etc. Share your ideas liberally. If your community engages with them (either for or against them), then you know you’re onto something. If they don’t look twice, you know that you either need to reconsider the idea or rethink how you communicate it.

The TransMedia Group of Boca Raton (FL) has been retained to publicize “the seal that can heal.” The campaign will be designed to build a nationwide awareness that doing business with companies displaying the certificate (seal) will help the economy and create more jobs.

Next time you’re feeling a bit low, or down and out even, think about Augie Nieto’s situation — your perspective will change quickly. Augie, 52, lives here in Southern California . He’s now into his fifth year (3 years beyond the norm) living with Lou Gehrig’s disease. He’s a former muscleman and fitness machine pioneer who put the Life Cycle into health clubs.

Nieto’s perspective on life reinforces that what matters isn’t what happens to you in life ... what really matters is how you react to what happens in your life.

Because their entertaining business (singing & band) had dropped off due to the economy, Donna and Bill Arnold have recently chosen an additional path in their business life. They’ve acquired an ITEX franchise in Pennsylvania.

Over One-Third Of New Jobs Are Temporary

So far this year the private sector has added 593,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and a little more than a third of them, or 218,000, have been temporary jobs. The message: Employers continue to prefer the flexibility that temporary workers provide.

Top Consumer Complaints Are Related To The Economy

“Yes, it’s the economy, stupid” — that’s the story from today’s consumers. Bogus offers to save homes from foreclosure was the #1 consumer complaint last year. Others included complaints about aggressive collection practices, debt settlement, and other type of debt relief services and job scams. Virtually all were related to our struggling economy.

Continental Airlines says the company’s turnaround was the result of their employees “buying-in” to the company’s changes. Continental instituted bonuses for perfect employee attendance, giving away fancy SUVs as rewards. While the car giveaway cost $700,000, the airline saved $70 million in sick leave. (The greater attendance enabled Continental to provide greater customer service and satisfaction.)

Sy Harding, president of Asset Management Research Corp., says lots of cash not being spent will choke off the U.S. economic recovery. Harding reports that American households, afraid of the stock market and real estate, are sitting on almost $8 trillion in cash (in money markets and CDs).

Likewise, Harding says that corporations are not spending their cash flows on new factories and equipment. Instead they’re hoarding it. America’s non-financial corporations are sitting on $1.84 trillion in cash, the highest percentage of their total assets in almost fifty years.

United States Ad Market Compared To China’s

India’s Largest Auto Builder Signs Interesting Barter Agreement

Banking & Small-Business Disconnect Should Lead To More Barter Activity

Savannah (GA)-based NuBarter and Charleston (SC)-based Barter Brokers International have announced their tentative plans to merge by mid-August. NuBarter was founded in 2002 and Barter Brokers International started in 1994.

For more information on these two Southeastern barter companies, their area coverage and plans for the future go to www.NuBarter.com and www.BarterBrokers.com.

The Barter Company Makes Extensive Upgrades To Web Site

They’re At It Again … Are You Surprised?

Venture Capital Money Drying Up

The Four Seasons Barbados is restarting construction (in September) after the Barbados government agreed to guarantee a Caribbean bank $60 million construction loan for the 110-room hotel with 35 for-sale villas. In return for the loan guarantee the government received a 20% ownership stake.

TeleTrade International Announces Trading Volume

According to 39-year barter veteran Gary Lasater, CEO of TeleTrade International, his worldwide platform did a second-quarter trading volume of $33,368,716.

For more information click here.

Banks are selling gold at a record rate, according to a 216-page report released last week by the BIS (Bank for International Settlements — the central bank for central banks). The international agency has purchased 349 metric tons of gold since December, allowing banks to raise a record $14 billion.

Facebook Creates Virtual Currency

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 07/06/2010

People With Money Are Happier, Poll Shows

The Gallup World Poll surveyed 136,000 people across 132 nations from 2005 to 2006 and it shows that income is more highly correlated to happiness than previously thought. Essentially, the study concluded that money is an object that many (or most) people desire and pursue during the majority of their waking hours. And they use their financial success as a measure of overall success and a reference for how “good” their lives are.

