From the desk of Bob Meyer... 12/14/2010

Southern Barter Hosts Basketball Night

Kenn Flemmons, CEO of Southern Barter, will be hosting a unique event for his clients and their families on January 8, 2011, at the University of Arkansas Little Rock�s college basketball game. Planned are dinner and drinks, as well as reception and admission to the game. (Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers played his college ball for the University.)

Southern Barter is a member of www.NATEBarter.com.

Good Thoughts �

�It�s more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement.�

�Mabel Newcomer, American economist.

�Our greatest weariness comes from work undone.�

�Eric Hoffer, American writer and philosopher.

Holiday Cheer Waning For Small Businesses, Per American Express

American Express Company�s Open Small Business Holiday Monitor reports that only one in four small business owners plan to give their staff end-of-year bonuses, the lowest result in the poll�s history.

Small Businesses Doing Better From One Perspective

Good news on one front � fewer small businesses declared bankruptcy in the third quarter of the year. And the total for the year to date remains slightly below 2009.

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 12/07/2010

Jack Schacht�s www.shopasyougive.com Is Up

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 11/23/2010

Economist Sees An Age Of De-leveraging Upon Us

Assets That Are In A �Bubble� Category (Besides Real Estate)

Twelve different Holiday Barter Expo�s will be held this year by IMS Barter. The first is scheduled for Saturday, October 16, in Chicago. The final one will be staged Thursday, December 9, in Las Vegas. All shows are open to the public.

For the complete list of cities and dates click here.

BizXchange Continues On Fast Growth Track

Seattle-based BizXchange has been named to the Puget Sound Business Journal�s list of Washington�s 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies, listed at #13. It�s the fourth of six consecutive years BizXchange has been named to the list.

For more information click here.

Advertising Industry Landscape Shifting Dramatically

The larger advertising agencies are feeling the competitive heat from small-shop advertising and marketing entrepreneurs. Tightened budgets have prompted many advertisers to scale back their needs and boost their reliance on freelancers, contracted for individual projects on an as-needed basis.

New York City (NYC) Attracting World�s Powerful & Wealthy

One of the country�s leading international attorney�s, NYC-based Edward A. Mermelstein (offices in NYC and Moscow), says foreign investors are channeling funds into the American market in hopes of cashing in on �American On Sale� before the deals have dried up.

He noted the recent purchase of a NYC home for more than $44 million by Mexico�s billionaire Carlos Slim, as well as Russian billionaire (and new owner of the New Jersey Nets NBA team) Mikhail Prokhorov who has established a business base in NYC. Over the past two years Mermelstein has arranged hundreds of deals for foreign buyers.

Oakley Provides Sunglasses To Chilean Miners

The famed eyewear, and later sporting equipment, Oakley is at it again. As noted in earlier editions of the Tuesday Report, founder Jim Jannard who launched the company with $300 in 1975, routinely used barter to promote and build his company�s cach� in the marketplace. (One of his first efforts saw the company providing star athletes like Michael Jordan with a nice supply of Oakley sunglasses.)

Oakley, now owned by Luxottica, provided high-performance wrap-around sunglasses ($180-a-pair Radar Range sunglasses*) to the 33 Chilean mine workers who were being pulled to the surface on Wednesday (10-13-10), after 69 days stuck almost a half-mile underground.

* The donated Radar sunglasses with black iridium lenses, usually used for high-performance sports designed to specifically minimize ultraviolet light, were needed to avoid retina damage because of the sudden change in lighting after so much time underground.

The $30 billion Small Business Job Act just signed into law should make getting a bank loan easier because it is earmarked for small community banks and credit unions. And that money is available for SBA guaranteed loans where the federal government guarantees 90% of the loan.

Plus, the one big change in the law is the expansion of the SBA�s micro-lending programs from $35,000 to $50,000. (The typical micro-loan is $13,000) The SBA micro-lending is at an all-time high ... in the past 12 months the agency approved $16.84 billion for 54,826 small business loans.

