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Let's face it, if you are a start up business and you need business cards, for example, but you don't have the cash flow for it, why not utilize MBE's simple bartering system to have cards printed and pay for them by having MBE clients come - as new customers you didn't ever have - to your store or business and shop? Or if you are having trouble making inroads into a potential client, why not utilize the amazing power of BNI and ask your networking partners if they - or anybody in their circle of influence - knows the key person you need to speak to.

I personally know of hundreds of businesses that have utilized the power of both Merchants Barter Exchange and Business Networks International to turn their businesses around, and quite literally SAVED their businesses.

They say in life, not just in the business world, it's about who knows you, not who you know, but where else can you combine both? Networking with other l

Why does anybody start a business?

It may seem like a very simple question, but the answer will reveal much about the business person, and more importantly how the business will ultimately evolve. When you peel back the layers of the manifold answers you'll hear, even if they say they do it for 'love', the underlying reason is to be successful and the only measure of success that business knows is growth, and growth is measured by money.

So, how can a new business stack things in their favor in order to make the most of their time and money to make success a foregone conclusion rather than a pot-luck, pie-in-the-sky, suck-it-and-see, let's hope it works dream...? In short, how can a business start off from Day One making money?

For expediency's sake and the limitations of the word count of this article, I'm assuming the reader/ potential business owner has already undertaken the investment of market research to know their is actually a need for their product or service. Likewise the assumption is made that they are in a geographical market conducive to their company's offering, and similar restrictions. What this article deals with is how to make opening the doors to a new venture the most successful on a continued basis.

As a business and marketing consultant to European and American companies my greatest challenge was to make them 100% efficient (or as close to that figure as possible.) Sounds simple. Theoretically possible in ever scenario. In practice...? Without wasting my own efficiency on studies (and trusting companies to be truthful with the information they supply) I very much doubt that there are more than 2% of the world's companies working at 100% efficiency.

Shocking. 98% of all companies do not run at 100% efficiency. And yet we feel bad if our weight-loss diet doesn't work. Shocking. Think about it, though. Look around you, inefficiency is everywhere. How many times do you see cars pass you by fully occupied? Busses? Are restaurants you eat in always full? Are supermarkets stocking shelves the moment you pull the last can of beans? Do the automotive manufacturers produce just enough cars for all the people? I won't try and blend political bias into this article and say, "Where is Communist Russia now?" but that kind of utopia in business is not possible on that scale, BUT can we get close to it as a small/ medium sized company (SMB)? Absolutely!

So, again, what can a SMB do to stack the odds in their favor? Call me a traditionalist, if you will, but I advocate two of the oldest business methods known to Man: Bartering and Networking. The two go hand-in-hand in my book, and (most importantly) create the most word-of-mouth advertising per dollar spent. Let me reiterate those two business tools: Bartering and Networking.

Not that other organizations aren't valid business tools, like Chambers of Commerce, Better Business Bureaus, Business Directories, etc., but what do they ACTIVELY do to bring business owners new customers? As a new business you could spend THOUSANDS of dollars on passive business marketing. A plack on your wall doesn't drive people through your door. For less than $1,000 in your first year of business, you could join BNI (Business Networks International) and MBE (Merchants Barter Exchange) and generate many thousands of dollars in revenue into your business in your first year. So, why don't more businesses do it?

Perhaps because the businesses that are benefitting from these two organizations don't want to share the successes they are feeling. Maybe they want to keep their secrets to themselves? Not so. In fact, quite the contrary. Both organizations openly invite their clients to help grow and share the success programs they have created.

Let's face it, if you are a start up business and you need business cards, for example, but you don't have the cash flow for it, why not utilize MBE's simple bartering system to have cards printed and pay for them by having MBE clients come - as new customers you didn't ever have - to your store or business and shop? Or if you are having trouble making inroads into a potential client, why not utilize the amazing power of BNI and ask your networking partners if they - or anybody in their circle of influence - knows the key person you need to speak to.

