Her membership platform lets business owners trade the value they already create for the expertise they need next.
A founder may need a website, a bookkeeper, or a marketing plan long before there is room in the budget to hire for it. Nicole Murphy saw another possibility. The founder might already have something another business needs, from a product ready to ship to a service she can deliver. Murphy built a membership platform that lets entrepreneurs put those assets to work and use the value they earn to get help elsewhere in the network.
“Entrepreneurs already have so much value inside their businesses,” Murphy said. “We have skills, services, products, and knowledge.”
How the Exchange Works
In a direct barter, two businesses have to want what the other offers at the same time. Murphy’s platform separates the two sides of the trade. Members earn Barter Bucks® when they provide products or services to another member, then spend those credits with other businesses in the community. One Barter Buck® is valued at one dollar when members price their offers.
Consider a business owner who completes a $500 project for another member. She earns 500 Barter Bucks® and can spend 300 with a bookkeeper and 200 with a photographer. The bookkeeper and photographer each get paid in trade credits they can spend elsewhere in the network.
Members have used their credits across a range of offerings.
- Website development, marketing, and content creation
- Bookkeeping, legal services, and business strategy
- Business automation, merchandise, and other member offerings
A Founder Who Listened and Changed the Model
Murphy launched the platform in February 2022 with direct exchanges. As she saw how difficult it could be for two businesses to find a match at the right moment, she redesigned the system. Barter Bucks® debuted in August 2024. Members have since exchanged more than 60,000 credits, and Barter Bucks® is now a federally registered trademark.
Recent conversations with members gave Murphy another point of focus. Business owners wanted offers that addressed an immediate need and took meaningful work off their plates. That feedback is guiding the marketplace as it develops, from the kinds of services members can find to how they connect with someone who can do the work.
Helping Entrepreneurs Make the Next Hire
Trade credits give founders another way to bring in expertise while reserving cash for bills that require it. A business owner who spends hours trying to build a website or set up an automated workflow can use credits to hire someone with that skill and put those hours back into serving customers.
Murphy sees a broader opportunity in what happens after that first hire. Businesses that meet through an exchange can refer one another, discover new customers, and build working relationships. A founder may enter the network looking for bookkeeping help and discover that her own expertise fills a need for another member. Over time, those connections can make it easier to know whom to call when the next project comes up.
BarterCon™ Will Mark Five Years
The platform will mark its fifth anniversary on February 19, 2027, with the inaugural BarterCon™ in Landover, Maryland. The hands-on business conference is being designed around a practical promise. “Come with a need. Leave with progress.” The event will give entrepreneurs a chance to bring a current business challenge into the room and meet people whose products, services, or experience can help move it forward.
About the Platform
Founded by Nicole Murphy, the membership platform serves entrepreneurs and startup founders through a network that lets them earn and spend Barter Bucks® across participating businesses. Membership supports the technology, credit system, and community infrastructure behind the exchanges. Entrepreneurs can use the network to find support for a specific project or offer their own skills, services, and products to other members.
Learn more about Nicole Murphy’s platform
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