The National Federation of Independent Business�s Optimism Index reports that only 8% of small business owners plan to increase staff. By contrast, 31% of larger firms plan to hire, according to the Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook Survey of leading U.S. companies. (Both studies were released in September.)

For years demographers warned that the aging of the Baby Boomer generation would cause talent shortages and force companies to beg Boomers to return in some capacity. Guess what? Since the economic downturn a new trend has suddenly emerged, which sees many employees now planning to delay retirement.

By one government estimate, 93% of the growth in the U.S. labor force from 2006 to 2016 will be among workers ages 55 and older.

Less time and less expensive services push the growth of day spas. The International Spa Association (a trade group) reports that since 2007, day spas added 4,564 locations to now total 16,300 nationwide. And hotel owners added 465 spas to number 1,810. In the same span of time destination spas in the U.S. fell to 79 from 80. (Destination spas typically charge $5,000 and up for a one week stay.)

Selected trade exchanges around the country have day spas as members.

The world�s fastest computer, announced by Japan a few days ago, is beyond comprehension. It is able to do 10,000 trillion (10 quadrillion) calculations per SECOND.

The K Computer, as it is known, will stitch together 80,000 processors, each equipped with eight cores for a total of 640,000 electronic brains. Such a machine can do remarkable things. For example, running a simulation of how a beating heart reacts to new medicine today takes about two years, but the new machine would cut the wait time down to two days.

An interesting fact about October 2010 is that it has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays, and 5 Sundays all in one month! This happens once in 823 years. These are considered �money bag� months, based on Chinese feng shui. Legend says pass the bags to 8 good people and money will appear.

The International Reciprocal Trade Association�s �Universal Currency� was used by trade exchange owners (for inter-trading purposes) in a record amount for the month of August, 2010. A total of $582,486 in goods and services were exchanged using the UC platform.

For more information phone 321-397-2050 or e-mail patty@irta.com.

Winter Park (FL)-based Barter Network will again be providing advertising to support and publicize the annual 86th East-West Shrine Football Game, scheduled for national TV on January 12, 2011. The game showcases the top college seniors, and funds derived from the game benefit the Shriners Hospitals For Children.

Forbes magazine reports that China had 64 billionaires in US-dollar terms in 2009, second only to the United States which is home to 403 billionaires. These interesting figures also illustrated the difference in charity giving between the citizens of the two countries.

Chinese giving totaled $5 billion in 2009, according to China�s Ministry of Civil Affairs. And Americans donated $303 billion to charity in 2009, according to Giving USA, an organization that charts such information.

One of Japan�s largest home builders and developers (Sekisui House Ltd.) has just acquired 500 acres in Texas, outside the city of Houston. The message they�re sending is: �We believe in the USA and in the growth of the real estate business.�

Reportedly multiple investors from Australia and Canada have visited the national Association of Home Builders� Washington headquarters in recent months, inquiring which markets (and where) are poised to recover first.

Bill Gross, 66-year-old cofounder of PIMCO Investments in 1971, (and now the world�s largest bond fund with over $1 trillion assets under management) says conditions have changed and investors had better have more realistic expectations going forward. Gross asserts that the days of leverage and deregulation are behind us and much lower investment returns will be the norm.

The International Reciprocal Trade Association is extending a discount offer for their upcoming convention. It�s an effort to include as many attendees as possible for the association�s 31st International Convention being held in Pittsburgh, October 28-30.

To take advantage of a 25% discount go to www.IRTA.com for details and registration.

Radio Stations Can Enter Digital World With Barter Assist

It�s an $11,000 cost for a radio station to convert to HD Radio and it can be done on a bartered basis. Providing the conversion assist is Citadel Media and iBiquity Digital Corp., in exchange for media time on the respective station.

(Citadel Media is a content provider with 4,000 affiliates. They are owned and operated by Citadel Broadcasting.)

Travel Business Rebound Provided By Business Sector

Spending on airplane seats, hotel rooms and rental cars, among other tourism and travel expenses jumped 3% at an inflation-adjusted annual rate in the second quarter, while the economy as a whole grew only 1.6%.

Much of the increase is fueled by businesses which reduced employee travel during the darker days of the recession.