I personally know of hundreds of businesses that have utilized the power of both Merchants Barter Exchange and Business Networks International to turn their businesses around, and quite literally SAVED their businesses.

They say in life, not just in the business world, it's about who knows you, not who you know, but where else can you combine both? Networking with other lo

their is actually a need for their product or service. Likewise the assumption is made that they are in a geographical market conducive to their company's offering, and similar restrictions. What this article deals with is how to make opening the doors to a new venture the most successful on a continued basis.

As a business and marketing consultant to European and American companies my greatest challenge was to make them 100% efficient (or as close to that figure as possible.) Sounds simple. Theoretically possible in ever scenario. In practice...? Without wasting my own efficiency on studies (and trusting companies to be truthful with the information they supply) I very much doubt that there are more than 2% of the world's companies working at 100% efficiency.

Shocking. 98% of all companies do not run at 100% efficiency. And yet we feel bad if our weight-loss diet doesn't work. Shocking. Think about it, though. Look around you, inefficiency is everywhere. How many times do you see cars pass you by fully occupied? Busses? Are restaurants you eat in always full? Are supermarkets stocking shelves the moment you pull the last can of beans? Do the automotive manufacturers produce just enough cars for all the people? I won't try and blend political bias into this article and say, "Where is Communist Russia now?" but that kind of utopia in business is not possible on that scale, BUT can we get close to it as a small/ medium sized company (SMB)? Absolutely!

So, again, what can a SMB do to stack the odds in their favor? Call me a traditionalist, if you will, but I advocate two of the oldest business methods known to Man: Bartering and Networking. The two go hand-in-hand in my book, and (most importantly) create the most word-of-mouth advertising per dollar spent. Let me reiterate those two business tools: Bartering and Networking.

Not that other organizations aren't valid business tools, like Chambers of Commerce, Better Business Bureaus, Business Directories, etc., but what do they ACTIVELY do to bring business owners new customers? As a new business you could spend THOUSANDS of dollars on passive business marketing. A plack on your wall doesn't drive people through your door. For less than $1,000 in your first year of business, you could join BNI (Business Networks International) and MBE (Merchants Barter Exchange) and generate many thousands of dollars in revenue into your business in your first year. So, why don't more businesses do it?

Perhaps because the businesses that are benefitting from these two organizations don't want to share the successes they are feeling. Maybe they want to keep their secrets to themselves? Not so. In fact, quite the contrary. Both organizations openly invite their clients to help grow and share the success programs they have created.

Let's face it, if you are a start up business and you need business cards, for example, but you don't have the cash flow for it, why not utilize MBE's simple bartering system to have cards printed and pay for them by having MBE clients come - as new customers you didn't ever have - to your store or business and shop? Or if you are having trouble making inroads into a potential client, why not utilize the amazing power of BNI and ask your networking partners if they - or anybody in their circle of influence - knows the key person you need to speak to.

I personally know of hundreds of businesses that have utilized the power of both Merchants Barter Exchange and Business Networks International to turn their businesses around, and quite literally SAVED their businesses.

They say in life, not just in the business world, it's about who knows you, not who you know, but where else can you combine both? Networking with other l

d you, inefficiency is everywhere. How many times do you see cars pass you by fully occupied? Busses? Are restaurants you eat in always full? Are supermarkets stocking shelves the moment you pull the last can of beans? Do the automotive manufacturers produce just enough cars for all the people? I won't try and blend political bias into this article and say, "Where is Communist Russia now?" but that kind of utopia in business is not possible on that scale, BUT can we get close to it as a small/ medium sized company (SMB)? Absolutely!

So, again, what can a SMB do to stack the odds in their favor? Call me a traditionalist, if you will, but I advocate two of the oldest business methods known to Man: Bartering and Networking. The two go hand-in-hand in my book, and (most importantly) create the most word-of-mouth advertising per dollar spent. Let me reiterate those two business tools: Bartering and Networking.

