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September 1,  2009

Written by Bob Meyer, Editor of BarterNews

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From the desk of Bob Meyer...09/01/2009

Defining The Entrepreneurial Drive

The Kauffman Foundation, a Kansas City think-tank that studies entrepreneurship, says the whiz-kid business founder as a norm is a myth. Instead of the dorm room genius as a founder, the typical founder of a new business is middle age, 40 on average, when launching a new business.

?         70% of first-time founders are married,

?         60% have at least one child,

?         59% come from lower-middle-class or blue collar families, and

?         almost 50% hold advanced degrees.

What spurs the entrepreneurial spirit? People come to the stage when they?re tired of working for others. They?re thinking, ?I?m 40 and haven?t made it big yet. This is my last chance.?

What Do You Think?

According to a Zogby Poll, 75-percent of Americans don?t believe CEOs and CFOs give a true picture of their firms? financial outlook.

Barter Story On German Television

Reiner Husemann contacted BarterNews about a German television station publishing a story on bartering. It?s now online at Youtube at

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd4Y4CGilac

U.S. Hotel Occupancy Lowest Since 1987

Smith Travel Research, which began tracking hotel occupancy levels back in 1987, reports that occupancy figures for U.S. hotels were at 64% in July ? the lowest figure on record.

Reinforcing the dire problem is the real-estate research company Real Capital Analytics report showing $18 billion in hotel loans are distressed (delinquent, in foreclosure, in bankruptcy or restructured by lenders), compared to just $1.3 billion in distressed loans a year ago.

Barter Industry Conventions Scheduled

The International Reciprocal Trade Association?s (IRTA) 30th Annual Convention will be held October 1-3 at the four-star Magnolia Hotel in Dallas, Texas.

For more convention information click here.

The National Association of Trade Exchanges (NATE) 25th Annual Convention will be held October 25-27 at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For more convention information click here.

All back issues of "From the Desk...? can be accessed by clicking here.

(Please feel free to forward our newsletter to your friends and colleagues. We have a ?box? at the end of the newsletter for your convenience. See you next week. . .)


(The following article was submitted to BarterNews from the International Reciprocal Trade Association.)

IRTA Attains Membership Goal Doubling In Past 23 months

During the 2007 IRTA Convention, the Global Board of Directors set the ambitious goal of doubling the IRTA membership within the subsequent 24 months. 

Recently released figures show that goal was achieved. In fact, over the past 23 months the International Reciprocal Trade Association has doubled its worldwide membership rolls.

According to IRTA Global Board President David Wallach, ?this considerable membership increase is due to several factors, primarily it was the focused efforts of IRTA?s Executive Director Ron Whitney. The resurgence and visibility of the Modern Trade and Barter industry, due to current economic conditions, and a spike in the number of barter exchange start-ups also played a part.?

?I just did what I was brought in to do ? membership growth was a major goal of the board,? commented Whitney. ?I was very fortunate to be able to do a membership drive during an economic climate where interest in our industry is on an upswing.?

New IRTA members include start-ups, mature exchanges and industry support groups from around the world. New members are applying for a variety of reasons including providing their companies with vital up-to-date government legislative news on the industry, an association with standards and ethics, opportunities to forge relationships with peers, and supporting the industry?s growth and viability within the marketplace.

Many of the new members will attend the historic 30th Annual IRTA ?Legends of Barter? Convention to be held at the Magnolia Hotel October 1-3 in Dallas (TX). To date, registrations for the convention are at a historical high.

?This will be one amazing convention,? said IRTA member and president of Florida Barter, Scott Whitmer, ?it?s our 30th anniversary and we have many of the most distinguished legends in the industry attending, along with a host of enthusiastic new comers. It is a good mix of the old and the new and everything in between ? that?s what the modern IRTA is, a home and important resource for everyone in the industry.?

For more information click here, or contact Ron Whitney at 757-393-2292 or ron@irta.com.

Attention Trade Exchange Owners. . .It?s GROW OR GO!

The magic bullet for growth is sales, always has been and always will be...yet the industry?s overall growth is anemic. Why? Maybe it?s because we?re not providing on-going education about our unique way of doing business. Knowledge is always a pre-requisite to taking sustained action.

And for those newcomers, the lifeblood of an exchange, awareness of and understanding about the value of trading is even more important.

If you expect prospects to come aboard and your members to be more active traders, but you are perplexed when the results are less than you desire...there?s a good reason. You must continually educate and motivate every month--month after month after month!

Such action is necessary because, let?s face it, more cash business, not trade, is of paramount importance to your members. You must break through this ?cash only? focus and redirect their thinking toward barter. Although most exchanges don?t see the importance of doing so, many industry leaders are taking action and so can you.

As the owner of your own operation, there is an easy and inexpensive solution for moving forward...look into using The Competitive Edge newsletter. It?s a camera-ready, 4-page, professionally written, informational marketing tool...available in PDF format as well as print. So regardless of how you reach your prospects and clients, you will have the necessary vehicle.

Written especially for you, the busy trade exchange owner, I am certain it will be the best investment you ever make.

For more information about The Competitive Edge, and how it can benefit you click here.


