Back in Colonial times, bartering thrived in communities. People would barter the goods from their farms by bringing them into the general store and purchasing items that could not be obtained in their own community and shipped from elsewhere. This also meant that there would be a lot of people traveling from out of the area to barter their distinct offerings and bring news with them making general stores a link to the outside community. Bartering brought about trade with the natives who had no money but would trade beads and shells in place. This shell money was known as wampum.
All too often today, people are quick to pay the asking price for convenience's sake and do not consider what many might consider a better deal for both parties. Nowhere is this more apparent on the personal level when trading with individuals or small businesses.
If you have the capacity to offer your unique talents and skills in lieu of cash, what would you put forward? What do you need that you could barter for? Alset encourages you to consider this, put forward requests for what you need, and list your services. The more engaged you are with the #AlsetCommunity, the stronger and more resilient we become together. #WeBarter