barter mag issue 1 press€¦ · nigel and caroline gorman are well known to many bartercard...
TRANSCRIPT
BarterIssue 1, 2014For businesses who connect
MagIssue 1, 2014For businesses who connect
The Latin Store story From Ashfield to the QVB
Cash customers,Big Screens and big picture Winning cash contracts
The Big SpringsRiverina story Springing into new marketswith Bartercard
Swampdog
A 13 year partnership
Sustainable fish and chips on Bartercard!
Queensland Reds
Bartercard is with you. Bartercard offers national and international accommodation packages.
One of the many ways to conserve cash and improve your lifestyle...with Bartercard.
Whether you go for business or pleasure...
Welcome to Bartercard’s first edition of Barter Mag– for businesses who connect.
I am often asked when speaking with business people just how
Bartercard works and whilst I can give you a simplistic answer I find
that by sharing member’s stories, you will gain a greater understanding
of how it works in a practical sense.
I invite you to read through the various member stories, get to know
these business people and I encourage you to recognise challenges
that you may be facing in your business today. Each one of these
stories will give you an understanding of how Bartercard has been able
to assist each business owner. They are all from different walks of life
and different industries but Bartercard has been used strategically to
address many of the challenges they face every day.
If you have cash flow issues, stock you want to move, downtime, or you
simply want to grow, expand or improve your business then we would
love to work with you.
Over the past twelve months we have worked with over 20,000
Australian businesses that have conducted business through our
network in excess of $440 Million. This figure demonstrates extra
business generated and cash savings that businesses across the
country have achieved through barter.
Each month we welcome over 150 new businesses to Bartercard and
we thrive on helping them to grow, achieve their business goals and
improve their lifestyle.
As Founder of Bartercard my mission has and always will be to improve
the lives of our members by helping them tap into the unrealised
potential in their business. As we enter 2014, we look forward to
welcoming more new and exciting businesses to our network.
We believe in connecting businesses and connecting people – this is
what business is about.
Enjoy our member stories.
Best regards,
Brian Hall
CEO and Founder Bartercard International Group
From Painting to Publishing
- by accident 4
The Latin Store Story 5
What is Bartercard? 6
Swampdog - Sustainable fish
and chips on Bartercard! 7
Cash customers, Big Screens
and big picture 8
Cutting deals & ‘trading up’ 9
Top 10 Networking Tips 10
The Big Springs Riverina story 11
Could you Barter your
way to success? 12
Wet, wild and wonderful
in Cairns 13
Bartercard events 14
Queensland Rugby Union 16-17
The Bartercard Charity
Foundation…
a new way to give 18-19
Testimonials 20
Contents
Published by Bartercard Australia
Level 2, 121 Scarborough Street
Southport Qld 4215
1300 BARTER (1300 227 837)
bartercard.com.au
After operating a professional painting
business for 15 years, Nigel met
with an accident and snapped the
ligaments and tendons in his ankle. No longer
able to climb ladders or work at heights, Nigel
was forced to look at income alternatives.
Caroline had been staying home to care for
the children, and had to return to work. It was
a stressful time for them both. Recalling it
Nigel said “I’d been in the painting business
for 15 years and had 12 people working for
me. I didn’t know how to do anything else.”
Turning lemons into lemonadeClearly that wasn’t true, but it did take
several months for the couple to stumble
onto an idea that worked. After attending
a Dale Beaumont seminar where the topic
of online magazines came up, the idea
of Aussie Painting Contractor - the online
magazine for the Australian painting industry
- was born. It was an idea that allowed
Nigel to use his industry expertise and
Caroline to use her experience in education
and communication design. Together,
they set up Aussie Painters’ Network
and began to educate and disseminate
information to the painting industry.
The publication now goes out to a database
of over 10,000. It’s a free publication and
the income is derived from advertising and
from inexpensive website memberships.
It was a significant challenge in the
beginning as neither had much publishing
experience and the enterprise was starting
from scratch. Some months after start-up,
they joined Bartercard at the suggestion
of a friend. “It took us about six months
to get a good understanding of how to
use Bartercard effectively” Nigel said, “but
once we understood it, things took off.”
Aussie Painters Network offer advertising
space via Bartercard, offering members a
way to use their trade dollars to promote
their businesses, while building up the
publication. Nigel said “I had to start
somewhere. Big brands aren’t going to
advertise in a magazine until it’s established
and others are advertising. Now we
have some big names advertising.”
Building the brand on BartercardNigel and Caroline understood that the
best way to make their trade dollars work
was to use it in ways that built their brand
and brought cash clients to the business.
Through Bartercard, Aussie Painters Network
sponsors a football club and professional
Australian golfer, Jason Norris. They
also sponsored the 2013 Victorian PGA
Championship. This was able to build up
their brand and promote their product to
their target audience into the cash market.
Aussie Painters Network has already
graduated from a home office to commercial
premises and according to Nigel, “It wouldn’t
have happened as quickly if we hadn’t
used Bartercard the way we did”.
In addition to the sponsorships, printing,
signage, promotional items and other
marketing costs are put on Bartercard, along
with a portion of other regular business
expenses including phones, a cleaning
service, office furniture, data cabling and a
bookkeeper. Nigel estimates that they’ve
conserved over $100,000 in two years by
making good use of Bartercard. They’re
happy to accept Bartercard clients for
advertising in the publication, and for
their new App building business. “We
do about 25-30% in Bartercard trade,
and about 40% for the App business,
but we just can’t get enough. We don’t
have trouble spending it at all.”
Some people will always turn life’s lemons into lemonade. We suspect Nigel is one of them.
“It took me about six months to get a good understanding of how to use the Bartercard effectively” he said, “but once I understood it, things took off.”
