This year I made the move into my own catering business, leaving my tenure as an executive chef. I had a vision for where I wanted to take my business but faced all the usual obstacles a start up business encounters. One of the biggest drivers for a catering business is word of mouth, and being new to Calgary, this presented a significant challenge. Becoming a member of eXmerce created a quick fix for this issue; jump starting my network by exposing me to over 100 members in eXmerce's barter community. Every event we have catered has lead to others, it is that simple. I have also received cash referrals from barter members! The power of word of mouth stemming from such a large starting point has created a domino effect for my business.
I am really pleased with the organized barter system.And an added boon has been the cash I have saved with Exmerce. I have used printing, cellular, web design and advertising services to date, all of which would have impacted my cash flow nominally. Instead, I have taken it "on trade" and used my cash for things like equipment purchases, overhead and staffing, which has been awesome for my start up state. By the way, the ad I placed in this month's Calgary Living on barter has already led to cash business!
For a very small fee I have been able to accomplish a lot and have definitely received great value!
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