During recessions, historically businesses have collaborated to create economies of scale and survive, emerging as leaders in their professions as the recession eases. During the last 2 years in Greece a community of sole traders has gathered to ‘barter’ their necessities, making sure everyone has food on the table, at the same time in Michigan a group of mouldmakers are joining forces to compete and thrive.

No cash passes hands, business is based on common understanding and trust. In contrast, some small businesses are subscribing to online voucher sites that pro stitute their services and their industry’s credibility, and send 20% of sale value overseas to a computer programmer, the promise of quick cash is all enticing when the rent’s due. Others are cost cutting, advertising the first to go.

From the body of research undertaken by the Australian Business Foundation comes a critical piece of intelligence for business: innovation and knowledge are increasingly at the heart of competitive success; and their active ingredient is collaboration. Paradoxically, it seems that the more you collaborate, the stronger your competitive success. These concepts of alliances, clustering and collaboration help us bridge two apparently contradictory ideas of modern business – on one hand the need to be nimble, alert and intimately connected to the customer and changing market demands, and at the same time, to have the scale and critical mass to compete globally.

I believe that collaborative working arrangements, amongst small businesses in particular, is the way forward. As most small businesses owners are either sole traders or have employees of less than 10 individuals; on their own, there is no way small business owners are in a position to meet all their customers’ needs. By hooking up and forming alliances, small businesses can put themselves in a better position towards meeting their customers’ needs. Also, instead of the exhausting work of continually assessing and attempting to differentiate themselves from their competitors; working arrangements are mutually beneficial, they foster a culture of trust and open communication.

Get SEEN 

Make the most of your online profile, it's free and the perfect way to promote yourself to fellow Members.

Offering a 'Special' creates interest, and we will be happy to help promote.

Get MOTIVATED

Remember you're first day in your own business, the excitement, that first sale? The top 20% of Smarter Barter traders are doing 80% of total turnover, typically they are pro-active and always looking at ways to spend and save, when they need sales they go looking for customers.

If you need advice on stimulating trade, give us a call. Our motivation is in your success and we'll gladly assist.

Get ACTIVE

With 242 active Members who have successfully traded, there are numerous suppliers waiting to do business with you, take time to get to know them, pop in and say G'day,
can they replace your current cash supplier?

Join 'Rob at Smarter Barter' on Facebook and get talking with over 60 fellow Members!

Make a point of attending Smarter Barter networking nights, it's a great way to build relationships with fellow traders and have fun!

Get RESPONSIBLE

The quality of our Membership is down to the businesses we reject, and the best quality control is feedback from you. Please keep us informed if you have unsatisfactory dealings with a fellow Member, and also let us know when you have great experiences with others!

Any community is only as good as the quality of those involved. Always remember that a Smarter Barter transaction is extra income and saves you and your customer cash. Respect fellow Members, give them great service and you'll find it is reciprocated!

Get TRADING!

If you have yet to trade, why is that? Are you waiting for the first Member to contact you? Are you uncertain how to start? A trade dollar is equal to a cash dollar in value so treat it with the same importance...you are part of the only cash fee free business community so 

About 26 years ago, a fellow by the name of John and a lady he knew whilst working as a Community Transport Driver, Jennifer, decided to create a safe place for people with disabilities to come together and socialise. John took it upon himself to register the blossoming organisation as a charity, organise funding and fundraising, and arrange a place for the users of the new service to meet, mingle and make merry.

Nowadays, YADA (Young Adults Disabled Association) is blessed to hold twice-weekly get-togethers at a community hall, with transport co-ordinated to pick up the participants from where they live (and drop them back home again). Here they learn craft and singing, dancing and games –once a month they take a day trip and, once a year, a holiday. Each Christmas the members put on a show and are visited by Santa, with everyone receiving a present. They’ve been around the world, developed life skills not taught elsewhere, and gained crucial confidence so that they can contribute positively to society. YADA has, over the years, won approximately 45 community awards and John has been named Citizen of the Year.

‘That’s all well and good’, you might say, ‘but what’s so special about YADA?’

John Eastwood, YADA (r) collects brochures printed by Phil Pearson, KwikKopy Liverpool using Smarter Barter. 