That doesn’t mean money makes everything better. The study found that income had less correlation to the more emotional enjoyment of life, which include things like laughing, joy, and connections to family and friends.

You Have 168 Hours ... Per Week

Want to get the most out of life? Author Laura Vanderkam, a thirty-something Manhattanite, says you must begin thinking like a company, leveraging your core competencies and exercising clarity of strategic intent to achieve greatness. She urges parents to engineer relaxed evenings and to spend high-impact time with kids.

She attempts, in her book 168 Hours, to guide us toward a better awareness of time and how to manage it. We have more time than we think: Subtract 56 weekly sleeping hours (eight a night) and 50 hours for work and you still have 62 unscheduled hours each week. Of that, she reveals that husbands and wives talk to each other a mere 12 minutes daily!

Americans Optimistic About Personal Finances In The Future

The Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project reports that nearly a third —32%— of 2,967 adults surveyed in May said they had lost their job at some point during the current recession, which began in December 2007. Those surveyed, however, were optimistic going forward, with 62% saying they think their personal finances will improve in the next year. 

Growth Of Emerging Economies Good For USA

The largest of the world’s emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China) have advanced their global GDP (global domestic product) share to 15% from 7% since 1995. And their relative economic expansion has come at the expense of Europe and Japan — but not the Unites States.

Fifteen years ago, the U.S. accounted for 25% of global GDP. Today it’s still 25%. Europe’s share however, has fallen to 21% from 25%, while Japan’s has plummeted to 9% from 18%. What’s more, this emerging market prosperity is advantageous as the emerging economies’ increasing domestic demand(s) translates into a larger market for U.S. goods and services.

In a recent study commissioned by Scottrade, for 63% of Americans, debt was an impediment to retirement savings in 2009. And 61% of Americans expect debt to limit retirement savings in 2010. Strategies to climb out of debt include:

Plan for the expected — a yearly vacation, wedding, etc.

NATE Sets Up Facebook Page

Gary Oshry, The National Association of Trade Exchanges President, announced that his organization now has a Facebook page for NATE and BANC members. Go to: www.facebook.com/natebarter.

Billionaire Softbank Founder Looks Ahead

Japan’s Softbank CEO/founder Masayoshi Son, 52, with an estimated net worth north of $5 billion and one of Japan’s most famous entrepreneur’s who built the company into Asia’s biggest Internet group, recently spoke to thousands of shareholders and fans. He laid out his plans and bold targets for the next 30 years which includes a goal of being one of the world’s 10-biggest companies by market capitalization by 2040. It’s a goal he estimates would require it to be valued at $2.24 trillion (currently they’re valued at $30 billion).

To reach that goal Softbank plans to take stakes of between 20% and 40% in some 5,000 affiliated companies by 2040, up from about 800 such partnerships now. Laying out a broad management philosophy, Son said Softbank isn’t wedded to any single technology or single business model. He sees everything from eye glasses to sneakers being connected to the web ... glasses, he suggested, could accurately translate foreign languages in real time and then display what a person speaking a different language was saying with subtitles on the lenses.

Long-time California ITEX broker Amanda Smith, (she operates in the Palm Springs and Temecula areas), has been named to the ITEX Brokers Association Board of Directors.

American households’ net worth is inching back. But economists say it’ll be 2012 or 2013, at best, before Americans’ wealth will return to pre-recession levels. Net worth — the value of assets like homes, bank accounts and investments, minus debts like mortgages and credit cards — now amounts to $54.6 trillion. The pre-recession net worth peak was $65.9 trillion.

IMS Appoints Treasurer/CFO

International Monetary Systems has appointed David A. Powell as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer. Powell is a CPA with 10 years experience in public accounting and more than 15 years experience in a variety of senior financial positions with a number of companies.

Company card decks are available through Corporate Incentives at (607) 724-6941.

Pete Briger of the Fortress Investment Group (he oversees Fortress’s $9 billion distressed-investment portfolio) recently gave a keynote address to his peers at the SuperReturn U.S. Confab held in Boston.

