LOCAL BARTER BUSINESS HELPS BUSINESSES

SURVIVE DURING ECONOMIC LEAN TIMES

(Sarasota, FL) Across the United States businesses both large and small are adapting to the economic downturn by reducing costs and cutting back on cash outlays. Trade and barter is one growing trend. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, more than 250,000 businesses nationwide use organized barter to supplement their monetary transactions. Barter News, the official journal of the reciprocal trade industry, estimates that it’s more likely that one million small businesses are involved in barter, with transactions approaching $20 billion annually.

“A tough economy is barter’s best friend,” says Bud Lefebvre, founder and president of ILUV2BARTER.BIZ, a new Venice-based barter networking firm.

“The government stimulus program is helping big companies in trouble but no one is helping the little guys. Small businesses are looking for alternative marketplaces to make up for the loss of revenue they’re experiencing in this distressed economy. More of these business owners see bartering as a viable option for obtaining services and products. Done right, bartering can conserve cash, generate new customers, move excess inventory and increase profits.”

Lefebvre has countless tales of barter success. “One of our members, a catering company, needed a new transmission in their delivery van but the owner was cash-strapped. He was able to trade with an auto mechanic who needed catering for his daughter’s wedding. Both were able to solve their needs without spending a penny.”

Lefebvre and his partner, Bill Orzoleck, started ILUV2BARTER.BIZ in January 2009. The company’s nearly 200 members include dentists, accountants, cleaning services, artists, attorneys and massage therapists. Members agree to the value of their own services and products and their fellow barterers provide services or products at no cost to each other. There’s no percentage fee or additional cost for barter transactions, only a nominal annual membership fee. Currently, the network covers the region from Tampa to Naples but Lefebvre says their plans are to extend the network nationally by 2012.

Will barter change the way America does business? Lefebvre thinks it’s possible. “The barter system has been a time-honored tradition in many countries but it’s only recently gained significant popularity in the United States. For cash-strapped businesses, it might be the only solution to survival. We believe that Americans will find that the barter system is a creative solution in today’s economy.”

For more information about ILUV2BARTER.BIZ, visit www.iluv2barter.biz or call (941) 483-3727.