Planning her daughter’s wedding should have put Sue Baxter off event organising for good. Right in the middle of the summer floods, the catering crew drove across a field and their van got lodged a foot deep in the mud. Torrential rain came gushing through the marquee and in spite of everything, Sue was the only one to remain calm.
Yet she eagerly admits: “If I were not working in cook wear, I would love to be a wedding planner! In fact, you might soon find me in the Bartercard Directory doing just that!” Sue runs Berghoff UK Limited that produces an extensive range of domestic and catering cookware. “Anything that you can think of that you need in the kitchen environment, we have!”
From tables to glassware to stainless steel pots and pans, chef’s knives and knife blocks for the home. With over 2000 lines of kitchenware and 60 different stainless steel saucepan ranges, the company boasts one of the broadest supplies in Europe.
Their best selling product range are kitchen essentials. The ingenious non-stick fat free cooking range!
“If you want to fry an egg, pop the lid on and the condensation will set the top of the egg. It will slide off the pan as if you had put in butter.” The range costs from T£30 - T£100, but you will certainly save on the calories!”
Sue Baxter has been an active member of Bartercard for 5 years now. Her favorite current purchase is the use of the call centre on Bartercard, where they answer her calls when she is away. “I get so many things on trade, from my printing to my hotel accommodation, fabulous restaurants such as Da Vinci’s in Pool Harbour, Ocean Bay in Swanage, which we gain access to by boat.”
Having Trade Pounds for my daughter’s wedding was fantastic. “On trade we managed to get the marquee hire, a magician, a bouncy castle for the children, candy floss machines, helium pumped balloons in baby pink and ivory and catering. My Trade Co-ordinator was fantastic and helped me source all these items, saving me cash.”
I’ve organised so many exhibitions and conferences in my life, in fact I may be organising a friend’s wedding next year on our property. I have land at home and a small lake. For my daughter’s wedding, I had bulldozers and JCB’s remove 900 tones of rubble over 4 months, to level the land.
The wedding, covered by OK magazine was celebrated on the 31st July. Her daughter, Melissa Baxter, a famous photographic and lingerie model who has featured in Footballers Wives and Midsomer Murders, married Roger Johnson a footballer for Cardiff.
“The day was just awesome!”
Bartercard is committed to helping Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) grow and achieve financial success by facilitating a trade exchange network that offers dynamic and effective ways of conducting business.
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Monday, 11 October 2010
We’ve bartered goods to value of £300,000
MEALS out, watches, glass wear, jewellery, a vacuum cleaner, a chair – the list of goods Jim and Mary Haran have bartered for in recent years reads like the prize conveyor belt on the Generation Game. And it doesn’t stop there.
The couple, who run Smiles and Tears florists, in Benfleet High Road, have also bartered for a new bathroom, double glazing, roofing work, the resurfacing of their driveway, printing of business cards and a leaflet drop to thousands of homes. But the couple have not been paying their roofer in roses. They are part of a much more modern and sophisticated system of bartering called Bartercard, which they estimate has helped them to get about £300,000 worth of goods since they joined in 2001.
Jim, 56, said: “Years ago they never had money, they just used to barter their goods. It is a great system.” Described as “new age” bartering, the system is not intended to replace cash but to complement it, by allowing mostly small and medium-sized businesses to exchange goods and keep cash in the business. In Essex, the scheme has 700 members. Worldwide, 70,000 businesses have signed up in countries from Australia to Lebanon. businesses join, they are given an interest-free overdraft of Trade Pounds, the Bartercard currency, worth one pound sterling each.
To pay this back, they offer goods and services to other Bartercard members, who hand over their credit card-sized Bartercard to pay. These customers, who could be based anywhere, become clients the business would not otherwise have had.
For example, Jim and Mary use a dentist in Colchester, miles from their home in Harold Wood, because the dentist is a Bartercard member. They had their shop sign designed by a firm from the north of England. Jim said: “The whole concept is you are going to meet people and work with people you would never normally come across.” Bartercard makes its money by charging 5.5 per cent on transactions. However, Matthew Harding, director of the Bartercard Essex franchise, insists customers are better off with the system than using bank loans and overdrafts.
