Barter your Burdens. Benefit your Business.
Connecting freelancers, microbusiness owners and solopreneurs đ¤
âStart your own businessâ they said âitâll be funâ they said.
If youâre self-employed too, youâll know thatâs not entirely true.
Yes - rollercoasters can be fun. But not the days when the ride is all downhill, with obstacles appearing out of nowhere, cash flying out of your pockets, or youâre going around in circles⌠banging your head. And thatâs the external rollercoaster. The rollercoaster inside can be an even wilder ride.
Yes - starting a business can be fun. And solo-entrepreneurship is empowering. But it can also be very lonely. The âsolitude of self-employmentâ as they call it. This is the first roller coaster Iâve ever ridden alone, and I think most of us would agree; itâd be more fun with company.
But itâs not all doom and gloom folks. I actually have something positive to share. Thereâs an ancient tool that any one of us can dust off and whip out, as an entrepreneur. That tool, is the age old practice of exchanging goods and services without money. That tool - is barter - would you believe?
THE PROBLEMS FACED:
Barter, the cashless exchange of resources, is the oldest known form of trade. But it has actually proven to be a gamechanger for self employed individuals, in this modern age.
I interviewed a large group of our community members who are freelancers, microbusiness owners, solopreneurs - and they all reported the same struggles as me. I also asked a robot for their opinion, and turns out the same entrepreneurial problems are faced by
But barter provided relief to a huge amount of these problems. Iâve experienced this relief myself, and the Barterchain community has too. Letâs see if these interview quotes resonate - and if the barter solution makes sense for you:
1. âI hate this hatâ
âI have to cover all aspects of the business myself, wear all the hats - despite the gaps in my skills. Some things donât come easy to me, I waste time trying, or I just simply hate doing them.â
2. âI canât afford thatâ
âI wish I could outsource these things, but I canât afford to. I have a really tight budget to work with. And the income is irregular. It can be feast or famine⌠itâs famine right now.â
3. âI used to be funâŚâ
âIâve sacrificed a lot to make this work. My lifestyle has had to change. I used to treat myself here and there, and do things for fun and pleasure. I donât tend to splurge like that anymore.â
4. âWhat have I doneâŚ?â
âI used to have benefits! Being employed by someone else came with discounts, coupons, memberships, training! They used to pay for my upskilling! I didnât realise how much Iâd miss those perksâ.
THE SOLUTION EMBRACED:
Reading these aloud can most definitely make you wonder - what the heck have I done... But I remind myself, every day, that bartering provides a solution to these problems and more, along with some well needed fun!
1. You donât have to wear the hats you hate.
Find someone who has the opposite issue - and make a trade. Maybe youâre good at the books, but you dislike marketing. There is someone out there with the opposite skillset - you can relieve eachotherâs burdens by bartering!
2. You arenât always as limited as you think, by money.
You can actually outsource tasks completely cash-free. As long as you are willing to trade in other currencies (your skills and energy) then you can outsource at any time, during a famine, or a feast.
3. You donât have to forego your lifestyle, or your fun!
You just need an alternative way of getting things done. On Barterchain you can swap your skills (your best hats) for a range of activities. Learn to sail. Do a yoga class. Get a massage. Put up your feet!
4. You donât need to be employed by someone else, to get those benefits!
Missing the upskilling? The gym membership? Then barter with a teacher, a coach, a personal trainer - ones who need your skills! And lap up that one-to-one attention, which you probably wouldnât get if you worked for a large corporation.
TRUE STORY TIME:
That may all sound too simple to be true⌠so here are some grounded and verifiable examples for you.Â
Our logo and website design are the result of a barter! During the Techstars programme last year, a designer flew into Ireland to realise her accommodation had fallen through. I needed a logo, and I had a spare room. So I offered her a place to sleep - in exchange for her creativity.
Barterchain featured in The Irish Times last month, alongside Flower and Bean - a cafe in Dublin whose owners barter to find the seasonal and hyper local ingredients they need. And in exchange, they offer their traders coffees, baked cakes, or lunch in the cafe - for free.
Devlin Farm in Mayo also featured - theyâre part of a local group, who barter car rides, used goods, garden knowledge, seeds, and fresh produce. The groupâs centred around sharing and sustainability - and has become a wonderful resource for members, to get the things they need.
The benefits of barter range from financial to social, especially for solo business owners. Marketwatch noted that barter âpreserves cash when cash is tightâ which âat a time when access to capital from banks can be difficult â can help make the difference between life and death for small companies.â
THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE ROLLERCOASTER:
This article began, on the lonely rollercoaster ride for entrepreneurs. And itâs going to end on the same theme, but with a reclaimed positivity.
Because the connections that come from barter are so authentic, genuine, and often long lasting - when two self employed people come together to trade, itâs like social prescribing for entrepreneurial loneliness.
Our future friend
Forbes even picked up on this, telling readers âThe biggest piece of advice that I give people in bartering networks is to treat each exchange as an opportunity to build on your relationships. Sometimes building a trusting relationship with a business is more valuable in the long run than making just one transaction.â
I have forged beautiful and ongoing connections through barter - with designers, business advisors, videographers, holistic healers (yes - this rollercoaster is requiring a lot of personal healing). And each and every one of them in some way, make the running of this business easier.
So if youâre still reading - this is your sign - to try bartering for your business, and your important personal life. Barterchain has just launched a mobile app where members can swap their skills and services for free. Its matchmaking technology will find you a direct trade, based on what you can offer and what you need.
Join the community today, and barter your business burdens away!
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https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/02/25/how-bartering-can-help-increase-your-cash-flow/?sh=9f339b569498
https://www.irishtimes.com/life-style/2023/08/20/barter-is-back-meet-the-people-going-back-to-swapping-goods-and-skills/
https://sacred-economics.com