Nigel and Caroline Gorman are well known to many Bartercard members in Brisbane, as the enthusiastic couple who run the Aussie Painters Network website and magazine, and (more recently) develop apps for businesses. What many don’t know is that had Nigel not suffered a serious injury 3 years ago, we may never have heard of them at all.
From Painting to Publishing - by accident
Building a brand
BarterMag4
When Veronica and Patricia Avila joined Bartercard some 4 years ago, they had already established The Latin Store, selling South American products from colourful bags to lush alpaca wool blankets. It was a great idea and Veronica and Patricia had sourced some beautiful products – but the store was in a not-so-great location in suburban Sydney. Now, The Latin Store is adding some colour to the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) in Sydney’s CBD.
Using all their smarts – and the skills
of a very special Bartercard Trade
Co-ordinator (Account Manager)
named Katinka Zagon, the sisters
transformed their fledgling business into
a thriving success story. For Veronica,
being a Bartercard member has been
a journey filled with pleasant surprises.
While they joined for the purpose of
gaining new clients and moving more
stock, she soon discovered that they
could do so much more with their trade
dollars. “Every time I encountered a
challenge, it seemed Bartercard was
part of the answer. Now when I find a
challenge I immediately think ‘I wonder if
I can use Bartercard…’ and I call Katinka!”
From Veronica’s point of view, a major
benefit in joining Bartercard was that it
allowed their business to grow much
faster than they could have if they’d
had to rely on cash sales. She found
they were able to sell stock quickly
and easily on Bartercard, and had no
trouble finding ways to invest their trade
dollars. Purchasing accommodation in
trade dollars helped them to afford the
opportunity to exhibit their products
at major shows interstate including the
Brisbane Exhibition and the annual trade
shows in Melbourne and Adelaide.
While the sisters have been able to
purchase a number of useful items
with their trade dollars – printing,
photography, a cash register, signage
and more – their favourite purchase so
far has been the services of a high level
business coach who would normally
not have been available to them, even
if they could have afforded to pay cash
for his sought after services. Veronica
and Patricia weren’t seeking a business
coach at the time, but Katinka knew
where they wanted to take their business,
and she knew just the person to help.
Since then, The Latin Store has gone
from strength to strength. Veronica
and Patricia moved the store from
Ashfield to King Street in Newtown,
gaining better exposure. When their
lease on the Newtown store wasn’t
renewed they turned that ‘challenge’
into an opportunity – and upgraded to
a prime CBD location in Sydney’s QVB.
For Veronica, one of the best things about
being a Bartercard member is being
able to network and learn from other
members. It’s helped her learn how to
use their trade dollars wisely, and opened
up doors she didn’t know existed, and
the learning hasn’t stopped. “On a recent
Bartercard cruise I spoke to people who’d
bought multiple properties using trade
dollars. It was so interesting! I heard all
sorts of ideas that hadn’t occurred to me.”
Around 8-10% of The Latin Store turnover
is in trade dollars. With the help of Katinka,
Veronica and Patricia plan to enter the
UK market in the near future which will
enable them to continue selling winter
products like alpaca wool blankets during
the Australian summer months. Patricia
is happy to recommend Bartercard to
others and says you shouldn’t worry if
you get off to a slow start because “the
more you use it, the better you get at it.”
From Ashfield to the QVB
The Latin Store Story
Katinka
- or should we call her Ka-ching-kaWhen Bartercard Trade Co-
ordinator, Katinka Zagon met
Veronica and Patricia four
years ago it was a perfect
match. The sisters were full
of enthusiasm, ideas and
both had a positive attitude.
They both wanted to grow
their business and were
open to ideas and advice.
With a marketing and
public relations background,
Katinka immediately saw
the tremendous potential for
The Latin Store and knew
she could help Veronica and
Patricia achieve their goals.
A Trade Co-ordinator of
over 10 years’ experience,
Katinka has a reputation in
Bartercard circles for getting
things done. She believes that
members need to think big
when using Bartercard and
use it in ways that take them
closer to their business goals.
She’s disappointed when they
don’t. “When I ask someone
what they want to ‘do’ with
Bartercard, I always hope
the answer will be ‘I want to
expand my business’ not just
‘I want a removalist’. Sure, I
can find a removalist – but
it’s more exciting helping
people who have a vision to
achieve it. It’s in my nature.”
“Tell me what you
want to do and
together we will
find a way.”Issue 1, 2014 5
Business growth
1. More customersMost businesses employ sales people, advertise, reduce
prices or offer incentives to gain more customers. By using
Bartercard you gain more customers by promoting your
business directly to the membership base through the
many sales channels and by building relationships at the
networking events. It’s like having an extra marketing arm
in your business which directly results in increasing your
sales opportunities and creating cash referral business.
2. The power of Bartercard trade dollarsWhen you barter-trade using Bartercard you are
ultimately buying with your cost of goods or
services. Therefore, you are buying at the purchasing
discount that is inbuilt into your margin.
To put simply, if it costs you 35c in the dollar to
provide your product or service, then for every
$100 trade you spend it really only costs you $35.
So you are in fact buying at a 65% discount!
By understanding this benefit you may be starting to
grasp the power that Bartercard offers businesses.
3. Reduce cash expensesThe way to maximise your purchasing discount is to look
at all the current expenses that you have in your business
such as advertising, bookkeeping, legal, printing, graphic
designers, business lunches and so on and so on. By using
business members within the Bartercard network you can
pay for these expenses with trade dollars instead of cash.
To give you a snapshot - Bartercard currently has
500 advertising/media companies like radio and
magazines, 188 bookkeepers, 294 printers, 1,570
restaurants and cafes and 216 graphic designers! The
spending options for your business are enormous;
therefore your cash savings are also enormous.