The differentiating feature when it comes to this organisation is that YADA is over 90% self-sufficient. Receiving very little by way of government funding (in fact, it only collects Home and Community Care Funding) YADA raises most of its own funds and is run almost exclusively by volunteers – right down to the bus drivers that collect the members and take them to meetings. They pay an office assistant to keep things functioning smoothly, and a bus driver that collects far less than he is entitled to for the hours he works each week.

The fundraising arm of YADA is its recycling group. In a small, unassuming house in Liverpool sit a group of dedicated workers, either disassembling everything they collect for recycling and sale, or on-selling it in one of their three shops. Every spare cent is poured straight back into the organisation, to subsidise outings and holidays. But more about this part of YADA shortly.

The organisation owns YADA Coaches, again with all profits funnelled right back to the charity. Buses and coaches are available to hire by the public for trips and outings, and once the expenses are paid for any leftovers go to the organisation to provide food for the weekend excursions, or saved for the end-of-year holidays and parties. This year’s Christmas party theme is ‘Grease’ and it’s set to be a great night out; the YADA members are looking forward to it and rehearsals have begun already. Presents are being organised and a venue is almost booked. All possible only through John’s tireless efforts.

But back to the recycling. YADA will collect anything and everything being disposed of, from your premises, and meticulously divide what can be sold from what can’t. Items suitable for sale are taken to one of their stores (two in Mount Pritchard and one in Ingleburn), run by volunteers. Items that can’t be sold are taken apart and what can be sold for scrap is separated into bins. In all, only about 5% of what is collected ends up at the tip. What is salvaged is sold, and – you guessed it – the funds put straight back into the charity. It helps the environment, and that can’t be a bad thing!

And who helps in the recycling of collected items? People from all walks of life: those fresh from gaol (or those on a path there), the unemployed and those on ‘work for the dole’, the elderly and those with spare time that want to donate it to a worthy cause. John isn’t picky, and he is a firm believer in second chances. If you have the time, he has a job for you. YADA can’t exist without volunteers. If you have a spare hour a week – or even a month – give John a call.

When you think about it, there’s not many that YADA don’t help – the disabled, the unemployed, the disadvantaged, those with too much time/too little company/too many unwanted items, and the environment. If you fit into any of these categories, be thankful.

If you don’t, be thankful, too.

YADA are Members of Smarter Barter. Last year YADA traded approx T$6K, 2011 should see this grow to about T$15K. That's $15000 cash saved, paid for by offering coach travel to fellow Members.  

Barter Just Got a Whole Lot Smarter - And It’s Free!
Over the past 18 months, there’s been a slow but steady trend in the North West and South West of Sydney. A small group of businesses have gathered, met, networked and exchanged ideas and advice. They have swirled wine and sampled fine cuisine, been entertained, discovered new products and appeared on film. Now this is nothing unusual in itself; networking groups abound in the business world. But what sets this small group apart is one thing they all have in common: they are all members of an exciting, new and unique method of trade. Barter.

You’ve probably heard about barter before. After all, it’s been around for thousands of years. It’s nothing new and there are many systems already in existence. However this, as we said,  is unique – because it’s free.

Smarter Barter is a revolutionary new way of trading that has removed the boundaries and barricades previously preventing small businesses from engaging in a bartering system. Co-owner Rob comments: “Last September we removed all cash fees for full trade businesses when we became over 90% self-sufficient. Smarter Barter is grown, operated and developed almost entirely by its members.” Rob firmly believes that by removing fees, more businesses will join,promoting trade and formation of a network of members that will band together as a community. But fee-free trade for those offering payment on full trade (that is, paying 100% barter for goods or services) won’t last forever, so those considering it better get in quick.

Vince, owner of The White Swan Restaurant in Penrith, said “Smarter Barter brings me a steady supply of new customers and I use the trade dollars to buy everything from cleaning products, printed menus, a new suspension for my car and advertising; at last a barter system that is fair and that works”.

Members agree that Smarter Barter is a great way of doing business – and even better, a great way to beat the banks. Louise from Erinds Copywriting says “I can trade with other members, not pay fees to do so and also not pay account fees on my bank account or when I am late paying my credit card.”

