Too Pround To Beg

Why bartering beats a bank loan every single time.

You’re nursing a flat white you can’t afford while your Stripe notifications stay silent. You call yourself a founder but you’re really a hobbyist with dreams and an ego.

I worked with a bloke who arrived in Australia with his family, one pair of shoes, and not much else. He didn’t spend his time building a personal brand or worrying about his aesthetic. He begged his fortnightly pay in advance so his family could eat. He looked desperate because he was desperate. Today, he owns his home in a leafy Sydney suburb and sleeps like a baby while you lie awake wondering how to pay for LinkedIn Premium.

This is the lesson: The difference between a successful new business and a dying dream is the amount of shame the owner is willing to swallow.

During the early formative months, consider the ancient art of bartering.

Bartering is the oldest trick in the book because it works. It worked before the Lydian Empire invented money, and it will work when we create money’s replacement.

Maybe you think you’re above bartering. It spoils your flex and anyway, trading your valuable skill for a bit of plumbing or free office space is beneath your ‘professional’ standing.

Pride is a parasite. It eats your potential and hollows your bank account. Real entrepreneurs don’t wait for a line of credit, they chat to people in the coffee line and find out what they need.

If you have no cash, you have time. If you have time, you can provide a service. Bartering is a cheat code because it bypasses the tax man and the banking system. Bartering your time or expertise is a skill that no one can ever take from you. It will work for you if you truly want to survive, but it sure takes guts to get over yourself.

Ask everyone for help until they either give you a roadmap or the finger. Shame is a luxury you can’t afford when the rent is due and your sales are zero.

This is the truth. If you can’t trade your expertise for a bag of groceries, then your expertise isn’t worth what you tell yourself it is. Stop acting like a success and start doing what is necessary to become one.