4. Sell excess stockFor many businesses selling excess stock means
discounting, running dealer promotions or sadly writing
off the stock. The benefit with Bartercard is you sell excess
or discontinued stock at the normal selling price avoiding
the need to reduce your profit margins. You can promote
your excess stock to the 20,000 members on Bartercard’s
auction site, online store, promote your goods in the
eNewsletter or book a stand at the many trade shows.
5. Capture lost revenueMost businesses have a certain amount of downtime,
be it on certain days or at certain times of the year with
the flux of seasonal trends. Bartercard’s goal is to assist
you to gain additional customers to utilise business
downtime. For example, hairdressers may fill empty spots
in their diaries, restaurateurs may fill empty tables, hotels
may fill empty rooms, and professionals may fill empty
appointments with additional Bartercard customers.
By filling downtime you are effectively gaining revenue
that you would otherwise have lost or missed out on.
6. Interest free line of creditBartercard members receive an interest free line of
credit ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 trade dollars
which allows them to make purchases immediately
upon joining the Bartercard network. This interest
free line of credit allows you to continue to grow your
business even during times when your cash flow has
slowed, without incurring crippling interest rates.
6 benefits for business...
What is Bartercard?Bartercard is a business network made up of over 20,000 members in Australia and 55,000 around the world. It is designed to assist businesses to improve cash flow and reduce cash expenses through the use of modern bartering.
Gone are the days of swapping a cow for a pig or a chicken for a goat. The power of modern bartering is that you can conserve cash and reduce expenses by using our virtual currency, known as a trade dollar, to swap your goods or services indirectly with any business within the Bartercard network.
Could any of these benefits help your business? We would love the opportunity to help you to achieve your business and lifestyle goals.
Contact our friendly team
on 1300 BARTER (1300 227 837)
or visit www.bartercard.com.au/contact-us
And how does it work…
BarterMag6
Every now and again we come across Bartercard members who are so inspirational that we’re particularly proud to be associated with them.
Chef, Richard Webb certainly
qualifies. He owns and operates
Swampdog Fish and Chips in
South Brisbane and it’s a fish and chip
store like no other. A strong believer in
sustainability, Richard serves up a feast
of lovingly prepared local seafood
that’s as fresh as it gets and specifically
chosen to support sustainable fishing
activities. Starting up just two years
ago, Swampdog took off within weeks
– based entirely on word of mouth.
So what exactly is sustainable fish?While we’ve been busy dining out on
Ocean Trout, Salmon, Barramundi and
the like, tasty local fish that are often
more abundantly available have been
largely ignored. Richard is one of a
number of Australian chefs who are
striving to broaden our ideas and our
palates when it comes to seafood.
He actively supports The Good Fish
Project run by the Australian Marine
Conservation Society and is one of
the chefs featured on their website.
Wanting to educate consumers,
Richard stepped out of the
restaurant business over two years
ago and into the Swampdog fish
and chip shop – a move that could
have been a serious challenge
for a less tenacious individual.
Clever use of Bartercard helped Richard make the move
Richard made excellent use of
his interest free line of credit with
Bartercard to set up Swampdog. He
was able to purchase $15,000 worth
of deep fryers with trade dollars along
with freezers and refrigeration units
and about $12,000 of signage for
his new store. There were smaller
purchases too – printed t-shirts and
the like, that helped along the way.
Not only did this save him cash,
but it also reduced his stress levels
knowing that he would easily repay
this debt with Bartercard sales.
Currently, approximately 4-5% of
Swampdog’s turnover is in Bartercard
sales but Richard would like to see
that increase by a few percent. While
he can’t buy his fish supplies on
trade (yet) he is able to purchase
fruit and vegetables on trade, and
all of the shop’s coffee supplies.
Richard enjoys being a Bartercard
member and has just two tips for
members who want to make the
most of their trade dollars. The first
is focus on using trade dollars to
benefit your business. The second
is to network and build relationships
with other Bartercard members – ask
every Bartercard client what they
do with their trade dollars and what
their best buys have been. “You can
gather some excellent sales and
spending ideas from fellow Bartercard
members. They’ll tell you what works
and what doesn’t” says Richard.
Richard plans to continue using
Bartercard. He dreams of one day
using it to take a fly fishing holiday
to the Cook Islands but says “I’ve
become so good at spending my
trade dollars on the business that
I doubt there’ll ever be enough
left for my fly fishing holiday!”
Sustainable fish and chips on Bartercard!
Swampdog
Richard made excellent use of his interest free line of credit using over T$27,000 to set up the Swampdog Fish and Chip store.
7
Interest free line of credit
Initially seeing the possibility of gaining
additional sales through screen hire to
Bartercard members, Martin Pettifer,
from Big Screens Australia has discovered
an excellent way to use Bartercard
to gain new cash clients who might
otherwise have chosen a competitor.
Q. What does your business do?Big Screens Australia manages the ‘big
screen’ requirements for events including
rock concerts, festivals, sporting events,
rodeos, truck shows and more. We travel
far and wide to events, transporting a
substantial amount of equipment and a
camera crew to each new location. We
also produce TV commercials and video
productions for a range of purposes.
Q. How do you use Bartercard in your business?Bartercard allows us to offer a failsafe deal
to potential cash clients in a competitive
environment. We offer them the possibility
of paying for a good portion of our services
with tickets to their events instead of cash.
It’s a great offer that works for both parties
– a client’s biggest challenges are almost
always sticking to budget and selling
tickets, so our solution helps with both
of these challenges. For us, we’re able to
sell the event tickets easily on Bartercard
and it puts us a head of our competition
to gain the business for the event.
Q. Why do you find Bartercard effective?I’m a firm believer in the concept of
bartering and saving cash for better
uses and I believe that using Bartercard
has helped us to keep ahead of the
competition and improve our business.
Every business is a little different,
so it stands to reason that they will
use Bartercard in different ways.
