“Bartercard knows my product and services inside out and can sell my business effectively. Every part of my business has been tied to Bartercard over the past three years – Facebook workshops, computer repairs, business networking lunches and the growing Small Business Expos – which effectively lets me offset cash costs in those areas. Bartercard has helped me secure keynote speakers for my events and offset the cost of accounting and bookkeeping which comes to roughly $24,000 across my events. They have a culture of ‘thinking outside the box’ which every small business owner should foster. I am grateful for my relationship with Bartercard – it’s a profitable one that I’ll keep growing.”
Paula Brand – Small Business Expos
Do you regularly run events? See how Small Business Expo organiser Paula Brand uses Bartercard to stage her events in Queensland and save thousands of dollars in business costs.
With 24 years of industry experience across 12 sectors under her belt, she decided small businesses were missing out.
She had organised networking events across the Gold Coast, but realised they weren’t creating the financial outcomes, impact or results for small business owners, especially those without a physical shopfront or the invisible businesses.
“So I started Small Business Expos to focus on digital, mobile and home-based business,” she said. “There’s approximately 20,000 of them on the Gold Coast.”
Her expos now connect with 160,000 businesses by email and face to face with 5,000 small business owners every year through her small business expos in Brisbane, Moreton/North Brisbane, Logan, Gold Coast and Toowoomba.
Harnessing the power of Bartercard
She describes Bartercard support staff as her ‘sales team’ because they can put into place what her business needs to thrive.
“Bartercard doesn’t just assist me from a sales perspective,” she said.
“Bartercard’s co-founder Andrew Federowsky signed me up and from that moment became my mentor. I can ring him and say, ‘Andrew, I’ve got a problem’ and he will spend time with me. I’m extremely lucky to have Bartercard’s support in business.”
She uses Bartercard to source furniture, audio visual equipment, legal advice, accounting services and gifts for guest speakers at her expos to offset thousands of dollars.
“Bartercard allows me to think outside the square to make something work. It’s changed the way I approach my finances and my cash flow,” she said.
“They know my products and services inside out and can sell my business effectively to build up my events, attract new exhibitors and connect more businesses. The more creative you are, the better outcomes you get. For example, recently I needed to copyright something for an expo.
So I rang Bartercard and told them I needed a lawyer. They recommended someone straight away whose services I could pay for using trade dollars instead of cash.”
A growing partnership
Annual bookkeeping and accounting for Paula comes to roughly $24,000 across her events, which she covers with Bartercard. The relationship between Bartercard and Paula’s Small Business Expos grew until Bartercard became the principal partner.
“That’s been amazing support which has enabled me to make the expos the best in Australia,” she said.
“Using Bartercard effectively is about networking, being proactive and knowing how to use the system to your advantage. It can take a while to develop your own Bartercard style.”
She added that while it took a while to wrap her head around Bartercard, it’s effectively working in her business today.
“I wasn’t taught to think entrepreneurially or to think outside the square. But I got there in the end. Today I can go to any city and utilise the Bartercard contacts I have there. It doesn’t matter that I’m in a different part of the country. That’s a really great thing to know.”
For more information on growing your business and your network, visit smallbusinessexpos.com.au
