That�s how a recent email began.
�Kelly, I know you probably get emails like this all the time.�
And another addressed to a business partner and I started like this:
�I�m sure you get a lot of e-mails like these, and I hope I don�t waste too much of your time, but. .� I have a proposal for the two of you.�
What are these moms writing me about?
Swaps and Barters.
If you�ve ever been in the situation where you wanted something real bad but didn�t have the resources to make it happen, you know that it makes you get creative.
When I first tried to make a few bucks online I worked barter deals with other work at home moms all the time.� It�s a great way to get something you need when you don�t have the cash to pay for it.
For example, one mom had a mailing list of a thousand work at home moms.� I had a service to offer them.� I offered the service to the list owner for free in exchange for a mention in her next mailing.� We both benefited.� She didn�t have to pay for my time and I gained three paying customers from her mailing.
I bartered for advertising, learning resources, tools and more.� It helped me to make progress in my business and get to the point where I could afford to pay for what I needed.
Operating on a Barter Economy
When you have a marketable skill to leverage, barters are easy to find.
Some skills in high demand these days are writing, graphic design, blog design, wordpress customization and search engine optimization.
Your level of skill and experience will correspond directly with the value of the resources you�re able to swap for.� When you�re new and inexperienced, you have to make your barter offer especially attractive.� This may mean that you give more than you get.
What if you�re starting from ground zero?� No skills and no experience, just a huge desire to start a business and make money online?
Believe it or not, there are even opportunities for a newbie.� You may not have marketable skills (yet) � but you do have time and that in itself can be valuable to the right person.
Actually, even among more established mom marketers bartering is still a popular way to save money and achieve goals.� We have a barter board at Mom Masterminds so that we can swap specialties and find other ways to benefit from each other.� I�ve seen quite a few great arrangements made there where a barter gave a mom access to something that wouldn�t normally be sold at any price such as a great plug on a high traffic blog or a link from a high PR website.
Do I Still Swap?
I sure do.� When I get an email like those I mention above I am reminded of my own determination to break into business.� If the offer seems genuine and I have something they need, I�ll look for a way to make it happen.� I have enough projects underway that we can usually find some mutually beneficial arrangement.
Let me ask you � do you have a need that you�d like to barter to have fulfilled?
Let�s have a swap meet right here on the WAHM 2.0 blog.� Leave a comment and let us know what you�d be willing to barter, what you�d like to receive in return and how to contact you about it.
Who knows what sort of great connections we�ll make?