I just discovered a couple of sites that are set up for barter. This a new/old form of money.


On one of them I have my skills as a Certified Reflexologist and Seated Massage Therapist(www.onthespotmassage.biz), professional Tarot Card reader(www.kaerenterprises.com/3Q4U.htm), Worm farmer (www.mikesworms.com), Candle maker and book writer ( "You can make Bee's Wax Candles, Firestarters and Hobostove Fuelcells","What Money Can't Buy"-www.mjk-private-income.com and www.mysticmountain.biz
[I am the webmaster for Shannon's Site and she sells my Candles for me]).

I am asking for items I wish to experiment with for my http://survival-list.blogspot.com site or items to make more candles, like coleman fuel.



Since it costs me nothing to advertise, if I make a sale or trade for something I would have had to pay money for, I'm that much further ahead. Sometimes you make money by not spending any!



Michael J. Kaer owner of www.2BitPixel.com

There are 3 main ways of getting money. Aside from winning a lottery or inheriting money, the 3 main ways are:

1) steal it
2) borrow it
3) earn it

Lets look at #1.
I do not recommend this course of action since any gains you make almost always get taken from you and more. You can not enjoy your ill-gotten gains and you have to watch over you shoulder for the cops.

I want to skip #2 for a moment, since it will come up in #3

#3-Earn it.
The only way to earn money is to trade an idea, good or a service for another idea, good or service. How you can go about doing that is what this blog is all about. Sometimes you need capitol to purchase tools or raw materials or finished goods in wholesale lots to be able to retail them at a profit. Those things you need to operate your business may be at hand or you may wait to save up for them or you can borrow the money to get them now, so you can start creating a profit a soon as possible. That is where #2 comes in to the picture. If your business is a small one and your needs are not too great, you make get all you need with a credit card. Most credit is very expensive because of the risks the bank or issueing company takes in handing out credit + all the accounting + all the security. A wise business person uses credit when they are reasonabliy sure they can re-pay it quickly. There are tax advantages to using business credit because some of the expense of borrowing can be written of. Do not borrow unless you have to. The only exception to that rule I can think of is when you are borrowing small amounts and re-paying immediately to establish or increase your credit rating.

Back to business. Everyone has an idea or a good they can create or a service they can do to earn money. When you are hired to do a job, you have sold your skills to a buyer of your skills with the expectation of getting paid for your skills and that the buyer of your skills is going to gain a profit from the skills you are using for them.

Another exchange that is mutually beneficial is investing. The good you would have in this example would be some money you have set aside to invest, making your money work for you. You give that sum of money to someone else who uses that money to create an idea, good or service that you can not do or don't have the time to do etc. That person creates a profit and shares that profit with you as a dividend.

If you had lots of money you could be the one loaning the money out as credit to others.If you did, I doubt you would be reading this blog unless you were just curious.

If you want to create a business for yourself ( and I think most of you reading this is in this catagory)I would suggest starting the way most business have started and that is small, working with what you have. Microsoft and Apple computers started off small with a couple of personal loans from family and friends.If you can start a business using stuff you already have around the house and you do not have to buy any special equipment, then you are head of many other start ups.

A good example of this is my Bee's Wax Candle making business. I started with an old pot and a tin can I would have tossed in the recycle bin. I used the stove as my heat source. The only money I had to put out was for a small block of wax and some wicks. I had practiced on used wax I got from family and friends so I knew how to handle hot wax. A little later I bought a beat up coleman stove for $2.00 at a yard sale and An aluminum double boiler at goodwill for $1.00. I gave away several of my first candles as gifts and then started to sell them on ebay. I made enough and kept putting the money back into the business to the point now where I have to buy 100 pounds of wax at a time, just to keep up with demand and keep my costs low. I make a bit more on the side since I decided to take pictures of the process , write a small "how to" booklet and put it up on a website for sale. I sell the candles on consignment, which frees me to just create the candles and have fun. Now that is a successfull business. You can buy the booklet at www.MJK-Private-Income.com .I used what I learned to make the small booklet to write a larger book and put it up as well. I am going on to write more books that will end up there or somewhere else for sale. Now that is a great business. Write about something you know and get paid for it over and over again.

I will end here and get back to the serious work of having fun.
Michael J. Kaer, owner of www.2BitPixel.com