We now primarily use Bartercard
to win cash contracts as it’s an
effective method to close a deal.
Some methods are always more successful
than others but I believe there are two
crucial components to succeeding – (1)
get to know how Bartercard works
so you understand it, and (2) work on
learning to use it well for your business.
Q. What do you spend your trade on? With regular accommodation requirements
for multiple team members, I’ve had
very little trouble spending the trade
dollars generated from our winning
cash contracts strategy. We also uses
trade dollars for other regular expenses
like bookkeeping and car detailing, for
occasional expenses like spray painting,
and the occasional case of wine.
I also keep a keen eye on the Bartercard
online auctions and marketplace – in the
past I’ve been able to purchase a brand
new 27 inch Mac computer and other items
of equipment needed in our business.
Q. What are you future plans? A new production studio thanks to
Bartercard. In the near future, I plan to build
a new production studio on my property.
It’s not a cheap exercise as the studio will
include a green room and soundproofing.
But I’ve estimated that I can cover
80% of the costs using trade dollars.
Expanding the capacity of his business
will also allow Martin to attract and retain
good freelance workers by helping to
ensure he can offer them increased work
opportunities – and that in turn will help
his business to improve and grow.
with Bartercard
Big Screens Australia uses Bartercard to sweeten the deal and win cash work in a competitive environment.
Cash customers, Big Screensand big picture
Winning contracts
BarterMag8
Judy Bartlett from Rapid Response First Aid Training joined Bartercard some five years ago and saw an opportunity to negotiate deals with larger clients that might otherwise overlook her Sunshine Coast based business in favour of bigger competitors.
Rapid Response First Aid Training
conducts first aid training for
individuals, and for businesses
that are now required by law to have a
number of staff members accredited
in first aid. It’s become a highly
competitive industry in the past few
years. It’s not easy to stand out from the
crowd. So what’s Judy’s secret? Flexible
thinking and a little determination!
Trading in work for a holidayTravelling is not easy, logistically or
financially, when you have four children.
However, when you have initiative
and audacity to cut a deal with large
clients, the world is your oyster.
Judy’s first big success was winning
the business of the Hyatt Regency
on the Sunshine Coast. She offered
to exchange her services for a one
week holiday package of equivalent
value. The deal would save the Hyatt
several thousand dollars in cash so
they were happy to ‘trade’ a luxury
deal that included the executive
suite, meals and golfing for two.
With the Hyatt in the same area as
Judy, there was little point in her
utilising the package. Instead she sold
it through Bartercard which allowed
Judy to purchase a holiday for her
whole family in the Cook Islands.
Following that successful trade,
Judy negotiated a similar deal
with a rainforest resort in Northern
Queensland and again sold the holiday
package on Bartercard. “These funds
will go towards a family holiday to
Vanuatu” says Judy. “There are some
really great packages available on
the tourism page of the members
trading portal, the hardest decision
will be deciding which one to go for!”
The benefits of that deal didn’t end
there – the resort continued to engage
Judy’s services in the years that
followed, but began to pay in cash.
The deals didn’t stop there. Through
her networking Judy was approached
by a local school on the Sunshine
Coast after a parent had paid their
child’s school fees in Bartercard gift
certificates. Knowing that Judy was
a member of Bartercard, the school’s
principal offered to pay Judy their
initial training services requirements
in Bartercard gift certificates.
Judy says “…all of these deals have
contributed to increasing cash
business. It’s good to have major
businesses and schools on my client
list. It gets my name out there.”
More flexible thinking - tax deductible trade spendingJudy enjoys using her trade dollars
to satisfy her travel bug, but she does
recognise the value of using them
in a way that benefits her financially.
As the owner of an investment
property, she spends trade dollars on
services for the rental property that
are tax deductible and also allow her
to offer a well maintained property
to maximise cash rental returns –
including pool cleaning, gardening
and painting services. She also
purchases advertising and marketing
related items for her business.
Where to next? Vanuatu. Judy hopes to make the
trip with her kids in 2014. She plans
to purchase the accommodation
through Bartercard and is just
waiting to spot the right deal.
Judy’s message – “Don’t limit yourself
to selling just your products or services
on Bartercard. Engage in a little
flexible thinking and offer to accept
payment in your clients’ products
or services and then on sell these
through Bartercard. You too could
then indulge in a family holiday!”
is all in a day’s work for Judy Bartlett
“It’s good to have major businesses and schools on my client list. It gets my name out there.”
Business & pleasure
Cutting deals & ‘trading up’
Issue 1, 2014 9
Top Ten Networking Tips1. Be approachableIf you are nervous about approaching
strangers at networking events, make
it easier for others to approach you. It’s
so much easier to approach someone
you don’t know if they are smiling and
look happy to be there. Happy smiling
people actually attract others to them.
2. Wear a name badgeNot only does it make you look
more professional, but it helps
others to remember your name. If
you have a name tag made with
your branding, it also assists your
marketing and advertising and makes
your brand more memorable.
3. Always offer a business cardI’ve had people tell me that they don’t hand out
a business card unless someone asks them for
it. I’ve had others tell me they don’t ask for a
business card, because if the person wants them
to have one, they’ll offer it. See the problem? I
always offer a business card and it often acts
as a conversation starter. Don’t be shy, you’ve
got more to lose by not offering your card.
4. Stand where people are likely to congregate. (Bar/trade display)It’s so much easier to make conversation
with someone who is already standing
beside you waiting for a drink or browsing
a display table. You have an array of
conversation topics in front of you; all
you need to do is take the first step.
5. Ask people about themselves and their businessShow a genuine interest in others. Not only are
you learning about their business, it will help you to
understand what people could be good contacts for
them. Plus, the more you know about someone’s
business, the more it helps you understand how
your business could be of assistance to them.
