The barter exchange playbook, from the people who wrote it
Whether you're launching a new barter exchange or growing one that's stalled, our consultants have done it before — 50+ trade networks, 21 countries, since 2002. Strategy, currency design, recruitment, brokers, fees, and compliance. Real conversations, not slide decks.
Whether you're starting one or running one
Barter consulting is for the operator — the person running the network, not the businesses trading inside it. Whether you call it a barter exchange, a trade exchange, a time bank, or a complementary currency network, the advisory is the same: two starting points, one team of advisors.
Launching a new exchange
You want to start a barter exchange but don't want to learn the hard lessons on your own members. We hand you the playbook: is your market viable, how the currency should work, who to sign first, how to price fees, and how to get to a live, trading network.
- Market feasibility & member-base analysis
- Trade-dollar currency & credit-line design
- Founding-member recruitment strategy
- Broker program, fees & go-live plan
Growing an existing exchange
You already run an exchange but volume has plateaued, brokers are underperforming, or trade dollars are pooling in the wrong accounts. We diagnose what's actually stuck and give you a concrete plan to fix liquidity, retention, and growth.
- Growth audit: volume, churn & broker performance
- Fee, currency & liquidity health fixes
- Member reactivation & retention programs
- Expansion into new verticals, regions & reciprocal trade
What a barter consultant does for you
A barter consultant is part strategist, part operator, part industry insider. Here's the ground we cover.
Feasibility & strategy
Is there a viable member base in your region or vertical, and what category mix makes the network liquid? We pressure-test the model before you spend a dollar building it.
Trade-dollar currency design
Issuance policy, credit lines, spend rules, and guardrails against hoarding and inflation — so your currency stays healthy as the network scales.
Fee & revenue modelling
Cash + trade fee structures, membership tiers, and aged-account fees, built into a financial model that actually shows where your revenue comes from.
Member recruitment
The first 50–100 anchor members and the order to sign them in, plus the category balance that gets members trading from week one.
Broker program design
Hiring, commission structures (typically 10–25% of the transaction fee), scripts, and workflows — because without brokers, most members wait for trades that never come.
Operations & compliance
Bookkeeping, member onboarding, 1099-B and tax obligations, and IRTA best practices, documented into a playbook your team can run.
Growth & liquidity fixes
For existing exchanges: diagnosing stalled volume, reactivating dormant members, and rebalancing trade dollars so the network keeps moving.
Expansion & migration
New verticals and regions, multilateral and reciprocal (countertrade) deals, exchange-to-exchange trading, and migrating off legacy systems or acquiring member lists.
What you actually walk away with
Concrete, tangible work products — not just advice. A typical engagement produces some or all of these.
Discovery call + current-state assessment
Market feasibility / member-base analysis
Financial model (fees, revenue, trade-dollar economics)
Written strategic roadmap / launch plan
Member recruitment target list + category plan
Broker hiring plan, comp structure & training scripts
Fee schedule & member-pricing recommendations
Operations & compliance manual (1099-B, bookkeeping)
Platform configuration guidance / go-live support
Quarterly business reviews & ongoing advisory
Warm introductions to exchanges worldwide
Live staff training sessions
Three ways to engage
Pick the model that fits where you are. Each shows a starting point — we give you an exact quote on a call, because scope varies a lot by exchange size and goals.
Strategy Assessment
From $1,500
A fixed-scope review of your plan or your existing exchange, with written recommendations you can act on. The low-commitment way to get expert eyes on your situation.
- Current-state or feasibility review
- Written findings & prioritized recommendations
- 60–90 minute working session
- Clear next-step roadmap
Launch / Project Engagement
From $7,500
End-to-end help launching a new exchange, or a scoped project on an existing one — a fee redesign, a broker-program overhaul, or a growth turnaround.
- Feasibility → currency → recruitment → go-live
- Financial model & fee schedule
- Broker program & training scripts
- Operations & compliance playbook
Advisory Retainer
From $1,000/mo
A set block of hours each month for continuous guidance, quarterly business reviews, and on-call strategy as your network grows.
- Monthly strategy & working sessions
- Quarterly business reviews
- On-call advice between sessions
- Introductions to other operators
Pay part of it in trade dollars
We practice what we preach. A portion of most engagements can be paid in trade dollars from your exchange, with the balance in cash — the exact blend agreed up front. Barter is what we do.
Not sure where to start? Neither were most operators.
Book a free 30-minute consultation. Bring your situation — a new idea or a stuck exchange — and we'll tell you the honest next move, whether or not you work with us.