Publisher’s Note: Many have asked me over the years, “what has motivated you to write your books?”
My response were two reasons. The first is that I wanted to write to help people. Many of my friends, customers and constituents have experienced many of life’s struggles. I would often hear their personal and family’s struggles.
The second is that writing has been proven to be therapeutic. Writing is no stranger to therapy. For years, people have used journals, logs, questionnaires and other writing forms to help people heal from stresses and traumas.
With all the noise of this world with social media, Facebook and negative news that seems to be constant from the mainstream media – writing has become an outlet for me. Therapy to get things off my chest that I may be battling internally and writing is a way to ‘let it all out.’
I recently read a quote from Bob Marley, “If you get down and quarrel everyday, you’re saying prayers to the devil.” Today, especially with social media, way too many people maybe – praying to the devil.
Throughout the years I had the opportunity to meet many folks with diverse skills: construction framers, concrete finishers, electricians, mechanics, radio station owners, consultants – just to name a few.
When the opportunity would present itself I would offer to find a way to barter for their services or items. I’ve bartered cars, trucks, motorcycles, and even for an airplane.
Bartering can help make ends meet, especially in the times we are in now with rising taxes, fuel, rent, food and other necessities. Sadly, I see very tough times are ahead of us.
My second book: Learn To Barter & 21 Ways To Increase Your Income by Michael J. Sparks shares many of those experiences.
My third book, How To Do More with Less During Tough Times is more about stretching a dollar and looking for unique ways to save money.
The overall cost of food, gas, and other needed items are increasing at its fastest rate in more than 40 years. The experts cannot say with confidence whether price increases will speed up or slow down in the coming months.
Inflation in march increased at 8.5 percent over the previous year, according to a federal report—the fastest increase since 1981. People—now more than ever are looking to stretch a dollar.
Below are a few tips and advice if your looking to Learn to Barter.
Jim Furbush, director of sales with ITEX recently stated, “One local company owner told me about a $175 electronic business card he did on barter for a customer we brought him that resulted in an additional “mid-5 figure” cash loyalty program contract.”
ITEX is the largest marketplace for B2B cashless transactions in the USA and Canada. ITEX processes millions in sales for thousands of member businesses every month. We offer unique member benefits for increasing sales and reducing costs:
- ITEX Trade Directors help you generate new customers by advertising your business to other ITEX members and will assist you with your purchasing needs
- ITEX dollars are used to buy and sell products and services among members instead of spending cash
- Record keeping services for expediting and simplifying the transaction process with 24×7 online account access.
- For more information on ITEX bartering visit: https://www.itex.com/ or email Jim Furbush at Jim.Furbush@ITEX.net or call him 615-579-8568.
Old-Fashioned Bartering Is Back. Here’s a Guide to Smart Swapping: Everyone should Learn to Barter
According to Sheryl Nance-Nash, “the pandemic has put many households’ finances in jeopardy. While tough times call for creativity, that doesn’t necessarily mean reinventing the wheel. In fact, people are turning to a practice as old as the wheel itself: bartering.”
“Simply put, bartering is trading. You swap your goods or services with others for the goods and services you need. It’s not just small business owners turning to formal exchanges to keep their businesses afloat. Many average Americans have also adopted the practice, thanks to informal avenues like Facebook
and Craigslist, among others. Richard Crone, CEO of Crone Consulting, predicts that the value of person-to-person bartering in the U.S. of “packaged goods,” which includes toilet paper and the like, will grow by 50% this year from its current level of $4.2 million.”
Learn the Basics and Learn To Barter
There are formal barter exchanges that process the barter transactions, acting similar to a financial institution. Your barter dollars are banked for future use, when you can use them to “purchase” goods or services from members. The prices are set in barter trade dollars. Usually, there is an initial membership fee and a small monthly fee or transaction fee. Both parties conduct person-to-person trading/bartering. The parties come to an agreement that suits both needs.
To read full article and Learn to Barter visit: https://money.com/how-to-barter/