6. Ask open ended questionsDon’t ask questions that can be
answered with a YES or NO. For
example”, Did you have a good
holiday” should become “How
did you spend your holiday” or
“Tell me about your holiday”. It’s
far more inviting and personal.
7. Listen!Listen with the intent to understand, not the intent to
reply. We are often so busy forming our responses in
our heads; we are not really listening to what is actually
being said. It’s also good to listen more than you speak.
You’ll never learn anything while you are talking.
8. Befriend first timersWe all know the uncomfortable feeling of walking
into an event for the first time. Imagine how
relieved you’d feel if someone took you under
their wing and introduced you around to others.
Doing this for others will not only help you to be
remembered, but will make you feel good as well.
9. Use people’s names oftenPeople love the sound of their own
name. If you use someone’s name often,
it helps to build a connection with the
person and also helps you to remember
their name. Just don’t go overboard or
it will sound forced and not genuine.
10. Follow up!Approximately only 1 in
10 people ever follow up
with people they’ve met
at a networking event.
Be one of the few and
not one of the many.
Happy Networking!
Terri Cooper
Bartercard Member
Terri Cooper Events
www.terricooper.com.au
It’s all about building connections and relationships and each little thing
you can do towards this makes a huge difference in the quality of your
connections. It’s another link in the chain of being remembered.
So, be sure to attend the various networking functions that Bartercard and its members host.
Business networking events are one of the many benefits offered to Bartercard members. These
events provide you with the opportunity to meet fellow traders and promote your business to
gain Bartercard sales and cash sales. There are Bartercard events happening every month!
BarterMag10
Being based in rural Wagga Wagga hasn’t stopped Greg Hanson and Big Springs Riverina from growing their business and making use of Bartercard to expand and export.
Q. What does your business do?Establish in 1994, Big Springs Riverina
supplies bottled water. The core
of the business has always been
the sale of water coolers and large
bottles of water to fill them.
Q. How has Bartercard helped your business?Expanding into the market of small
bottles for individual consumption was
always going to be tough – with multi-
national competitors able to offer prices
that are difficult to match. I however
was not deterred from entering the
market and I thought Bartercard may
help me to do it. I contacted our local
Bartercard office, to help us to promote
our bottled water interstate to gauge
interest. The local franchisee, Dean
Freeman, went one step further and
contacted the Tourism and Hospitality
Manager at Bartercard National office.
Big Springs Riverina now supply
bottled water to hotels and restaurants
interstate as well as to two large resorts
in the Cook Islands, allowing the resorts
to spend their trade dollars, and us
to spread the Big Springs Riverina
name and product further afield.
Q. What’s your most memorablepurchase on Bartercard? Most of the services our business uses
are local, so we knew that if we were
going to generate more trade dollars from
these new contracts, we’d have to look at
more creative ways to spend them. We
looked for – and found – an excellent way
to convert our trade dollars to cash. We
were able to purchase two aged care units
as an investment, using some T$30,000
per unit towards the purchase price. The
units net a rental income in cash, but as
the units increase in value, the investment
of the trade dollars pays off in asset
value that could be turned into cash –
so rather than a simple dollar to dollar
conversion, I effectively used our trade
dollars in a way that should eventually
return much more than $30,000 per unit.
I see a lot of potential in this strategy.
In fact, I’m keen to accumulate more
trade dollars that I can invest in
artwork and property in the future.
Q. How do you use Bartercard toreduce your cash outlay?Big Springs Riverina now utilises
Bartercard member businesses for vehicle
maintenance, security services, pest
control, gift vouchers for staff incentives,
and to host staff Christmas parties – this
year, the team will be enjoying a dinner
and a weekend away on Bartercard.
These cash savings are certainly a
great benefit of our membership with
Bartercard but what we also realised
that due to the increased turnover that
Bartercard provides us, we are now in a
position to negotiate better deals on raw
commodities and to justify improvements
to the plant and equipment.
Q. Would you recommend Bartercard?Despite the challenge of being in a
rural location, I’m happy to recommend
Bartercard to others who are looking
to get increased access into a new
market. You’ve got to put yourself
and your product out there, together
with honesty in trading and an active
Franchise manager, Bartercard is the
perfect vehicle to help you do that.
Put yourself and your product out there. Bartercard is the perfect vehicle to help you do that.
Springing into New Markets with Bartercard
The Big Springs Riverina story
Issue 1, 2014 11
Expand & export
Q. What does your business do?Hydrokleen began as a single Gold
Coast based business with a niche
service – cleaning and servicing air
conditioning units. Initially, there was
a major challenge to overcome –
many people were unaware that air
conditioning units should be cleaned
and serviced annually, and others
didn’t realise such a specific service
was available. We joined Bartercard
hoping that it would help the business
to gain exposure and increase brand
awareness. It did, and along the way
we found many more ways to make
Bartercard work for the business.
Q. How did you gain new clientson Bartercard? New clients spread the word.
I threw myself whole-heartedly into
being a Bartercard member. You can’t
join Bartercard and then not be active
– it defeats the purpose. Advertising
to the Bartercard database and
attending networking events quickly
resulted in new Bartercard clients, and
in cash paying clients that Bartercard
members referred. My strategy to
educate consumers and increase
brand awareness began to work.
Q. How do you use Bartercard?As Hydrokleen grew and I decided to
franchise the business, our expenses
grew and this is where Bartercard
became instrumental in assisting to
reduce our cash outlays and aid the
expansion. We found numerous ways
to use our trade dollars including:
» Printing and flyer delivery
» Hiring training rooms
» Purchasing promotional products
including pens and stubby holders
» Purchasing and hiring ice sculptures,
entertainment, guest speakers and
other items for annual conferences
» Purchasing memorabilia and other
items that could be auctioned at
conferences to raise funds for charity
to raise the profile of Hydrokleen
» Rewarding staff for their efforts
with dinners, massages, hampers
and other incentives
In fact, many of our purchases were
ones the business would not have been
able to afford if cash was required. I
can see even more uses for our trade
dollars in the future. With our plans to
expand overseas, trade dollars will be
used for overseas accommodation.
