We had the good fortune of connecting with Edward Fox and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Edward, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
I see business owners just like me scrambling to find way to cut costs, make new revenue and hire good people, and they are not aware, that a good barter network between businesses can cut costs from 15% to 60% depending on their wholesale cost of goods.

Imagine if we knew that with us bartering some of our leftover products or unbooked appointment times for the things we need but letting the barter network organize finding that ideal bartering partner not only saves us money but also time.

Trading my businesses product or service for the things i need means that my cash dollars stay in my account,

I can then also barter for advertising and marketing to bring in cash paying clients and barter some more for employee benefits like, Eye Exams and Glasses, Doctors visits, how about a monthly donut allowance, or chiropractic care and a bi monthly massage even?

So bartering can help businesses spend less cash by reducing expenses, attracting and keeping new employees and bring in new business.

And most people don’t even realize how powerful it is.

I had a surveillance camera company bring in over $225,000 in new business buy using Tradebank, A day spa over $50,000 and a restaurant over $450,000 from members in the Tradebank network.

That is all business that their competitors wouldn’t even get any piece of, because lets face it if customers in the Tradebank network have the choice of spending cash with your competition or Tradebank Dollars with you ……They realize that barter is smarter!

What should our readers know about your business?
A managed barter platform is the jargon for what I do, Simply I help business save a bunch of money on their expenses, get new customers and hire and keep new talent.

We do that by helping them to understand how dedicating 10 to 15% of their production run or appointment time via bartering can do all of the above and make their bottom line healthier.

Increasing business owner lifestyle is the biggest unexpected benefit I have found, because i usually put any extra money back into the business to grow it, sometime to the detriment of lifestyle or family fun.

With Tradebank Dollars we have been able to do some many fun things like vacations and entertainment, eating out more, spending a little bit on some frivolous things too, that i would have never have done with cash.

I hired a limo for my daughters 17th birthday and we drove around asking people downtown as we pulled up to hotels and people stared ” DO YOU HAVE ANY GREY POUPON?” and drove off to howls of laughter. ( my daughter didn’t get it we had to show her the commercial on youtube!

Silly things like that have been fun and solidified just one of the reasons i will never give up trying to explain how powerful barter is for business.

No matter where in the westernized world you live , if you do business there is a barter network somewhere around you, even if two local merchants trade services , that is barter and it’s happening everywhere.

The Tradebank platform via the app, the website or calling the office helps thousands of businesses have access to over 4000 other members and 200,000+ products and services.

On top of that if the business is in the Nashville TN or the Wichita KS markets they get access to my entire master network of contacts and my 40+ years of business experience.

The biggest challenge I run into is educating that this type of option is even out there and it’s POWERFUL!

It’s like a secret menu for business owners to have an advantage over their competitors, as they stando n the sidelines and see you do all the things they can only wish, while they wonder how you are doing it.

Bartering is a kind of miracle for business owners, can you imagine some of your costs going down by half?
Bartering with Tradebank can do that!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I think the key to any city is it’s people, and so a visit to Broadway downtown is of course obligatory, but Middle Tennessee has so much to offer,

My 2 favorite places to eat close to downtown are Elliston Place Soda Shop at 2105 Elliston Pl, Nashville, TN 37203 , Great Burgers and their Malts are awesome. Infact i don’t think anything I’ve had there hasn’t been good.

The other is Puckett’s restaurant 500 Church St, Nashville, TN 37219, just good southern food and a great atmosphere.

For me a week in Nashville would consist of whatever sport was in season, be it the Preds Ice Hockey or the Titans Football, Nashville Soccer or the Minor league Baseball team the Sounds. All are good fun and well worth the price of admission.

The next is the Grand Ole Opry, it’s a must do as far as I’m concerned.

The other thing I would say is a must do is Nashville’s Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center with amazing indoor gardens. I think there is like 50,000 tropical plants…WHO KNEW? It blew me away.

I would also suggest getting out of downtown and heading to some of the Civil War sites around Middle TN, to many to list , but Franklin TN has a favorite of mine. The Franklin Battlefield is well worth a look.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There is no such thing as a self made individual, we all got here because someone or several someone’s helped us along the way.

Becoming a Christian at 24 and through Jesus Christ all things are possible. He takes care of me and I have experiences several miracles in my life because of him loving me, even before I had a relationship with him, he was watching out for me.

My earthly shoutout goes to Alice Fox, The Most Wonderful Wife in the World ….and that is trademarked!

We have been married for over 33 years and she has counselled and consulted and worked and supported me in every endeavor, Even some she wasn’t excited about, but unfailingly backing me up, holding me up when i needed it and talking some sense into me when I needed that as well.

Alice’s support and love are what makes everything I do, and all they success we have achieved is because of this teamwork, and she does all this in addition to a full time job as a Pharmacy Manager.

Together we can support each other and face any obstacle or challenge together.

Website: Nashville.Tradebank.com

Linkedin: Linkedin.com/in/Aussiefox

Facebook: Fb.com/TradebankofNashville

Other: I also have a side fun gig as “Special” ED – dad joke teller SpecialEdFoxDadJokes.com you can find me on most of the platforms my username is @SpecialEdFoxDadJokes

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutTennessee is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.