Commercial Real Estate Still Under Pressure

Like homeowners walking away from mortgaged houses that plummeted in value, some of the largest commercial property owners are defaulting on debts and surrendering buildings worth less than their loans. And even more landlords are expected to follow suit.

Of the $1.4 trillion of commercial real estate debt coming due by the end of 2014, roughly 52% is attached to properties that are underwater, according to debt-analysis company Trepp LLC. (As the economic recovery sputters, owners of struggling properties are finally realizing a big property value rebound isn�t imminent.)

The average return on interest-bearing deposit accounts slipped to less than 1% (0.99) in July, according to Market Rates Insight which tracks bank rates. It�s the first time its measure has dropped below 1% since the 1950s, when it began keeping such data.

These ultra-low interest rates are penalizing people who paid down their debts and are now trying to save. It�s also punishing those who rely on the proceeds of their nest eggs to pay their bills.

Pre-IRTA Convention Trade Show Expanded

The Green Apple Trade Show scheduled for October 27, the day before the International Reciprocal Trade Association Convention in Pittsburgh, has registered another 18 exhibitors. The expansion is the result of added interest from attending trade exchanges desiring booth space for sales to attendees.

For more information on IRTA and their convention click here.

Home Improvement Store Says Barter Builds Loyal Customers

Every September for the past 10 years, Russ Christensen, the owner of 4 Seasons Home Crafters home-improvement store on Grand Haven Road in Norton Shores (MI), holds his annual �Swap-A-Rama� event.

He barters siding, windows, and home improvement work in exchange for boats, RVs, real estate and even cattle � bringing in new business. The results from this event is a whopping 250 home improvement projects per year.

New Auction Model Introduced

A new auction model, �Penny Auctions,� is rapidly becoming very popular in the United States and Europe. Discounts of up to 85% off retail price have been reported.

For more information click here.

What Billionaires Are Buying These Days

In today�s business environment, according to Byron Wien, things are changing. And Mr. Wien should know, as he annually holds a summer meeting for fifty wealthy individuals including ten billionaires. At this year�s meeting Wien said the group was decidedly pessimistic.

So what are the billionaires doing with their money? They�re buying vacant office buildings, farmland, and African investments.

Poverty Is Prevalent In USA

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 54 million people (1 in 7 residents) living in poverty in 2009. Poverty is defined as a single adult earning $10,830 in pretax income, or earnings of $22,050 for a family of four.

The United Nations� �Oil for Food Program� occurred between 1995 and 2003. It enabled Iraq to barter $46 billion in oil for needed staples like wheat, rice and other necessities.

Bill Gates Has A New Hero � It�s A Remarkable Story

Bill Gates was blown away by this guy and what he is accomplishing in the world. It�s quite astounding, and is one reason why the world continues to make progress despite the blunders of our politicians. Click here.

For the fourth consecutive year, Seattle-based BizXchange has been named as an �Inc. 5000� company by Inc. magazine, which annually lists the fastest growing private companies in the United States. This year BizXchange was listed #1093, a jump of over 2,000 spots from the company�s listing position in 2009.

For more information on BizXchange click here.

Last week in our �From The Desk Of...� column we reported on the closures of many independent restaurants across the nation.

Thomas Greco Jr. provided us with his insights: �Regarding restaurant closings, I think there�s been a trend in recent years for restaurateurs to go for the upscale market � fancy, sometimes weird, dishes at inflated prices, and little or nothing on the menu for the less well endowed. The ones that will survive are the ones that provide lots of good, wholesome food at low prices that the unemployed, retirees, and families can afford. The �good, wholesome� part leaves out most fast food places, but their low prices will continue to draw the crowds.�

Small Businesses Held Back By Real Estate Bust

The collapse of the residential real estate market has greatly affected the small business community. Not only are about 20% of small business owners using (or have used) their homes as collateral to obtain financing for their companies, but 99% of the companies in construction and the real estate business are defined as �small businesses.�

(Small businesses are defined by their gross income or number of employees.)