Q. How do you help otherBartercard members to grow?I’m very conscious of the true spirit
involved in the time honoured concept
of bartering – giving and receiving
for mutual benefit. I’ve established
a new business – Sharon Jurd
Events – to help others improve and
expand their businesses by offering
business coaching and mentoring
services. My book entitled – “How
to grow your business faster than
your competitor” provides first hand
insights into how to create more
time, more money and more life.
Sharon’s tips for membersThe more Hydrokleen grows the
more uses Sharon seems to find for
her trade dollars. Here are some of
Sharon’s tips on how to make the most
of your Bartercard membership:
» Treat your Bartercard clients the
same as your cash clients
» Get involved – network
and use Bartercard to get
your name out there
» Use the mobile APP – wherever
you happen to be, the APP will
show you which Bartercard
businesses are nearby
» Consider Bartercard as an additional
income stream – it’s one of the
easiest ways to get new clients
sharonjurdevents.com.au
hydrokleen.com.au
Could you Barter your way to success?
Sharon took Hydrokleen from a single business
to a franchise with 23 outlets in 3 years.
A member for just 3 years, Sharon Jurd from HydroKleen, has used Bartercard to help make the shift from operating a single business on the Gold Coast to becoming a Franchisor with 23 franchises, an author, and a business coach.
Sharon Jurd did!
BarterMag12
Cash savings
Cairns based members Steven and Leanne Davison talked to us about the challenges of running a business, and the little things that make it all worthwhile.
Running a business in a remote
area is almost always a challenge.
Running two can be double
trouble. For Steven and Leanne Davison,
owners of Coral Coast Cartridges and
Cairns Label Centre, the challenges are
largely offset by the opportunity for a
relaxed coastal lifestyle in a beautiful
location, far away from the hustle, bustle
and peak hour traffic of major cities.
Steve says they try to remember that
when challenges arise – like the time
flooding in the wet season resulted
in road closures that prevented them
receiving stock for eight weeks! More
often though, the challenge is that while
their businesses aren’t directly related
to tourism, the entire Cairns area relies
heavily on trade from tourists – and when
tourist numbers are down, business for
many is slow and the effect is passed on
to those who supply those businesses.
A Bartercard member for about six
years, Steve and Leanne attract some
$6,000-$7,000 a month of additional
business by selling to other Bartercard
members. They are also able to use
trade dollars for some regular business
expenses including accounting services
for the two businesses, signwriting, and
even a small amount of supplies.
Most of all, they enjoy meeting other
members in the Cairns area. “It’s
given us an excellent opportunity to
network and get to know more local
business owners” he said. “I think
that’s one of the biggest benefits.”
A surprise weekend in the wildLast year Steve decided to create a
surprise weekend of Leanne’s birthday.
He managed to create an entire weekend
of enjoyment and relaxation using their
trade dollars. The weekend kicked off on
the Friday evening with dinner at their
favourite seafood restaurant, Tha Fish.
Next morning, it was breakfast at Mama
Coco before heading to the Daintree
Wild Zoo where they were booked in for
the weekend. “Staying at the B & B at the
zoo is a great experience – you can walk
through the zoo at any time” says Steve.
In the evening they dined at the Zinc
Restaurant. Sunday included a full tour
of the Zoo followed by a little crocodile
spotting on Bruce Belcher’s Daintree River
Cruise. They made purchases in the gift
store and were treated to a complementary
lunch before heading towards home. But
the weekend wasn’t quite over – Steve
and Leanne managed another stop at the
Shannonvale Tropical Fruit Winery, tasting
wine and liqueurs and leaving with a few
purchases for themselves and friends.
Steve was chuffed. “The only cash I spent
the whole weekend was for fuel. As small
business owners it is hard to find time
to get away, never mind the expense.
We now also have a few new Bartercard
customers from the places we visited.”
A $12,000 cash saving surpriseThe weekend away wasn’t the only surprise
that’s involved Bartercard. Having searched
high and low for a particular piece of
equipment – a second hand cartridge dust
extraction unit – Steve concluded that he’d
have to spend $12,000 in cash to purchase
a new unit. He was about to place the
$12,000 order when he received an email
from Bartercard listing a cartridge dust
extraction unit for sale in trade dollars.
He could scarcely believe his luck. “Within
5 minutes I’d made contact with the
seller and purchased the unit for around
T$5,000. It was in excellent condition.”
While they’ve been able to make good
use of their trade dollars to date –
they’ve rarely had a surplus – Steve and
Leanne now plan to ‘save’ more trade
dollars and look at putting it towards
an investment property. But it’s a fairly
safe bet they won’t be able to resist the
occasional weekend away to enjoy the
scenery, wildlife and culinary delights to
be found in tropical North Queensland.
Wet, wild and wonderful in Cairns
Steve was about to spend $12,000 in cash on an equipment purchase when a surprise email from Bartercard saved the day – and $5,000!
Issue 1, 2014 13
Business expansion
Bartercard Events
17 trade shows
Over 1,000 businesses exhibiting
Over 8,000 shoppers!
$7 million traded
Trading Extravaganzas 2013!Trade shows are Bartercard’s biggest events for the year. They give
businesses the opportunity to showcase their products or services to
the Bartercard community and is a fun day out for the whole family.
Members use the relaxed environment to network and
go on a shopping spree using their trade dollars.
Every year the events get bigger and better with 17 Trade Shows being
held in 2013 across six states. The business owners in Bartercard traded
in excess of $7 Million Dollars which is really all in a day’s work for our
members. Trading and creating new business contacts is what it is all about.