To underscore the scope of the opportunity, he posted a slide showing that financial institutions (AIG, Lehman Brothers, and others) have announced over $1.6 trillion of asset dispositions since the financial crisis. He concluded that there are $5 trillion to $10 trillion of distressed financial-asset sales to come.

Faith United Methodist Church in North Knoxville (TN) provides a barter-board for members to post goods or services they would like to receive and what they’re willing to give in exchange.

Hotel Industry Begins Recovery

The U.S. lodging industry is moving forward, according to an industry forecast from PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Hotels should be able to start increasing room rates in 2011, as hotels are starting to see an uptick in demand after two consecutive years of decline. Average daily room rates are expected to increase 3.5% in 2011.

Top Jobs In The Coming Years

The U.S. Labor Department’s 10-year forecast for demand, pay, and competition for more than 300 jobs in 45 categories has been released. Succinctly, in the coming decade engineering is expected to offer the fastest-growing area — biomedical engineering. Jobs in this field are anticipated to grow by 72%. (Health care dominates the list of the fastest-growing jobs, capturing 11 of the top 20 slots.)

Entrepreneurs Very Cautious In This Economic Environment

The National Federation of Independent Business reports capital expenditures among small businesses are nearly at a 35-year record low (which was established in December 2009). Only 4% of business owners characterized the current period as a good time to expand facilities.

Such statistics indicate small business owners recognize the need to be cautious now. This economic crisis is far from over, so prudence is a virtue that entrepreneurs should strive for.

U.S. Home Prices Will See Gradual Recovery

A survey of 92 economists and analysts by MacroMarkets, expect U.S. home prices will begin a gradual recovery by next year. The analysts on average foresee home prices rising about 12% in the next five years, ending December 31, 2014

Federal Revenues Are Disappointing

The U.S. Government has forecast a $1.6 trillion deficit for the current fiscal year, which began October 1, 2009. In April, the Congressional Budget Office reported corporate tax receipts were up 8.9% to $77 billion. Individual income tax revenue was down 11.6% in the first seven months to $500 billion.

Small Nonprofits Can Be Stripped Of Tax-Exempt Status

An estimated 214,000 small nonprofits have not yet filed a form called 990-N to the IRS. Those that did not meet the May 17 filing deadline will now lose their tax-exempt status. Something they may not learn about until 2011, when they discover they have to pay taxes on donations that they previously thought were exempt.

The change in the tax code was made three years ago, requiring nonprofits that report $25,000 or less a year in income, excluding churches, to file the form. Nonprofits that lost their tax-exempt status can eventually get it back, after a long reinstatement process that also includes an $850 filing fee.

On Sunday, May 9, “60 Minutes” featured Morley Safer exploring the growing trend in the U.S. that sees homeowners who can afford their house payments, choosing not to pay. Instead they are making the decision to “walk away” from their home because the valuation has dropped dramatically.

According to Safer, “The decision to walk away from the sinking home, by people who can afford to pay, is spreading like a virus.” There is now a web site (www.youwalkaway.com) that urges homeowners who are underwater to unshackle themselves from their mortgages and, for a fee, shows them how to default on purpose.

Full Job Recovery Expected By 2018

A Cal State Long Beach economist says the country may not return to pre-recession employment levels for eight more years. Joseph Magaddino, chair and professor of economics at the California university, noted that the country has lost 8.4 million jobs during the recession. So far this year, it has created about 600,000 jobs.

But with population growth alone, the U.S. needs 1 million new positions to just stay even. If 2 million new jobs are created each year, half of those will go to normal growth, leaving only 1 million new positions to be filled by those who are out of work. At that rate, it will be 2018 before we get rid of the deficit in jobs.

Tax Break For Employers Also Benefits Employees

Employers can make awards to workers valued as much as $400 a year for good attendance, safe driving, years of service, and so on. The criteria must be objective and fair, but the awards aren’t taxable to the employee and are fully deductible by the employer.

“The Friends In Business Network” (TFIBN) is the marketing arm of the ITEX network in San Diego. The two entities are sponsoring a free movie night on the last Tuesday of every month.

For more information click here.