The TransMedia Group of Boca Raton (FL) has been retained to publicize �the seal that can heal.� The campaign will be designed to build a nationwide awareness that doing business with companies displaying the certificate (seal) will help the economy and create more jobs.

Next time you�re feeling a bit low, or down and out even, think about Augie Nieto�s situation � your perspective will change quickly. Augie, 52, lives here in Southern California . He�s now into his fifth year (3 years beyond the norm) living with Lou Gehrig�s disease. He�s a former muscleman and fitness machine pioneer who put the Life Cycle into health clubs.

Nieto�s perspective on life reinforces that what matters isn�t what happens to you in life ... what really matters is how you react to what happens in your life.

Because their entertaining business (singing & band) had dropped off due to the economy, Donna and Bill Arnold have recently chosen an additional path in their business life. They�ve acquired an ITEX franchise in Pennsylvania.

Over One-Third Of New Jobs Are Temporary

So far this year the private sector has added 593,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and a little more than a third of them, or 218,000, have been temporary jobs. The message: Employers continue to prefer the flexibility that temporary workers provide.

Top Consumer Complaints Are Related To The Economy

�Yes, it�s the economy, stupid� � that�s the story from today�s consumers. Bogus offers to save homes from foreclosure was the #1 consumer complaint last year. Others included complaints about aggressive collection practices, debt settlement, and other type of debt relief services and job scams. Virtually all were related to our struggling economy.

Continental Airlines says the company�s turnaround was the result of their employees �buying-in� to the company�s changes. Continental instituted bonuses for perfect employee attendance, giving away fancy SUVs as rewards. While the car giveaway cost $700,000, the airline saved $70 million in sick leave. (The greater attendance enabled Continental to provide greater customer service and satisfaction.)

Sy Harding, president of Asset Management Research Corp., says lots of cash not being spent will choke off the U.S. economic recovery. Harding reports that American households, afraid of the stock market and real estate, are sitting on almost $8 trillion in cash (in money markets and CDs).

Likewise, Harding says that corporations are not spending their cash flows on new factories and equipment. Instead they�re hoarding it. America�s non-financial corporations are sitting on $1.84 trillion in cash, the highest percentage of their total assets in almost fifty years.

United States Ad Market Compared To China�s

India�s Largest Auto Builder Signs Interesting Barter Agreement

Banking & Small-Business Disconnect Should Lead To More Barter Activity

Savannah (GA)-based NuBarter and Charleston (SC)-based Barter Brokers International have announced their tentative plans to merge by mid-August. NuBarter was founded in 2002 and Barter Brokers International started in 1994.

For more information on these two Southeastern barter companies, their area coverage and plans for the future go to www.NuBarter.com and www.BarterBrokers.com.

The Barter Company Makes Extensive Upgrades To Web Site

They�re At It Again � Are You Surprised?

Venture Capital Money Drying Up

The Four Seasons Barbados is restarting construction (in September) after the Barbados government agreed to guarantee a Caribbean bank $60 million construction loan for the 110-room hotel with 35 for-sale villas. In return for the loan guarantee the government received a 20% ownership stake.

TeleTrade International Announces Trading Volume

According to 39-year barter veteran Gary Lasater, CEO of TeleTrade International, his worldwide platform did a second-quarter trading volume of $33,368,716.

For more information click here.

Banks are selling gold at a record rate, according to a 216-page report released last week by the BIS (Bank for International Settlements � the central bank for central banks). The international agency has purchased 349 metric tons of gold since December, allowing banks to raise a record $14 billion.

Facebook Creates Virtual Currency

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 07/06/2010

People With Money Are Happier, Poll Shows

The Gallup World Poll surveyed 136,000 people across 132 nations from 2005 to 2006 and it shows that income is more highly correlated to happiness than previously thought. Essentially, the study concluded that money is an object that many (or most) people desire and pursue during the majority of their waking hours. And they use their financial success as a measure of overall success and a reference for how �good� their lives are.

That doesn�t mean money makes everything better. The study found that income had less correlation to the more emotional enjoyment of life, which include things like laughing, joy, and connections to family and friends.