This is only the beginning for Bartercard Events. 2014 will see our Trade
Shows and member events grow and expand. We will be introducing
new networking opportunities to help members get the best out
of their business. This fits with our mission to improve the lives of
every member around the world by helping them to create value
and opportunity from the unrealised potential in their business.
We hope to see you at our next event!
Visit www.bartercard.com.au for more details on our events for 2014
the facts...
BarterMag14
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1300 BARTERmembers.bartercard.com
Queensland Rugby Union shows us howBartercard works for large corporations
Bringing the ruckus to BartercardBecoming strategic
With over 200 community
rugby clubs and 500 plus
schools to support, a little
strategic planning goes along way
for Queensland Rugby Union (QRU).
Over the last 3 years QRU has been
busy establishing an impressive
aggregation strategy model to build
strong sustainable secure partnerships
that deliver a return for the game
and a return for their partners.
The goal of building their model was
essentially about creating a common
ambition for rugby in Queensland
and bringing all of QRU stakeholders
together to say this is what we can
deliver as a sport. “One of the things
we did very early on was identifying
what our volume was” says David
Hanham, QRU’s Chief Operating Officer.
“We undertook a comprehensive
audit across our head office and
community clubs of what we spend
in various industries to identify what
the volume represented. We used
volume to build partnerships with
organisations that wanted to increase
their market share within our state,
and also associate with a highly
visible brand; the Queensland Reds.”
In 2013, Super Rugby had a worldwide
viewing audience of close to 100
million people including an Australian
subscription audience of over
8.5 million. The Queensland Reds
attracted over 300,000 spectators to
their home games including around
20,000 corporate supporters. QRU
has 18 development officers that are
state wide. Their role has evolved
and developed from being Sport
Educators to Business Development
Managers. They are the conduit
between head office, the partnerships
and the local community clubs.
“We’ve applied this model across all
areas of our business such as food
and beverage; electricity, insurance
banking and finance, playing apparel,
medical services and other sectors,”
explains David. “We’ve built those
partnerships and we want to continue
to build on those partnerships.
Through this strategy we’ve been
able to generate nearly 3 million
dollars of benefits for our community
clubs over the last 3 years.”
BarterMag16
Strategic partnership
Queensland Rugby and Bartercard So, where does Bartercard fit in to all of
this? QRU’s role initially is to increase the
public awareness of Bartercard through
its association with Queensland Rugby
and then to drive opportunity with their
market through research and education.
“Our responsibility at QRU is to ensure that
our clubs are economically secure and
sustainable. Bartercard is a key partner for
us to be able to achieve that outcome” says
David. “At QRU we are very encouraged by
the number of avenues Bartercard creates
for us and the new relationships we can
form with suppliers and new sponsorship
partners. We’ve been able to use Bartercard
trade dollars to ensure our clubs gets
infrastructure growth and benefits.”
QRU provide ‘Bartercard grants’QRU have a state-wide strategy where their
community clubs can apply for a ‘Bartercard
grant’. “We look to align trade dollars to
some of our clubs key operating expenses.
We work with Bartercard businesses and
say, you will be our preferred suppliers for
capital improvements and we will connect
you to the clubs through a centralised
process of procurement. Through this
we’ve been able to ensure the clubs can
get the best result,’ explains David. “We
meet with our clubs to understand what
their operational expenses are for the
year. We then identify which Bartercard
members we can use for those required
services and then we connect the dots.”
In 2012, QRU worked with a Brisbane based
Rugby Club involved in the Aggregation
Program to reduce expenditure in field
maintenance. Working with the local
Bartercard member, Green Machine
Mowing, a trade arrangement was
negotiated for various works on a weekly
basis to support the club. The creation
of this partnership has resulted in club
volunteers having piece of mind that their
fields are consistently maintained at a high
standard and importantly this partnership
has reduced operational expenditure by
over $10,000 per annum for that club. With
this partnership now in place, QRU has
referred this trade member on numerous
occasions which generates further weekly
cash business for Green Machine Mowing.
Bringing in new businessIn addition to approaching existing
Bartercard members, QRU regularly
approach businesses that are not members
of Bartercard and suggest to them that
if they want to be a part of rugby and
get access to their aggregation model
and clubs they will need to integrate with
the Bartercard system. “We encourage
companies vying for our business to
join Bartercard and accept Bartercard
trade dollars as payment. Bartercard
has therefore become an important
negotiation tool with our partners to
win our clubs business,” says David.
“We consistently tendered out for our
merchandise, signage and cleaning and
asked all applicants to demonstrate
how they could use Bartercard within
their businesses. All have, as part of this
process, met with our procurement
officer and Bartercard to uncover
the potential of Bartercard within
their business,” explains David.
“Trade Dollars significantly help the
bottom line,” says David. “Our procurement
officer works closely with Bartercard to
generate opportunities for all parties
and generally we find business owners
are encouraged by the potential of
Bartercard and want to know more.”
Implementing a rewards program to motivate community clubsThe usage of Bartercard doesn’t stop
there. “We’ve also used Bartercard to
reward our clubs use of QRU aggregation
model,” says David. If a club is compliant
to all aggregation partnerships, QRU will
unlock a certain amount of Bartercard
trade dollars for that club. “The clubs
are then motivated to recognise our
partnerships and our overall visions, and at
the same time they are getting rewarded
with Bartercard trade dollars,” says David.
“Using Bartercard as a loyalty strategy
for our aggregation program helps them
improve their local community club and
improve their infrastructure,” says David.
Bartercard Australia has been a partner of the QRU and a sponsor the Queensland Reds since 2000. It is a partnership that grows stronger every year.
“Bartercard is more than just a business tool for QRU – it’s a stand-alone business strategy that effectively benefits all levels of the code, from the elite and flagship Queensland Reds team all the way through to the community clubs at the game’s grass roots” says Daniel Herbert, Chief Commercial Officer.
