We hope the following scenario helps shed some light in terms of account management.
Let’s assume that tomorrow you open an e-mail from us titled

“Please Consider New Applicant”.

You discover the new applicant is for a local Walmart. We are confident that this would create a very large stir in the membership! This would be great, right? Well maybe not. Allow me to explain.

Let’s jump ahead. Walmart’s account is open and doing a brisk trade business. In fact, their trade sales are so brisk that over the course of a few months, every member has spent every cent of their JTEX Dollars with Walmart.

Now let’s take this to the next level. Where would Walmart spend their trade dollars? They are headquartered in Bentonville, AR. They have little to no local expenses meaning they would have very little opportunity ever to spend any dollars back into the system. This would mean the JTEX economy would screech to a halt as there would be no funds available to circulate and create commerce for the membership. We would be dead in the water. Unlike the U.S. economy, we have no federal reserve to simply, and dangerously, print more dollars ($19 trillion!) if we run out. Our economy is backed by the goods and services of each other.

We share this doomsday scenario with you for this reason. Management of your trade account is one of our primary duties. When funds are stacked up in a member’s trade account and are not circulating, it tightens the JTEX Dollars for all of the members. The more our JTEX Dollars are being circulated, the more vibrant and healthy our trade economy will be for all of you!

We hope this scenario helps shed a little light as to why we are so proactive in terms of account management. As always, we welcome any questions, comments, or suggestions.
P.S. Walmart is not locally owned and would not qualify for membership even if they did apply!

For many small businesses struggling with low demand and slow cash flow in the wake of the a tough economy, an age old idea could drive new business: barter. The 200 plus members of Jambalaya Trade Exchange can conserve cash and expand reach by selling their products and services on its exchange for trade dollars accepted by fellow members, says Tim Bergstresser Executive Director of Jambalaya Trade Exchange (JTEX). JTEX was established in 2012 in Ascension Parish, LA ., and is an independent trade exchange that is a part of the Trade Authority network of trade exchanges. Local exchanges are now in  13 cities through the southeast region of the USA. Trade Authority facilitated over $20 million in business-to-business trades last year and it’s member exchanges have over 3200 members..

Barter is an age old idea, and seems to be catching on with businesses  in Ascension Parish. Why?

The idea of barter of trade,  hasn’t reached anywhere near critical mass. But it’s really catching on.  The main obstacle to organized barter, like JTEX, is a misconception about the word “barter.” People still think about barter like trading a peanut-butter-and-jelly for a salami sandwich at the school lunch table. That’s direct trading.

Barter within an organized exchange network like JTEX,  is not a direct trade between two members; that’s all wrong. It’s a system that allows payment for goods or services in trade dollars that can be spent with anyone else in the system, which opens worlds of possibilities. In our simplest form, we are merely a payment-processing system that aggressively sells for member businesses and promotes those businesses to other members.

How does a barter transaction work?

Let’s say we have a member who needs dental work. Using our member directory they can choose a local Dentist, make and appointment and get their work done. Payment is made using their membership card. When processed, trade dollars are immediately transferred from the buyers account to the Dentists account.  Pretty simple. The Dentist now can use those new trade dollars with any other member business he(or she) chooses.

What are trade dollars?

Which businesses take advantage of barter? 

Has your membership been growing?

There’s no question that we have been getting more attention from the local business community in the past few years. Our membership has grown by about 50 a year in the past 4 years. We continue to seek businesses that fit the trade model.

What are the tax implications of barter transactions?

In 1982, the IRS recognized barter as legal tender and barter exchanges as third-party record keepers, like accountants and banks. The exchanges must report barter income to the IRS on form 1099B. We issue these each year in January.

Have you heard about any unusual trades made by members?

One of our members recently got married. His fiancee (now wife) took on the task of using trade to cover as many wedding expanses as possible. She was very successful and used trade to pay for wedding rings, the venue, catering, her wedding dress , presents, photography and the honeymoon trip. Not bad! I’d to say she is a Ninja Trader!

Check out the JTEX website here.

Members of no-cash networks say it’s a great way to market their businesses.

Hugo Flores has paid $2,000 for dental work, $650 for veterinary services and $750 for a weekend a resort condo in Destin — without spending any cash, swiping any cards or writing any checks. He did however, paint a few buildings. Hugo Flores’s painting company Master Hand’s Custom Painting, is a member of Jambalaya Trade Exchange in Ascension Parish, one of over 200 businesses in the Parish that participate in a trade marketplace.

Companies — everything from restaurants to marketing firms to landscaping companies to auto-repair shops — offer their goods and services to others in the network.
They spend the “trade dollars” they earn from the work at other businesses.

Bartering is hardly new; an age-old way to trade goods and services. It has moved into the mainstream thanks to professional barter exchanges that provide a venue for swapping goods and services, getting rid of excess inventory, turning downtime into revenue and attracting new business.

Here’s how a barter exchange works: A business offers a good or service for trade and in return, receives a trade credit based on the dollar value of that offering. That credit can then be used to “purchase” a product or service from someone else in the barter system. While no money is exchanged, these deals are considered cash transactions and must be reported as income.
“The people who really who really benefit from who really benefit from Trade Exchanges are  people who are looking for new customers and are flexible in their buying habits–they’ll change where they buy their printing and the pest control company they’re going to use,”explains Tim Bergstresser executive director of the Jambalaya Trade Exchange .

Barter was once limited to specific geographic regions, but thanks to the internet, barter exchange members can now trade with members in Ascension Parish, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette, Slidell, Lake Charles, Memphis and even Birmingham.

“When someone joins an exchange they’re exposed to hundreds of new potential customers locally and thousands around south Louisiana.
“With competition so stiff today, barter helps drive those customers past your competition and into your door.”

For more information check out the JTEX website.