In a few rare moments of downtime, I was flipping through TV channels when I happened on Suze Orman. I paused to watch a bit, and her words were profound. She said that financial freedom today is achieved by getting more pleasure out of what you save rather than what you spend. While Suze was talking about personal finances, I immediately thought that the same principle holds true for businesses as well.
Set your goal to find reward in the money and resources you save, rather than what you spend. Here are seven ways to get it done:
Barter
You need business cards printed, and you’re willing to trade your Web development expertise. While bartering used to be limited by your ability to find someone who needs exactly what you have to trade, websites like Tradeaway, OurGoods and InstantBarter have simplified the process and broadened your scope. Dollar values are applied to your products or skills, and you can trade for credits within the site. It’s important to remember, though, that time is money, and it’s important to get fair value for your time.
Buy Used
Anything that you purchase new begins to lose value as soon as it belongs to you. Do your homework and find lightly used products whose history you can learn. Whether you research a used car’s VIN or whether you call a manufacturer to see if it’ll honor or even extend an original warranty, a little homework can make your used purchase better than new in terms of value. Also, electronics companies, like Apple, sell refurbished products at a discount and include a warranty.
Buy Generic
We’re not just talking about antibiotics. Brand names confer confidence, but not necessarily better quality. You may find that you’re better off paying for an inexpensive, highly rated printer, rather than a printer with a fancy brand name whose biggest claim to fame may be its reputation for excessive maintenance costs.
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