Food & Beverage Barter Network

Owners of specialty food and beverage shops such as coffee shops, bakeries and cupcake shops, ice cream stores, smoothie shops, and many other small businesses catered to a quick bite are a great fit for a barter exchange- they are fantastic meeting places for members, and a great way for them to treat themselves and others while saving their cash dollars. Owners of small businesses like these can gain advantage over their competitors by earning revenue they may not have based on distance or convenience of the ITEX members, and they gain an entire referral base of people who will send them the cash business of their friends, family members and associates that they think might also enjoy their product.

In a slower economy, a barter exchange helps keep food and beverage businesses busier when their competitors might be slow. They are trading already purchased food and labor costs for supplemental revenue that they can spend on advertising expenses, employee benefits, and more.

All businesses have “fixed” and “variable” operating expenses. While you can’t pay your fixed expenses on trade (rent, electrical, employee labor), the barter exchange member knows that they can spend their trade dollars on many things they would have been spending cash on in their business, such as:

• Marketing and Advertising: Signage, Print work, Web & Graphic Design, Social Media & SEO
• Professional Services: Attorneys, Financial Professionals, IT & Computer Repair, Business Coaches, and so many more)
• Medical Services: Dentists, Orthodontists, Periodontists, Optometrists & Opticians, Chiropractors, Urgent Care, Dermatologists, Podiatrists, ENT’s, Pediatricians, Plastic Surgeons, and many other specialty fields
• Maintenance Services : Cleaning, Landscaping, Automotive, Contractors

Every time you spend a trade dollar on one of these services, it keeps a cash dollar in the bank that you can re-invest back into your business.

Want to learn more about how the trade exchange works, and how you can become a member? Contact the ITEX Raleigh office today to learn more about how barter saves cash!