Tuesday Report - February 20, 2001

The weekly newsletter for everyone interested in barter--the world's most versatile business tool!

February 20, 2001

Clinton's $100,000 Gig Pales In Comparison To A Bartered One

The press made a big deal about ex-president Bill Clinton's addressing junk-bond investors at a recent Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Company annual high-yield conference in Boca Raton, Florida.

While $100,000 is certainly nothing to sneeze at, it's far less than former President George H.W. Bush got for a 1998 speech he gave in Tokyo to a group of Global Crossing executives.

Mr. Bush choose to take Global Crossing stock, rather than $80,000 in cash, for the speech. At one point during a subsequent run-up in Global Crossing's stock, Mr. Bush's stake was valued at more than $14 million!!

Barter Aids Apparel Designer

Fast-rising apparel designer Peter Som, has a no-nonsense approach to both fashion and entrepreneurship, and his actions may soon serve as a blueprint for other young designers.

Som is one of the few younger designers not doing shock clothing...he avoids things that are torn, or burned. "I want to design really beautiful, wearable clothes that are investment pieces, that are all about quality," he says.

A distinctive aspect of Som's ascendancy is the mileage he's obtained with relatively little financial resources. Working out of his apartment to save on commercial rent, Som manages to barter with leading models and hair stylists, exchanging clothes for services.

"There's no safety net for me," Som exclaims. "I'm doing this without backers...without an angel...I'm running a business. There's so many people out there who want to be designers, but if you don't have the business side, it's not going to work."

The Motley Fools Know The Value Of Barter

Brothers Tom and David Gardner started seven years ago with The Motley Fool, a 16-page newsletter. Now their personal finance web site, www.fool.com, attracts more than 2 million unique visitors a month. They also have a nationally syndicated radio show and newspaper columns, plus four best-selling books, to name only the most visible regions of the empire.

A major push forward occurred in 1994 when the newsletter assumed a featured position on the AOL home page in exchange for a share of the royalties it generated.

By the following spring, Ted Leonsis, then president of AOL Services, was hailing The Motley Fool as the prototype of AOL's new content-acquisition strategy--bartering seed capital and a variety of support and consulting services for equity in this new partner. (AOL still owns the stock, a little less than 20% of the company's outstanding shares.)

BarterNews Reports On Restaurants' Most Difficult Management Problem

Trade Exchanges Can Barter For Expert Consulting Services

In the just published issue #55, BarterNews has an extensive article on how effective labor management is required for a restaurant's optimal success.

The author of the five-page article is Scott Armstrong, a graduate from Harvard Business School who also has worked in executive positions for several major companies including Pizza Hut, W.R. Grace Restaurant Company, and Lawry's Restaurants.

While operating 16 Baxter's restaurants, he put together a program that saved $500,000 per year for Baxter's casual restaurants as well as Charlie Brown's and Reuben's dinnerhouses.

Armstrong's services and his labor management program are available on a barter basis, and every trade exchange owner should bring these services to the attention of their member restaurants.

Here And There. . .

The National Association of Trade Exchanges has scheduled their Annual Convention for April 19-21. The site is Miami Beach, at the Wyndham Hotel. For full details contact the NATE Office at 954-927-7447. Major sponsors this year include Diamond Sponsor: Exchangemall.com, and Ruby Sponsor: BarterNet. Hint: Special lower registration rates are available if registration is completed prior to February 28.
Last year was a record-setting one for the magazine industry, when revenue rose by 14% to $17.7 billion, and the number of ad pages jumped more than 10%. For 2001, however, the outlook is decidedly mixed. Almost every publisher is experiencing some type of, if not softness, at least decline in ad pages compared to last year. Basically, magazines are missing the massive wave of dot.com advertising dollars that helped several publications ring-up record numbers during 2000.
The International Reciprocal Trade Association's "Universal Currency," which 86 barter companies (members of IRTA) use as payment to trade with one another, ended the year 2000 with an increase of 111% in trading volume. The average transaction was $1,716.57 compared to $1,422.26 in 1999. Total volume was $3,177,920.49. IRTA's annual convention will be held this fall in Denver, Colorado, September 19-23 at the Westin Westminster Resort.
University of California professor Kenneth Rosen says about 80% of the San Francisco Bay Area's "pure e-commerce" firms will close in the next 18 months.
Debbie Lombardi of Barter Business Unlimited, has accepted the role as chairperson of the newly formed Independent Trade Exchange Council. Efforts are underway to put a committee together for the purpose of surveying independent trade exchanges about what programs and support they would like IRTA to provide for them.
Equity Office Properties Trust, the nation's largest office-building owner, is launching a new line of offices targeted for tenants needing furnished and equipped space in a hurry. Called "FastOffices" each is about 2,100 square feet fully equipped with furniture, phones, faxes, copy machines, and office supplies.

The new service will offer leases as short as a single month and up to 18 months. FastOffices are meant to fill a niche between regular office space and executive suites, which are typically staffed with secretarial and mailroom personnel.

We welcome your comments, questions, and observations.

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