Trading my inheritance for a dream!

[Randy Kady]

Imagine starting a new business in this out of control "Who else wants a bailout?", "Where did my 401K go?" economy.

Qualifying for a business loan is next to impossible. Raising capital is a joke. Everyone says so. I know they do because they’ve all told me that—repeatedly.

But I have something no other fledgling business has. In my portfolio is a stack of National Geographic magazines that span 30 years…a gift from my grandmother, "Grammie". She wanted me to have them after she was gone so I could put them to good use.

And, Grammie, this is it.

I’m willing to trade each of Grandma’s lovingly-collected National Geographic magazines for something else—so long as each trade takes me closer to my goal of raising the money to launch my business.

When Grammie passed in 1999, I inherited 30+ years of National Geographic magazines. That’s 380 issues, stacked in boxes in my garage. 

Ten years after Grammie passed, I still hadn’t figured out what to do with them. I couldn’t throw them out. After all, she specifically saved them for me…she wanted me to benefit from her subscriptions. 

But I couldn’t keep them forever, either. 

And then it hit me: Grammie has given me the key to raising the money I need to get this business up and rolling. By trading each magazine for something else—something that then is traded again and again—I can raise the money I need. 

Several years ago a guy named Kyle MacDonald decided to take the game “Bigger and Better” to a whole new level. He wanted a house but couldn’t afford it. He didn’t have the money.

But he did have a red paperclip.

Through a series of 14 trades he ended up with the house he needed. And if Kyle can get a house with a paperclip, what can be accomplished with 30 years of National Geographics?

So here’s the deal: I’ll trade any issue of my collection for anything that’s bigger and better. That item will then be traded with the same condition. And we’ll keep going until I’ve raised enough capital to start my business. 

It's a win-win! Everyone gets what they want!

Check out my website www.swapstartmybiz.com to see which issues I have and read more about my journey: http://www.swapstartmybiz.com/ColoradoanArt1.html