You Have 168 Hours ... Per Week

Want to get the most out of life? Author Laura Vanderkam, a thirty-something Manhattanite, says you must begin thinking like a company, leveraging your core competencies and exercising clarity of strategic intent to achieve greatness. She urges parents to engineer relaxed evenings and to spend high-impact time with kids.

She attempts, in her book 168 Hours, to guide us toward a better awareness of time and how to manage it. We have more time than we think: Subtract 56 weekly sleeping hours (eight a night) and 50 hours for work and you still have 62 unscheduled hours each week. Of that, she reveals that husbands and wives talk to each other a mere 12 minutes daily!

Americans Optimistic About Personal Finances In The Future

The Pew Research Center�s Social & Demographic Trends Project reports that nearly a third �32%� of 2,967 adults surveyed in May said they had lost their job at some point during the current recession, which began in December 2007. Those surveyed, however, were optimistic going forward, with 62% saying they think their personal finances will improve in the next year. 

Growth Of Emerging Economies Good For USA

The largest of the world�s emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China) have advanced their global GDP (global domestic product) share to 15% from 7% since 1995. And their relative economic expansion has come at the expense of Europe and Japan � but not the Unites States.

Fifteen years ago, the U.S. accounted for 25% of global GDP. Today it�s still 25%. Europe�s share however, has fallen to 21% from 25%, while Japan�s has plummeted to 9% from 18%. What�s more, this emerging market prosperity is advantageous as the emerging economies� increasing domestic demand(s) translates into a larger market for U.S. goods and services.

In a recent study commissioned by Scottrade, for 63% of Americans, debt was an impediment to retirement savings in 2009. And 61% of Americans expect debt to limit retirement savings in 2010. Strategies to climb out of debt include:

Plan for the expected � a yearly vacation, wedding, etc.

NATE Sets Up Facebook Page

Gary Oshry, The National Association of Trade Exchanges President, announced that his organization now has a Facebook page for NATE and BANC members. Go to: www.facebook.com/natebarter.

Billionaire Softbank Founder Looks Ahead

Japan�s Softbank CEO/founder Masayoshi Son, 52, with an estimated net worth north of $5 billion and one of Japan�s most famous entrepreneur�s who built the company into Asia�s biggest Internet group, recently spoke to thousands of shareholders and fans. He laid out his plans and bold targets for the next 30 years which includes a goal of being one of the world�s 10-biggest companies by market capitalization by 2040. It�s a goal he estimates would require it to be valued at $2.24 trillion (currently they�re valued at $30 billion).

To reach that goal Softbank plans to take stakes of between 20% and 40% in some 5,000 affiliated companies by 2040, up from about 800 such partnerships now. Laying out a broad management philosophy, Son said Softbank isn�t wedded to any single technology or single business model. He sees everything from eye glasses to sneakers being connected to the web ... glasses, he suggested, could accurately translate foreign languages in real time and then display what a person speaking a different language was saying with subtitles on the lenses.

Long-time California ITEX broker Amanda Smith, (she operates in the Palm Springs and Temecula areas), has been named to the ITEX Brokers Association Board of Directors.

American households� net worth is inching back. But economists say it�ll be 2012 or 2013, at best, before Americans� wealth will return to pre-recession levels. Net worth � the value of assets like homes, bank accounts and investments, minus debts like mortgages and credit cards � now amounts to $54.6 trillion. The pre-recession net worth peak was $65.9 trillion.

IMS Appoints Treasurer/CFO

International Monetary Systems has appointed David A. Powell as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer. Powell is a CPA with 10 years experience in public accounting and more than 15 years experience in a variety of senior financial positions with a number of companies.

Company card decks are available through Corporate Incentives at (607) 724-6941.

Pete Briger of the Fortress Investment Group (he oversees Fortress�s $9 billion distressed-investment portfolio) recently gave a keynote address to his peers at the SuperReturn U.S. Confab held in Boston.

To underscore the scope of the opportunity, he posted a slide showing that financial institutions (AIG, Lehman Brothers, and others) have announced over $1.6 trillion of asset dispositions since the financial crisis. He concluded that there are $5 trillion to $10 trillion of distressed financial-asset sales to come.