Issue 1, 2014 17
Australian businesses now have a new way to give even if they don’t have the money to provide cash donations to charities. The Bartercard Charity Foundation is a newly established enterprise providing alternative ways for Australian businesses to support Australian registered charities. Recently endorsed by the Australian Tax Office with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status the Foundation is able to accept donations of cash, trade dollars or goods or services exceeding $5,000 from any business irrespective of its size. So, giving to charity just got a whole lot easier.
The Bartercard Charity Foundation raised
T$100,000 for the Buy a Bale Campaign
In June 2013, Richard Norris, General Manager of the
Foundation received a grant application from Aussie
Helpers for the Buy a Bale Campaign targeted at helping
farmers in need. He immediately jumped at the opportunity
to help by pledging to raise T$100,000 in support.
The Buy a Bale Campaign is a joint venture between
Aussie Helpers and the Give Back Campaign to help
the Australian farming community that have been
hard hit with both flood and drought over recent years.
According to Aussie Helpers founder Brian Egan, “Many
farmers won’t just fail financially, but may become
victims of depression through no fault of their own”.
All the money raised helps to buy the essentials
our farmers need such as feed for their stock, diesel
to cover the enormous freight costs, donations for
family essentials, or just volunteering to help.
Richard is happy to advise, “We’ve achieved our
goal of raising T$100,000. We had a really positive
response from the Bartercard businesses community
to our appeal for assistance and donations.”
The Bartercard Charity Foundation’s T$100,000 grant
will be used, amongst other things, to help lift the spirits
of our farmers and their families by giving them a well-
deserved break by providing holiday accommodation
packages, via the Bartercard membership base, to
visit coastal locations in Australia. Some of these
children may not have even seen a beach before.
Brian Egan said “This is a great contribution to the
campaign. We have plans to use this money to
make some real differences to our farming families
and appreciate the Bartercard Charity Foundation
contribution. Not only will we be sending some families
away for holidays but we will also be purchasing some
materials to help us fix damaged fences, dams etc.”
If you would like to help Australian charities with their
worthwhile causes, you can donate trade dollars, cash
or products and services to the Bartercard Charity
Foundation. For more information and/or to donate
please visit
www.bartercardfoundation.com
The BartercardCharity Foundation…a new way to give.
BarterMag18
Charity
About The Buy a Bale Campaign
Aussie Helpers is a charity founded by Brian
and Nerida Egan in 2002. It operates with
volunteers in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and
South Australia. Aussie Helpers is strongly
supported by local communities including
citizens and small businesses many of which
have donated and supplied goods and services
to enable Aussie Helpers to achieve its goal
of “helping to fight poverty in the bush”.
www.aussiehelpers.org.au
To make a donation, please visit www.bartercardfoundation.com
About The Give Back Campaign
The Give Back Campaign assists charities
and non-profit organisations to raise funds
through point of sales (POS) purchases and
online rebates from over 600 partners.
www.thegivebackcampaign.com.au
Pictured is Brian Egan from Aussie Helpers being presented with a cheque for T$100,000 in Richmond by Richard Norris from the Bartercard Charity Foundation, watched on by Sunrise presenter Eddy Bartholomew.
Issue 1, 2014 19
1300 BARTERbartercard.com.au
“Our Mission is to enhance the lives of people by creating value and opportunity from the unrealised potential in the business of each member around the world.”
Bartercard has allowed us to grow & expand without using up all our cash resources.
We’ve been surprised by how many different types of businesses there are and what you can do on trade... We always look for a trade option before spending any cash and it has literally saved us thousands! Katrina EcoWise LED www.ecowiseled.com
Bartercard is a constant flow of life and business improving activities and events. The
staff and members are fun to be involved with, all of us enjoying the wonderful community that we are a part of. I would strongly recommend Bartercard without hesitation to anyone. Alex Moss Visual Magic Productions www.facebook.com/visualmagicalex
Bartercard is fantastic. Signing up with Bartercard is one of the best business
decisions we ever made. We have done so much that we could never have done without the extra business that Bartercard has brought to us. The team is always helpful. Love it!Katherine Quirke One Stop Loans Store www.onestoploans.com.au
T hrough Bartercard we have offset some of our expenses which has saved our cash flow
and added new clients to our existing portfolio. With strategic use of the service it can prove very useful and also very practical. I highly recommend it. Thank you Bartercard, we hope to be a Platinum member soon. Chris Lappos Managing Director - Neotech Information Technology www.neotechit.com.au
We just love Bartercard! Bartercard has given us access to new customers and suppliers,
and helped us to grow our business. The mobile app and website are very easy to use, and we especially appreciate the time our Trade Co-ordinator has invested into helping us to market our business. Jeff McNamara Jumping J-Jays - Aspley www.jumpingcastlesaspley.com.au
I would like to compliment the beautiful staff at Bartercard for their continued assistance,
nothing is too hard for them, they go out of their way to help and advise the best way to use Bartercard. My Trade Co-ordinator helps me with ideas and options for promoting my store. So thank you Bartercard, and keep up the brilliant work! Julie Munno Angels Realm www.angelsrealm.com.au
I highly recommend Bartercard to anyone that wants to grow their business, save cash and
wants all the extra spoils in life that they thought they couldn’t afford. Angela Stanford Skinny Noodles www.skinnynoodles.com.au
I have been in Bartercard for years. I love the professional service and the lead generation
that I get out of being in Bartercard in cash and in trade.
If you’re not in it you’re not getting ahead.
Jodie Balfour Isis Beauty & Day Spa www.isisbeautysalonwarwick.com.au
BRIAN HALLBartercard Founder and CEO
connecting businessconnecting people
What our members are saying...