The next two years will be exciting for Smarter Barter; they have a strong core of businesses that are trading effectively and fairly, and a Board that represents all members - working to promote
fairness and equality amongst its community.

Enquire today about Smarter Barter to see the difference for yourself.
 
 

Smarter Barter Members networking night, The White Swan, 15th March 2011

New-Fashioned Bartering.

We’ve all heard of bartering, right? The old ‘you-scratch-my-back-I’ll-scratch-yours’ scenario. Someone does something for you, and you do something for them. In times gone by, it consisted mainly of someone grinding flour for someone, who tanned their leather. The butcher gave meat to the guy who made mud bricks, and it all went around again. Nowadays it’s a much more refined and controlled environment – and fairer, too. You get your hair cut and buy them lunch. Someone prints your business cards, and you write content for their website. But who controls the value of the goods or services being traded? How do you know that you will receive a fair swap? And what if you don’t want to cut someone’s hair for a free lunch?

That’s where barter systems come into play – and there are plenty around. A corporation controls who becomes a member of the barter system, how much they pay for the privilege, and in some cases, how much the services or goods should sell for. The corporation makes a lot of money and the listed prices are inflated to cover the costs of being a member of the exclusive society. Members become disgruntled, and either leave or complain their way through the barter financial year. But it’s not all bad.

Smarter Barter is a revolutionary Australian barter system that guarantees to be fairer to its members. No joining fees and no monthly fees sets it apart from the other bartering systems around, and with low fees per transaction there’s no reason to grumble. Members set their prices according to the cash market, so you know that what is listed for trade is accurate; prices are not inflated to cover the costs of joining and remaining a member.

When you purchase a product or service through Smarter Barter, you can either draw on your line of credit (if you have one) or the barter ‘credit’ you’ve built up by selling your product or service. When you sell something, the credit is applied to your account – so you don’t have to swap directly with the hairdresser. You can have a meal on barter, get your car serviced, and buy a watch – and sell your items for trade dollars. It’s a cash-less economy that only works if you do.

“But what if I need cash to cover certain costs, such as products I need to provide my services? I can’t buy shampoo on trade!” you might say. Smarter Barter have that covered: you can offer part trade and part cash. Utilise the barter component to enable customers to buy the ‘service’ component, and they can pay cash to cover your out-of-pocket expenses. So an air conditioning mechanic can charge barter for labour and cash for parts, giving the best of both worlds. But why not speak to the staff at Smarter Barter – they might be able to source a supplier on trade!

Smarter Barter really is the smarter way to barter, at a fraction of the cost.

Smarter Barter: Grown organically from within

Smarter Barter is the newest and fastest-growing barter system in Australia. With unique features that set it apart from other barter systems, it’s no wonder members are referring business acquaintances and colleagues.

Smarter Barter members pay nothing to join, and there are no ongoing monthly fees to contend with. No administration fees means you save more, and with a low commission on sales the entire process is painless and transparent. You can start trading straight away, and start halting the cash trickling from your bank account. Pay for goods and services in trade, and sell in a cash market – what could be easier? Satisfied members refer businesses, and this results in a barter system that is grown organically from within. 

And now, members can take advantage of referrals. When a member of Smarter Barter refers someone that subsequently joins, that member then receives a referral fee – a ‘spotter’s fee’ – for referring a new member. What this means is members can build up networks within the Smarter Barter community – communities within a community that they can refer businesses to, knowing the quality of goods and services they provide is high.

Why not bundle your goods and/or services with other members, to offer customers a complete packaged product? If you create websites, why not team up with a graphic artist that can provide logos and template designs? If you clean carpets, you could pair with a domestic cleaning agency and offer cleaning packages to busy mums. And if the service provider is not available, there’s nothing stopping you from sourcing one and recommending they join (you get the spotter’s fee, and you both get more business!) or speaking with the management team at Smarter Barter and requesting they source someone for you. Don’t forget, newsletters are sent out with new members, so there’s no excuse not to approach a new business with a view to working together.

And if you’re in the enviable position where your barter business is becoming too much, then you can suspend your advertisements on the website and concentrate on your cash customers – or use your barter trade dollars to take a well-deserved holiday!