Faith United Methodist Church in North Knoxville (TN) provides a barter-board for members to post goods or services they would like to receive and what they�re willing to give in exchange.

Hotel Industry Begins Recovery

The U.S. lodging industry is moving forward, according to an industry forecast from PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Hotels should be able to start increasing room rates in 2011, as hotels are starting to see an uptick in demand after two consecutive years of decline. Average daily room rates are expected to increase 3.5% in 2011.

Top Jobs In The Coming Years

The U.S. Labor Department�s 10-year forecast for demand, pay, and competition for more than 300 jobs in 45 categories has been released. Succinctly, in the coming decade engineering is expected to offer the fastest-growing area � biomedical engineering. Jobs in this field are anticipated to grow by 72%. (Health care dominates the list of the fastest-growing jobs, capturing 11 of the top 20 slots.)

Entrepreneurs Very Cautious In This Economic Environment

The National Federation of Independent Business reports capital expenditures among small businesses are nearly at a 35-year record low (which was established in December 2009). Only 4% of business owners characterized the current period as a good time to expand facilities.

Such statistics indicate small business owners recognize the need to be cautious now. This economic crisis is far from over, so prudence is a virtue that entrepreneurs should strive for.

U.S. Home Prices Will See Gradual Recovery

A survey of 92 economists and analysts by MacroMarkets, expect U.S. home prices will begin a gradual recovery by next year. The analysts on average foresee home prices rising about 12% in the next five years, ending December 31, 2014

Federal Revenues Are Disappointing

The U.S. Government has forecast a $1.6 trillion deficit for the current fiscal year, which began October 1, 2009. In April, the Congressional Budget Office reported corporate tax receipts were up 8.9% to $77 billion. Individual income tax revenue was down 11.6% in the first seven months to $500 billion.

Small Nonprofits Can Be Stripped Of Tax-Exempt Status

An estimated 214,000 small nonprofits have not yet filed a form called 990-N to the IRS. Those that did not meet the May 17 filing deadline will now lose their tax-exempt status. Something they may not learn about until 2011, when they discover they have to pay taxes on donations that they previously thought were exempt.

The change in the tax code was made three years ago, requiring nonprofits that report $25,000 or less a year in income, excluding churches, to file the form. Nonprofits that lost their tax-exempt status can eventually get it back, after a long reinstatement process that also includes an $850 filing fee.

On Sunday, May 9, �60 Minutes� featured Morley Safer exploring the growing trend in the U.S. that sees homeowners who can afford their house payments, choosing not to pay. Instead they are making the decision to �walk away� from their home because the valuation has dropped dramatically.

According to Safer, �The decision to walk away from the sinking home, by people who can afford to pay, is spreading like a virus.� There is now a web site (www.youwalkaway.com) that urges homeowners who are underwater to unshackle themselves from their mortgages and, for a fee, shows them how to default on purpose.

Full Job Recovery Expected By 2018

A Cal State Long Beach economist says the country may not return to pre-recession employment levels for eight more years. Joseph Magaddino, chair and professor of economics at the California university, noted that the country has lost 8.4 million jobs during the recession. So far this year, it has created about 600,000 jobs.

But with population growth alone, the U.S. needs 1 million new positions to just stay even. If 2 million new jobs are created each year, half of those will go to normal growth, leaving only 1 million new positions to be filled by those who are out of work. At that rate, it will be 2018 before we get rid of the deficit in jobs.

Tax Break For Employers Also Benefits Employees

Employers can make awards to workers valued as much as $400 a year for good attendance, safe driving, years of service, and so on. The criteria must be objective and fair, but the awards aren�t taxable to the employee and are fully deductible by the employer.

�The Friends In Business Network� (TFIBN) is the marketing arm of the ITEX network in San Diego. The two entities are sponsoring a free movie night on the last Tuesday of every month.

For more information click here.

Correction On April 27 Announcement

In our April 27 edition of From The Desk Of..., we reported a web site where Bartercard members can purchase real estate. That site, we�ve been informed, is not operated by Bartercard.

