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Hello everyone and thank you for joining me today. I want to thank you all for your support, your messages and for all the love you sent as I wrote my book and prepared to launch it over the last 6 months.  My book went live in Amazon on Wednesday, November 9^th and before the weekend was over it hit #1 in four Amazon categories: Business Life, Business Motivation & Self-Improvement, Motivational Business Management, and Personal Transformation.

That would not have been possible if it wasn’t for you and am grateful to you.

I’ve also gotten great feedback on the style and the content. I’m glad it is being so well received but mostly I’m glad it making a difference. Thank you to those of you who have reached out to tell me what you have committed to and what you’ve gotten from doing the worksheets in the free resources. Keep sending me your updates because you are fueling my fire.

I’m also working on putting together more information and more goodies for the membership community. Thank you for your patience with that and stay tuned.

If you haven’t grabbed your copy of Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing yet go to Amazon and Jodi Flynn or Accomplished in the search bar.

Bartering Gets a Bad Rap

Today, for this bonus episode, I want to talk to you about bartering. This topic is relevant if you have a business or not, so stick with me.

First, let’s start with selling. The idea of selling, for many women, is an icky thing. We are taught as young girls to be of service and to give for the sake of giving. Usually when we were transacting with money the price was set by someone else and we were not to haggle over it.

And as a coach, the idea that I was selling conversation – something I gave away for free all the time – that was even more difficult.

I remember when I became a newbie coach there was a lot of advice and opinions on what to charge for services and how to have those conversations. I remember being told not to barter my services; that my services are a valuable commodity and I needed to respect that. I can see how this advice was well intended but I have evolved as a coach and a business owner and I want to share my new understanding with you in the hopes that it is helpful to you and gives you some freedom.

The history of bartering

Bartering has been around long before money was invented – yes, money was invented.

Bartering is the trading of goods and services without money. It dates back to 6000 B.C. and is still used in today’s economy. Money was only invented to make it easier to trade goods and services across distances. Money is just a symbol. In and of itself coin holds very little value and bills have no value. It’s the goods and services that money represents that hold the true value.

Is bartering a legitimate form of payment? Why, yes it is.

I was attending a networking meeting at which a lawyer described a contract he drew up recently. The contract outlined a reduced price for rental of a property in exchange for property upkeep. Essentially, the tenant would be paying for a part of his rent by shoveling snow, mowing the lawn, cleaning the gutters, etc. I want to underscore that this was a legal contract.

So now that we’ve established that bartering is legitimate let’s talk about some do’s and don’ts.

First of all, do know how much money you’ll need to have the life you want. If you have a mortgage or get your food from a grocery store you can’t offer or accept bartering 100% of the time in your business. You have to pay for your mortgage and groceries with money and so a percentage of your products or services will have to be paid for with money. You probably also want to have an emergency fund and some retirement savings.

My point is we do not live in a 100% bartering economy. If you have a business you are going to have to charge money for your products or services so you’re going to want to get very clear on the value you bring, what the market will pay for it and how much money you’ll need to earn to have the lifestyle you want to live.

Once that’s all settled, and you are hitting that magic number, the sky is the limit.

Bartering Dos and Don’ts

I have bartered for personal training, graphic design, chiropractic care, search engine optimization, web development, massages, and housecleaning. I’ve learned through these written and unwritten contracts that it is vital to the bartering agreement that both sides are receiving equal value. If it is unbalanced it will not work.

For instance, I bartered with a personal trainer who wanted coaching but couldn’t afford to pay any money. I already had a personal trainer that I loved and had no plans on leaving yet I was recommended to this new personal trainer by a friend and I wanted to help him. I agreed to the barter and it was a waste of time.

Although he wanted his life to change he wasn’t willing to challenge the beliefs that kept him a victim. I was getting no value out of the relationship and I soon realized that I was doing most of the work during our coaching sessions. I was working hard and in my perception getting nothing in return. Needless to say when our arrangement was at an end I didn’t bring up the subject of continuation.

Be mindful that bartering only works if you are getting as much value as you are giving. If you are, you don’t even notice that money has not exchanged hands.

Another thing to think about, and I’m not going to dwell on this, is make sure the person you are bartering with is trustworthy. I have not had any bad experiences with bartering but I have had clients who did not pay me what was agreed upon. And if someone will withhold cash they are also likely to renege on an agreement of time or talent.

Bartering Can Open Doors

And for those of you who don’t have a business, chances are you have a skill that is marketable that you can use to exchange for products and services that you want and need.

To wrap it all up, you likely have a list of products and services that you need but may not have the cash to buy them yet. Think it through and consider if there is a bartering arrangement that you can enter into with someone who needs a product or service that you can provide. Why wait for the money to come to have your needs met? Go do something about it…especially if that product or service will move you closer to your goals.

I hope this was helpful to you, again I am so grateful to you, and here’s to your success!

Resources

Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader.

Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

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