Not that other organizations aren't valid business tools, like Chambers of Commerce, Better Business Bureaus, Business Directories, etc., but what do they ACTIVELY do to bring business owners new customers? As a new business you could spend THOUSANDS of dollars on passive business marketing. A plack on your wall doesn't drive people through your door. For less than $1,000 in your first year of business, you could join BNI (Business Networks International) and MBE (Merchants Barter Exchange) and generate many thousands of dollars in revenue into your business in your first year. So, why don't more businesses do it?

Perhaps because the businesses that are benefitting from these two organizations don't want to share the successes they are feeling. Maybe they want to keep their secrets to themselves? Not so. In fact, quite the contrary. Both organizations openly invite their clients to help grow and share the success programs they have created.

Let's face it, if you are a start up business and you need business cards, for example, but you don't have the cash flow for it, why not utilize MBE's simple bartering system to have cards printed and pay for them by having MBE clients come - as new customers you didn't ever have - to your store or business and shop? Or if you are having trouble making inroads into a potential client, why not utilize the amazing power of BNI and ask your networking partners if they - or anybody in their circle of influence - knows the key person you need to speak to.

I personally know of hundreds of businesses that have utilized the power of both Merchants Barter Exchange and Business Networks International to turn their businesses around, and quite literally SAVED their businesses.

They say in life, not just in the business world, it's about who knows you, not who you know, but where else can you combine both? Networking with other l

organizations aren't valid business tools, like Chambers of Commerce, Better Business Bureaus, Business Directories, etc., but what do they ACTIVELY do to bring business owners new customers? As a new business you could spend THOUSANDS of dollars on passive business marketing. A plack on your wall doesn't drive people through your door. For less than $1,000 in your first year of business, you could join BNI (Business Networks International) and MBE (Merchants Barter Exchange) and generate many thousands of dollars in revenue into your business in your first year. So, why don't more businesses do it?

Perhaps because the businesses that are benefitting from these two organizations don't want to share the successes they are feeling. Maybe they want to keep their secrets to themselves? Not so. In fact, quite the contrary. Both organizations openly invite their clients to help grow and share the success programs they have created.

Let's face it, if you are a start up business and you need business cards, for example, but you don't have the cash flow for it, why not utilize MBE's simple bartering system to have cards printed and pay for them by having MBE clients come - as new customers you didn't ever have - to your store or business and shop? Or if you are having trouble making inroads into a potential client, why not utilize the amazing power of BNI and ask your networking partners if they - or anybody in their circle of influence - knows the key person you need to speak to.

I personally know of hundreds of businesses that have utilized the power of both Merchants Barter Exchange and Business Networks International to turn their businesses around, and quite literally SAVED their businesses.

They say in life, not just in the business world, it's about who knows you, not who you know, but where else can you combine both? Networking with other l

>

Let's face it, if you are a start up business and you need business cards, for example, but you don't have the cash flow for it, why not utilize MBE's simple bartering system to have cards printed and pay for them by having MBE clients come - as new customers you didn't ever have - to your store or business and shop? Or if you are having trouble making inroads into a potential client, why not utilize the amazing power of BNI and ask your networking partners if they - or anybody in their circle of influence - knows the key person you need to speak to.

I personally know of hundreds of businesses that have utilized the power of both Merchants Barter Exchange and Business Networks International to turn their businesses around, and quite literally SAVED their businesses.

They say in life, not just in the business world, it's about who knows you, not who you know, but where else can you combine both? Networking with other local business owners that can open up new markets and relationships for you, AND trading your surplus time, inventory or capacity (i.e., things you don't want) for things you desperately need, but don't have the cash for, what sane business owner would not want to do that?

You only have to ask somebody like Jim Sutton from The Fail Safe Group, a global efficiency company, where you can save a few pennies and make a few dollars, and he'll show you how inefficient you're running your company. He'd definately tell you if you're not marketing yourself through a networking group and not bartering, are you really serious about being in business?

The moral to this story? Just because every other business looks successful and does stuff, does that really mean you have to follow suit? Why not look at what works and what's most effective for your limited start-up funds.

Beg, Barter, Borrow, and Network. God bless, and all the very best success in your business venture.