The official Bartercard site, which has the real estate section, is www.Bartercard.com.au.

A recent survey by Pitney Bowes showed that 33% of businesses would barter with their customers/suppliers/employees if their firm�s financial situation were to decline or remain flat in the next six to twelve months.

Only two categories barely nosed out the 33% bartering notation � both at 34% � which were laying off employees and changing the products/services offered.

BarterBook Seeks New Marketing Techniques

BarterBook is looking at new ways to market trade exchange memberships with the help of VirtualBarter�s software. BarterBook will resemble the look and feel of Facebook, the popular social networking site.

For more information on VirtualBarter click here.

Riggs Likes Social Network Idea Too

Annette Riggs, Managing Director of The Community Connect Trade Association located in Westminster (CO), is looking to use social networks to spread the barter message virally.

Builders are particularly interested in finished lots � land with improvements such as sewers and streets in place, allowing for homes to be constructed quickly.

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 04/27/2010

Bartercard�s Real Estate Site

Lauren Pound New NATE Banc Broker

Trades Of The Month From 1999 ...

Salaries Traded For Stock

Instead of limiting itself to theater box offices, DreamWorks studio unveiled a novel marketing deal with Wal-Mart. Two movie ticket vouchers for their new movie Prince of Egypt will be included in Wal-Mart�s $20 gift packages with a storybook and CD of the movie songs.

Too Many Garden Vegetables � Trade Them

Growing vegetables? Have a surplus, more than your family can eat? Then you might want to check out a new web site where you can look into bartering your vegetables. On the site, listed under �Community� and �Friends� are a list of other community gardening organizations.

For more info go to www.veggietrader.com.

Mardak Interviewed On CNN Radio

Winston Edmondson, CNN Radio host of �Innovations At Work,� recently interviewed Don Mardak, CEO of IMS Barter. IMS Barter is a national barter company in the U.S. with over 20,000 clients, and has offices from coast to coast.

Ray Bastarache, founder of Barter Network in 1985 and subsequently sold in 2000 to one of the dot.com barter companies, has become a member of a new advisory committee Barterquest.com has formed. Bastarache was a former president of the International Reciprocal Trade Association.

Power Of Print, A $90 Million Campaign

Major magazine publishers have embarked on a campaign with a simple message that �Print rules!� Five leading magazine publishers will provide nearly 1,400 pages of ads through magazines including People, Vogue and Ladies Home Journal this year.

The $90 million campaign figure is based on the public ad-rates for each of the participating magazines, and is the largest joint campaign effort ever by the publishers.

Entrepreneurs Continue Trimming Payrolls

The payroll company Automatic Data Processing reports that private-sector firms in the U.S. eliminated 22,000 jobs in January, the 24th monthly decline in a row. While employers of all sizes trim their work forces when the economy suffers, small firms adopt the strategy sooner and more aggressively as cash flow is paramount to a small business to keep its doors open.

From the desk of Bob Meyer... 03/02/2010

Mergers & Acquisitions Funded With Less Cash

A couple of decades ago in 1977, a big percentage (77%) of U.S. mergers & acquisitions were funded solely with cash, according to Dealogic. But beginning in 2009 and so far this year, cash is being used in only 40% of the deals. Instead paper, in the form of company stock, has taken over as the major means of funding M&A�s.

The most recent example is Schlumberger�s $11 billion takeover of Smith International, wherein Smith International is being paid in stock.

Buffett�s Insights On Economy & Healthcare

Billionaire Warren Buffett sees the economy recovering at a very low rate (his Berkshire Hathaway firm owns 80 different businesses). He says healthcare costs are a major drain on U.S. businesses, and needs fundamental reform because it�s not practical to continue to devote 17% of the nation�s GDP to health care. (Much of the world pays half that, or 9% of their GDP on health care.)

Wine For Buses

Winery owners in Macedonia have proposed to the government the desire to enter into a barter deal with the Ukraine. They�d trade a large surplus of wine reserves (accumulated due to the global recession) for the country�s needed purchase of buses.