He said: “There is no interest on the borrowing, and you’re guaranteed new customers through the Bartercard network.”
Matthew set up the franchise in 2001, after coming across the scheme elsewhere in the country through his Basildon-based company Award Home Improvement. Jim and Mary’s shop, then based in Harold Wood, was one of the first businesses in Essex to sign up. Mary, 61, said: “It took us a little while to get our heads around it.
“But we have made lots of lovely friends through the network, who we wouldn’t have met otherwise.”
Crucially, especially during the current climate when small businesses are finding it difficult to borrow money from the banks, the system keeps money in the business and cash flowing.
All Bartercard transactions go through the books like everything else, and they get a statement from Bartercard at the end of the month, detailing how much tax they have to pay Matthew said: “It is a mature cashless economy.
“I have a guy in Basildon who has just put a £45,000 deposit on a villa in Cyprus using Barter, and a guy in Rainham who has had two pairs of Ugg Boots shipped over from Australia for his wife and daughter. “I have got people who have gone to Thailand for a holiday. “You can buy most things now using Barter.” But despite its range, it is not intended Barter will ever replace cash, as it is made up of mostly small and medium owner-operated businesses. You cannot use Barter to pay your council tax or buy a Big Mac, for example. Businesses are free to opt out of Barter. For example, in the run up to Christmas, many restaurants may say they are not taking Barter temporarily.
Jim said: “With any business you have to be careful not to rely on one thing or one customer.
“For example, if you have a hotel up the road and you do all your business for them, what do you do when it shuts? “If it is used properly it works wonderfully.”
For more information, visit http://www.bartercard.co.uk/
Good business sense for us – Jim and Mary Haran, with Mathew Harding of Bartercard Essex, at their flower shop
The couple, who run Smiles and Tears florists, in Benfleet High Road, have also bartered for a new bathroom, double glazing, roofing work, the resurfacing of their driveway, printing of business cards and a leaflet drop to thousands of homes. But the couple have not been paying their roofer in roses. They are part of a much more modern and sophisticated system of bartering called Bartercard, which they estimate has helped them to get about £300,000 worth of goods since they joined in 2001.
Jim, 56, said: “Years ago they never had money, they just used to barter their goods. It is a great system.” Described as “new age” bartering, the system is not intended to replace cash but to complement it, by allowing mostly small and medium-sized businesses to exchange goods and keep cash in the business. In Essex, the scheme has 700 members. Worldwide, 70,000 businesses have signed up in countries from Australia to Lebanon. businesses join, they are given an interest-free overdraft of Trade Pounds, the Bartercard currency, worth one pound sterling each.
To pay this back, they offer goods and services to other Bartercard members, who hand over their credit card-sized Bartercard to pay. These customers, who could be based anywhere, become clients the business would not otherwise have had.
For example, Jim and Mary use a dentist in Colchester, miles from their home in Harold Wood, because the dentist is a Bartercard member. They had their shop sign designed by a firm from the north of England. Jim said: “The whole concept is you are going to meet people and work with people you would never normally come across.” Bartercard makes its money by charging 5.5 per cent on transactions. However, Matthew Harding, director of the Bartercard Essex franchise, insists customers are better off with the system than using bank loans and overdrafts.
He said: “There is no interest on the borrowing, and you’re guaranteed new customers through the Bartercard network.”
Matthew set up the franchise in 2001, after coming across the scheme elsewhere in the country through his Basildon-based company Award Home Improvement. Jim and Mary’s shop, then based in Harold Wood, was one of the first businesses in Essex to sign up. Mary, 61, said: “It took us a little while to get our heads around it.
“But we have made lots of lovely friends through the network, who we wouldn’t have met otherwise.”
Crucially, especially during the current climate when small businesses are finding it difficult to borrow money from the banks, the system keeps money in the business and cash flowing.
All Bartercard transactions go through the books like everything else, and they get a statement from Bartercard at the end of the month, detailing how much tax they have to pay Matthew said: “It is a mature cashless economy.
