If you're short on revenue coming in this month think outside the box and barter! I love bartering. Today, a neighbor just brought me 24 of my favorite beers (Red Oak) on ice accompanied by cheese dip and chips! Three months ago, I traded her a painting for a really expensive chair that my wife had been wanting. I'm happy... the wife's happy and the "treats" just keep on coming! Another neighbor wants a painting in exchange for plowing and seeding one of my fields. My good friend who is also a cattle farmer and I barter all the time. I gave him a large painting of a Black Angus and repaired a sculpture his wife purchased. In return he has given me 2 old tobbaco trailers (that I turned into mobile chicken coops), and let me use his other trailer to haul a John Deere 910 tractor that I scored on another trade. His wife who happens to be the best country cook alive, brings us homemade bannana pudding and home-cooked meals about every few weeks. Can you tell the way to my heart is through good food? You may not have a farm and these trades might not seem too glamorous but I figure that I have earned about $9,000 this month above my gallery sales. Not too shabby.
Start making a list of needed/wanted items. Maybe things that can actually make your business grow, like a kiln, a welder, scrap metal, canvas or wood panels. Start with friends. Maybe you have a friend who can design website and yours (you have one right?) looks outdated. Barter and Trade! Remember ...you're not a starving artist, you are thriving business!
