Skills2Barter Blog

The first time I ever...

The first time I ever thought about bartering I was sitting out on my patio on a sunny day after a number of incredibly hot sunny days, as I sat sweltering, it came to me… somewhere there had to be a construction company that needed a web site who would be willing to trade me for a deck cover…

I had just bought my house and a deck cover wasn’t high on the list of priorities based on that it’s an older house and plumbing and something strange called ‘knob and tube’ wiring had quickly taken all of my resources and immediate attention.  I had been using a funky tent shade thingy like you take camping or you might see at a farmers market which worked fairly well. I was waiting patiently until the funds for a deck cover would either somehow magically appear or I saved up enough to consider it. But as fate would have it, during my parent’s 50^th wedding anniversay party on the back lawn we were caught in a freak wind-storm and the tent structure blew up over the top of the house and was never seen again… I am sure it’s now in Oz or some unknown alternate universe. There were no casualties, well unless you count all the food… I am 3 years later still finding the shiney gold confetti ‘50’s’ in my lawn and gardens -- as are all my neighbors and the munshkins I am sure.

First, I researched prices and companies just like I was ready to purchase – it seemed like a ‘sign’ when I found out that the value of a deck cover was almost exactly what I charged for a small business website.  Ureaka! This could work… So, I started calling and emailing all of the construction/awning/handy man/roofing/awning companies in my area. This process took about 4 months, yes, seriously. I told them straight up what I wanted to do and if they were interested I sent them my portfolio and they came over to do a quote. Eventually I did find the right match and now enjoy my deck cover immensely!

Now I barter everything from crowns for my teeth to accupuncture – it’s a great way to get things done without having funds available or when you have better things to do with your money. It’s a win/win for both parties so when my business partner brought up the idea a few years later I was totally onboard and skills2barter was born.

What happened since launch?

Hi users. Since we launched we added quite a few users. There is still along way to go before we reach numbers where every search will return tons of matches, but we are getting there. We had few trivial bugs and we fixed them thanks to all the users who reported them - that's the way to go! We are working on new features here that will give you more information on where users are concentrated geographically and other good stuff. We are very happy with how things are going right now and hopefully we will soon make a difference in our national employment. Till next time - Alex for Skills2barter.

We launched!

We launched the site as expected on December 25th and we are really excited at the response so far! Everyone loves the idea and we are getting many new users. Below is the "official press release" with more information. Coming soon, tales from the great beyond -- case studies and examples of successful bartering transactions.

PRESS RELEASE

Skills2Barter.com launched on December 25, 2009 and is a skills marketplace for anyone who would like to trade (barter) their skills for someone else's. The idea is simple, we are providing a place where people all over the U.S. can register and search for skills they have and need based on zip code. We provide two ways to search 1. skill only and 2. barter skill for skill, both based on US zip code. You can save your favorite bartering buddies and select multiple skills when registering. People tend to think the only skill they have is the one they earn money with – NOT. Everyone has multiple skills or talents and maybe it’s time you started using all of yours to get what you need! You have a knack for decorating… maybe you can stage someone’s house to sell in exchange for a having a new deck built… we are sooo excited about this!

We started the site with a vision and two enthusiastic people who just happened to know how to build a website. We believe and history has shown that the American people will connect (that’s where the site comes into play) and will work together to continue to get things done and succeed in any way possible during challenging times. Our strength isn’t necessarily in our present economy or how much the dollar is worth. It’s in our people – their skills and experience. So when your insurance doesn’t pay for crowns or acupuncture or physical therapy or in-home nursing… somewhere out there, probably in your area, is a dentist that needs a website, a acupuncturist that needs her car worked on, a PT that needs someone to set up his books, and sure enough there is a nurse out of work that needs a music teacher for her daughter or a place to live. We would like to bring these people together so that we can all continue to live and get things done - the barter way.

We are just getting started and right now the biggest challenge is getting the word out and getting people to register on the site so we increase our community. We need more people, people like you to make it work. So please have patience if you don’t find the skills in the area you want right away, sign up, send your friends and family to the site encourage them to do the same and maybe the next time you go and do a search, you will find the perfect barter buddy.