Correction On April 27 Announcement

In our April 27 edition of From The Desk Of..., we reported a web site where Bartercard members can purchase real estate. That site, we’ve been informed, is not operated by Bartercard.

The official Bartercard site, which has the real estate section, is www.Bartercard.com.au.

A recent survey by Pitney Bowes showed that 33% of businesses would barter with their customers/suppliers/employees if their firm’s financial situation were to decline or remain flat in the next six to twelve months.

Only two categories barely nosed out the 33% bartering notation — both at 34% — which were laying off employees and changing the products/services offered.

BarterBook Seeks New Marketing Techniques

BarterBook is looking at new ways to market trade exchange memberships with the help of VirtualBarter’s software. BarterBook will resemble the look and feel of Facebook, the popular social networking site.

For more information on VirtualBarter click here.

Riggs Likes Social Network Idea Too

Annette Riggs, Managing Director of The Community Connect Trade Association located in Westminster (CO), is looking to use social networks to spread the barter message virally.

Builders are particularly interested in finished lots — land with improvements such as sewers and streets in place, allowing for homes to be constructed quickly.

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 04/27/2010

Bartercard’s Real Estate Site

Lauren Pound New NATE Banc Broker

Trades Of The Month From 1999 ...

Salaries Traded For Stock

Instead of limiting itself to theater box offices, DreamWorks studio unveiled a novel marketing deal with Wal-Mart. Two movie ticket vouchers for their new movie Prince of Egypt will be included in Wal-Mart’s $20 gift packages with a storybook and CD of the movie songs.

Too Many Garden Vegetables — Trade Them

Growing vegetables? Have a surplus, more than your family can eat? Then you might want to check out a new web site where you can look into bartering your vegetables. On the site, listed under “Community” and “Friends” are a list of other community gardening organizations.

For more info go to www.veggietrader.com.

Mardak Interviewed On CNN Radio

Winston Edmondson, CNN Radio host of “Innovations At Work,” recently interviewed Don Mardak, CEO of IMS Barter. IMS Barter is a national barter company in the U.S. with over 20,000 clients, and has offices from coast to coast.

Ray Bastarache, founder of Barter Network in 1985 and subsequently sold in 2000 to one of the dot.com barter companies, has become a member of a new advisory committee Barterquest.com has formed. Bastarache was a former president of the International Reciprocal Trade Association.

Power Of Print, A $90 Million Campaign

Major magazine publishers have embarked on a campaign with a simple message that “Print rules!” Five leading magazine publishers will provide nearly 1,400 pages of ads through magazines including People, Vogue and Ladies Home Journal this year.

The $90 million campaign figure is based on the public ad-rates for each of the participating magazines, and is the largest joint campaign effort ever by the publishers.

Entrepreneurs Continue Trimming Payrolls

The payroll company Automatic Data Processing reports that private-sector firms in the U.S. eliminated 22,000 jobs in January, the 24th monthly decline in a row. While employers of all sizes trim their work forces when the economy suffers, small firms adopt the strategy sooner and more aggressively as cash flow is paramount to a small business to keep its doors open.

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 03/02/2010

Mergers & Acquisitions Funded With Less Cash

A couple of decades ago in 1977, a big percentage (77%) of U.S. mergers & acquisitions were funded solely with cash, according to Dealogic. But beginning in 2009 and so far this year, cash is being used in only 40% of the deals. Instead paper, in the form of company stock, has taken over as the major means of funding M&A’s.

The most recent example is Schlumberger’s $11 billion takeover of Smith International, wherein Smith International is being paid in stock.

Buffett’s Insights On Economy & Healthcare

Billionaire Warren Buffett sees the economy recovering at a very low rate (his Berkshire Hathaway firm owns 80 different businesses). He says healthcare costs are a major drain on U.S. businesses, and needs fundamental reform because it’s not practical to continue to devote 17% of the nation’s GDP to health care. (Much of the world pays half that, or 9% of their GDP on health care.)

Wine For Buses

Winery owners in Macedonia have proposed to the government the desire to enter into a barter deal with the Ukraine. They’d trade a large surplus of wine reserves (accumulated due to the global recession) for the country’s needed purchase of buses.