Need More Funding. . .Check With Your Vendor

Strong relationships are vital in landing financing. That�s why more and more small business owners have been successful with a group they already know well � their vendors.

According to semiannual surveys from the National Small Business Association in Washington, between 22% and 29% of business owners relied on vendor credit to meet their capital needs between August 2008 and December 2009.

U.S. Corporate CEO�s Express Confidence On Recovery

The Washington (DC) Business Council�s confidence gauge climbed to 64.7 in February, the highest level in four years. (Readings greater than 50 signal economic growth.) The survey also found that 57% of executives had seen an improvement in their industries in the last six months, while about 61% expected gains to continue during the next six months.

From the desk of Bob Meyer...02/16/2010

NATE Schedules Convention In �Happiest City� In America

From the desk of Bob Meyer...02/09/2010

Consumers Cut Back On Borrowing

Americans have reduced their borrowing for 11 months in a row. The Fed said it was the first time consumer borrowing � before adjusting for inflation � had fallen for that long a period, since it began keeping track in 1943.

Since its peak in July 2008, consumer credit has fallen by $125 billion as households put their balance sheets in order.

The New Economic Reality For American Workers

According to The Wall Street Journal, there�s a new economic condition in America. Today 20% to 23% of U.S. workers are operating as consultants, freelancers, free agents, contractors or micropreneurs. And current projections see that number continually rising in coming years.

Business Owners Relying On Credit-Card Financing

A new survey by the National Small Business Association reports that 59% of respondents said they had used credit-card financing for their businesses in the past twelve months, up from 49% who said they had done so in a December 2008 poll.

Asset-Based Lending Also Growing

Asset-based lending, once considered a last-resort finance option, has become a popular choice for companies that don�t have credit ratings, a track record, or patience to pursue more traditional sources. (Asset-based lenders focus on collateral, rather than credit-worthiness.)

The Commercial Finance Association, an industry trade group, said asset-based lending, excluding mortgages, swelled by 8.3% to almost $600 billion in 2008. The association is still gathering data on 2009, but preliminary surveys show double-digit percentage increases in lending.

British Pub Bartering With Patrons

Drinkers at a Lincolnshire pub can now barter for their pints. The owner of the pub sees it as a way for his independent operation to compete with special offers at the larger chain bars, since he can�t compete on prices.

Carrots, dead partridges, dishwashing, and offers to help clean and decorate the pub have been among the bartered items.

From the desk of Bob Meyer...01/26/2010

One Of Europe�s Fastest Growing Airlines Signs Barter Deal

Turkey�s national air carrier, Turkish Airlines, has become the official sponsor of Spanish football club FC Barcelona. Half of the sponsorship will be paid in a cash advance, and a barter agreement covers the remaining 50% of the 2-1/2 year agreement.

The barter agreement will include team flights and billboard advertising inside the Camp Nou soccer stadium.

Restaurant Owner, Savvy Businessman

A newly opened restaurant in Decatur (GA), the Iberian Pig, is astutely using barter in a most intelligent way. Thus keeping much needed cash in their pocket. Owner Federico Castellucci was able to barter a little less than 50% of the opening costs. Essentially, financing the opening through future sales � new business � which will be sent to his restaurant by the trade exchange he worked with. The new business (from members of the trade exchange) will be used to pay off the barter loans Castellucci obtained to cover his opening costs.

Barter Used To Shore Up Barbados Four Seasons

In a bid to salvage jobs, the government of Barbados has agreed to guarantee a $60 million loan from a Caribbean bank to help restart the luxury Four Seasons resort development on the tiny island. In return for the guarantee the government will end up with a 20% stake in the project.

United States Drops In Listings Of �Most Free� Economies

The United States is losing ground to its major competitors in the global marketplace, according to the 2010 Index of Economic Freedom, released by the Heritage Foundation. Canada now boasts North America�s most free economy. Here�s a list of the best free economies in the world in descending order:

Test your negotiating skills next time you need a camera or a computer. There�s so much competition in this field, all you need to say is �I�m going to check your competitor� and you could get 10% off, or more.