A Look Back TO 1998:

 (1) Barter Made All Time Record $50 Million Home Sale Possible!

The highest price ever paid for a private home in the United States ? the $50 million sale of Thunderbird Lodge (the largest private estate in Lake Tahoe) occurred because of barter. 

The Tahoe property was sold by Jack Dreyfus, founder of the Dreyfus Fund and a Wall Street brokerage, to the Del Webb Corp. (developer of the Sun City communities), in a complicated land exchange. The Sun City?s developer will trade the land to the Bureau of Land Management for 5,000 acres in the southwest corner of the Las Vegas Valley ? as a site for a third Sun City community in the area.

(The 140-acre property includes a 16,000-square-foot compound with more than a mile of shoreline, including swimming lagoons and sandy beaches, on the Nevada side of the lake, just south of Incline Village.)

(2) U.S. Government A Voracious Barterer!

The Bureau of Land Management, an agency of the Interior Department, is the biggest federal landowner, controlling about 270 million acres. It isn?t widely known, but on average, just about every week some agency of the federal government trades public land for property owned by private interests that the government deems environmentally sensitive.

With little fanfare, the Bureau of Land Management barters tens-of-millions of dollars worth of land with real estate developers each year.  Our story on The Del Webb Corp., trading the Dreyfus property is but one example. The deal pleased the League to Save Lake Tahoe conservation group, as they report a tremendous shortage of shoreline land open to the public.

(3) This Trade Illustrates The Hidden Value In Various Assets

When trading, always be aware of the hidden value of the asset, and by strategically negotiating, you may be able to retain a very valuable asset just for the asking.

That?s essentially what the Prudential Insurance company did when it sold  its Boston Prudential Center office complex for $700 million. As part of the deal the giant insurance company smartly negotiated that the property forever retain the Prudential name ? signage that undoubtedly is worth many millions.

(Such value is not overstated, inasmuch as major corporations are willingly and eagerly paying millions to have their names affixed to major sports stadiums.)


* * ANNOUNCEMENT * *

25 Years Of BarterNews Issues Now In Digital Format

Welcome to the largest repository of barter contacts, strategies, and barter techniques in the world. All 64 issues of BarterNews now available in digital format at http://www.barternews-ezine.com.


?         International visitors look for BARTER CONTACTS in our Global Barter Section. If YOUR exchange isn?t listed see the forms on the lower left of the page. (Click here.)

?         Attention trade exchange owners...thousands of visitors every month visit our BARTER CONTACTS section on our web site where we have names & addresses of barter companies in the USA. If YOUR exchange isn?t listed, or the information is incorrect, you can correct the situation by using the forms to the lower left of the USA map. (Click here.) 

Tell A Friend About Our Blog

Our biggest compliments are if you recommend us. Feel free to forward any page to a friend. Thank you for your support!

Click here www.barternewsblog.com.


Thinking Of Starting Your Own Business?

Here are ten questions to see if you are up to the challenge of entrepreneurship.

1) Are you willing and able to bear great financial risk?

            Roughly half of all start-ups close within five years, so you must    be realistic about the financial risks that come with a business.

2) Are you willing to sacrifice your lifestyle for potentially many years?

            If you?re used to steady paychecks, regular working hours, four      weeks? paid vacation and health benefits, you may be surprised    at the changes you must adapt to.

3) Is your significant other on board?

            Don?t ignore the toll that running a business will take on your       family. Honest and open communication will lessen that stress.

4) Do you like all aspects of running a business?

            Founders are often expected to handle everything from billing       customers to hiring employees to writing marketing materials. It   can be frustrating to spend so much time on ?busy work.?

5) Are you comfortable making decisions on the fly with no playbook?

            There are a lot of decisions to be made without any guidance, and  you are calling all the shots.

6) What?s your track record of executing your ideas?

            The ability to implement ideas is one of the biggest differences       between successful entrepreneurs and everyone else. It takes         drive, persuasiveness, leadership skills and keen intuition, to turn an idea into a lucrative business.

7) Are you persuasive and well-spoken?

            It takes strong communication and interpersonal skills to get         people (lenders, customers, etc.) to believe in your vision as   much as you do.

8) Do you have a concept you?re passionate about?

            If you?re not exuberant about how you?ll be spending your time     (or the business concept itself ) running a business is going to   be a rough ride.

9) Are you a self-starter?

            Entrepreneurs face lots of discouragement. It takes willpower         and an almost unwavering optimism to overcome these constant    obstacles.

10) Do you have a business partner?

            Finding a business partner who compensates for your           shortcomings, and has equal enthusiasm for the business concept, can help lessen the risks and boost the odds of success.


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The Growth and Use of Secondary Capital (New Money) Creates Unprecedented Wealth In Today?s New Age Of Possibility

There are many forms of secondary capital?which can be defined as any financial instrument that measures and communicates value in a common language. Would you like to see and learn more about the many forms of secondary capital?

 We have 70 free, informative and inspiring, articles for you in our ?Secondary Capital Section.?

Check it out... www.barternews.com/secondary_capital.htm.


Get New Money-Making Ideas And Valuable Contacts!

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? Copyright BarterNews 2009. Redistribution of BarterNews content expressly prohibited without the prior written permission of BarterNews.