“I have a guy in Basildon who has just put a £45,000 deposit on a villa in Cyprus using Barter, and a guy in Rainham who has had two pairs of Ugg Boots shipped over from Australia for his wife and daughter. “I have got people who have gone to Thailand for a holiday. “You can buy most things now using Barter.” But despite its range, it is not intended Barter will ever replace cash, as it is made up of mostly small and medium owner-operated businesses. You cannot use Barter to pay your council tax or buy a Big Mac, for example. Businesses are free to opt out of Barter. For example, in the run up to Christmas, many restaurants may say they are not taking Barter temporarily.
Jim said: “With any business you have to be careful not to rely on one thing or one customer.
“For example, if you have a hotel up the road and you do all your business for them, what do you do when it shuts? “If it is used properly it works wonderfully.”
For more information, visit http://www.bartercard.co.uk/
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
Australia – The Trip of a Lifetime
Bartercard Tip - Why are you in business? Hopefully it is with the view to ultimately improve your lifestyle! If Bartercard can help you to earn extra income which you can use partly for lifestyle purchases, then Bartercard is effectively helping you achieve the primary goal of improving your way of life.
“The list of what we enjoyed on Barter here was endless. We ate in a different restaurant every night on Barter, took a trip to the Barrier Reef and Scuba dived, had a night in the Daintree forest, dined on the wild side with Lions (fantastic experience), fishing, spent two nights at Port Douglas (I would love to retire there) and all excursions, car hire, chauffeur to the airport, gifts etc.... Bartercard Hospitality at its best is in Cairns!“
Holiday planning started in the Autumn of 2008, whereby we sourced and booked the best flights. D-Day was to be the 25th July 2009 - with 4 long weeks down under. I contacted the Bartercard travel team in Australia and set out my rough agenda - I wanted to start in Sydney, on to Brisbane then up the coast finishing in Cairns. What I didn't realise was the shear size of that coastline! Our emails were bouncing back and forth for a few weeks, until we had our holiday all pinned down as follows: Arrive Sydney 25/07 and stay in a PENTHOUSE apartment in the Gemini Hotel in a suburb called Randwick 20mins from Darling Harbour - fantastic! From there we dealt with the local Bartercard office who were great. I 'jokingly' asked if I could get UGG boots on trade and they said no problem - you could have knocked me down with a feather!
We had a couple of fantastic meals at the Sauce Grill on the beach (Bartercard), Excellent cafe in Darling Harbour (Bartercard), and take away Chinese (Bartercard). We almost enjoyed a special boat trip visiting the harbour on trade, but we were too tired and preferred to relax and enjoy the view! On 3rd August fly to Brisbane and stay at the Best Western in Sunnybank - 20 mins from Brisbane. Picked up from the Airport by Camdoit chauffeurs (Bartercard) and driven to the hotel - great service. First job was to call the local Bartercard office and see what was happening - again great service, had me booked into the local Chinese for my Anniversary!
On 6th August fly to Townsville and catch the ferry to Magnetic Island - what an enchanting place to spend my 40th Birthday! Magnetic Island was paradise lost! Three days were spent relaxing on beaches and eating under the stars listening to the calls of the ancient 'curlews'. On 10th August chauffeured 4 hours up the coast to Cairns staying 5 mins from Cairns Centre and Harbour!!! Cairns is where Barter came alive - helped by the wonderful team at the local office (especially Menake who took service to a higher level!).
On 20th August sadly have to fly home after the holiday of a lifetime - after offsetting over T£10,000 of my holiday costs on Barter.
I definitely would not have been able to do this without Bartercard!
The only upside to coming home is that we can start planning our next trip! Vive La Barter!
Some of the Bartercard Australia Members Matthew Used:
• Gemini Hotel, Randwick
• Ugg Boots, Sydney Rams in Sydney
• Sauce Grill, Coogee Beach, Sydney
• Cafe Darling Harbour, Sydney
• Chinese Takeaway, Randwick
• Boat Trip, A couple of these available from Sydney Harbour
• Camdoit Chauffeurs, Brisbane
• Michaels Oriental Restaurant, Brisbane
• Haba Dive Daintree Forest Trip,
• Lattitude 16 Holiday Apartments, Cape Tribulation Port Douglas
Saving £10,000 cash!
For more information please contact Bartercard UK Travel Department
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