Need More Funding. . .Check With Your Vendor

Strong relationships are vital in landing financing. That’s why more and more small business owners have been successful with a group they already know well — their vendors.

According to semiannual surveys from the National Small Business Association in Washington, between 22% and 29% of business owners relied on vendor credit to meet their capital needs between August 2008 and December 2009.

U.S. Corporate CEO’s Express Confidence On Recovery

The Washington (DC) Business Council’s confidence gauge climbed to 64.7 in February, the highest level in four years. (Readings greater than 50 signal economic growth.) The survey also found that 57% of executives had seen an improvement in their industries in the last six months, while about 61% expected gains to continue during the next six months.

From the desk of Bob Meyer...02/16/2010

NATE Schedules Convention In “Happiest City” In America

From the desk of Bob Meyer...02/09/2010

Consumers Cut Back On Borrowing

Americans have reduced their borrowing for 11 months in a row. The Fed said it was the first time consumer borrowing — before adjusting for inflation — had fallen for that long a period, since it began keeping track in 1943.

Since its peak in July 2008, consumer credit has fallen by $125 billion as households put their balance sheets in order.

The New Economic Reality For American Workers

According to The Wall Street Journal, there’s a new economic condition in America. Today 20% to 23% of U.S. workers are operating as consultants, freelancers, free agents, contractors or micropreneurs. And current projections see that number continually rising in coming years.

Business Owners Relying On Credit-Card Financing

A new survey by the National Small Business Association reports that 59% of respondents said they had used credit-card financing for their businesses in the past twelve months, up from 49% who said they had done so in a December 2008 poll.

Asset-Based Lending Also Growing

Asset-based lending, once considered a last-resort finance option, has become a popular choice for companies that don’t have credit ratings, a track record, or patience to pursue more traditional sources. (Asset-based lenders focus on collateral, rather than credit-worthiness.)

The Commercial Finance Association, an industry trade group, said asset-based lending, excluding mortgages, swelled by 8.3% to almost $600 billion in 2008. The association is still gathering data on 2009, but preliminary surveys show double-digit percentage increases in lending.

British Pub Bartering With Patrons

Drinkers at a Lincolnshire pub can now barter for their pints. The owner of the pub sees it as a way for his independent operation to compete with special offers at the larger chain bars, since he can’t compete on prices.

Carrots, dead partridges, dishwashing, and offers to help clean and decorate the pub have been among the bartered items.

From the desk of Bob Meyer...01/26/2010

One Of Europe’s Fastest Growing Airlines Signs Barter Deal

Turkey’s national air carrier, Turkish Airlines, has become the official sponsor of Spanish football club FC Barcelona. Half of the sponsorship will be paid in a cash advance, and a barter agreement covers the remaining 50% of the 2-1/2 year agreement.

The barter agreement will include team flights and billboard advertising inside the Camp Nou soccer stadium.

Restaurant Owner, Savvy Businessman

A newly opened restaurant in Decatur (GA), the Iberian Pig, is astutely using barter in a most intelligent way. Thus keeping much needed cash in their pocket. Owner Federico Castellucci was able to barter a little less than 50% of the opening costs. Essentially, financing the opening through future sales — new business — which will be sent to his restaurant by the trade exchange he worked with. The new business (from members of the trade exchange) will be used to pay off the barter loans Castellucci obtained to cover his opening costs.

Barter Used To Shore Up Barbados Four Seasons

In a bid to salvage jobs, the government of Barbados has agreed to guarantee a $60 million loan from a Caribbean bank to help restart the luxury Four Seasons resort development on the tiny island. In return for the guarantee the government will end up with a 20% stake in the project.

United States Drops In Listings Of “Most Free” Economies

The United States is losing ground to its major competitors in the global marketplace, according to the 2010 Index of Economic Freedom, released by the Heritage Foundation. Canada now boasts North America’s most free economy. Here’s a list of the best free economies in the world in descending order:

Test your negotiating skills next time you need a camera or a computer. There’s so much competition in this field, all you need to say is “I’m going to check your competitor” and you could get 10% off, or more.