One Entrepreneur On the Start: Brad Versteegh

This is part of a series called "The Entrepreneurs On The Start."  This interview is with Brad Versteegh.

What was your first business venture?

Besides the typical lawn mowing and handy man stuff I did as a teenager and college student to make ends meet, I have opened and run an independent real estate brokerage, a consultancy firm and a finance company. My current venture is the founding of a locally focused, international barter exchange. Sounds like a contradiction, but it is actually quite impressive.

What made you want to go into business for yourself?

I spent many years growing other people’s business and found the reward for such was insignificant compared to the money I was making for “them”. And compared to the insanity I found I was having to deal with.

I worked for some of the largest corporate entities around. My experience showed me that most companies out there do many things that are counter productive to what they state is their proposed end result. As my father used to say, “it’s like pushing a rope”.  That’s not the best use of your time and/or effort and the result is likely to be disappointing at best.

Would you go into business, if you had it to do over again?  Why or why not?

Yes. There are things I would have done differently and/or not at all. As they say, hindsight is 20/20. But, I would definitely do it again and sooner than I did.

What were some of your biggest lessons learned about starting a business?

Leverage. By this, I mean not only loans (banks, etc.), but leverage of time energy effort and product. The best way I’ve found to do this is via a barter exchange. The next is… I ignorantly believed business was about creating something in hopes of getting paid for it. WRONG. Creating a market and then create a product for that market is a better way to go about it.

What advice would you have for others considering going into business for themselves?

Prepare. Plan, but be flexible. Let your business tell you where you are going and at what speed. Build your business to fire you. A business that needs YOU to function simply means you have built a JOB, not a business.

Any final thoughts on starting a business?

Find a mentor. It doesn’t have to be someone in your field, but it does need to be someone who has more experience, more insight and an unbiased view-point from what you are doing. You will need to have a sounding board. Someone you can brainstorm with and someone who is not afraid to tell you when you are doing something they feel is ill advised or even stupid. Hurt feelings are easier to recover from than a bad business decision.

Vantage Barter Exchange is a network of business owners. These owners leverage their businesses (at full retail margins) to preserve cash and receive the goods and services they want and need for themselves and their businesses. Barter – The new thousand year old economy. 

More info: Website | LinkedIn