The following is a testimonial from Bartercard member Stuart Evans of Evanco Mechanical.
Member Story: Evanco Mechanical
We are a family owned and operated business, my daughter runs the office and is also a mechanic apprentice in the workshop, and my wife, Natasha also works within the business. Evanco Mechanical started off in my back shed in 2004 where I was a mobile mechanic. We then expanded and moved to Strickland Street, Bunbury in 2006 and have been operating in these premises ever since.
I joined in Bartercard 2014 when I saw Darryl Toreaux driving round in a Maloo Ute advertising Bartercard. I contacted him for a meeting, and we signed up the business there and then! And there have been no regrets. I absolutely love Bartercard.
I order radiators, workshop supply fluids, rags etc. for the workshop using the trade dollars and find the cashless network to be very beneficial as it allows me to save cash in the business. I also spend my trade dollars on incentivising my staff as I reward them with bonuses in trade which they can then spend on dinners out, gifts, accommodation, activities etc.
As a business, we find Bartercard is very effective to sell our services on. We have built up quite a few clients on Bartercard and reciprocate the arrangement when required – it works really well.
We’ve found the networking events to be really beneficial too and that’s where the majority of our business has come from – there’s nothing better than a first-hand recommendation either! The weekly promos are also another great way to source new clients as well as finding products and services we can use within our business.
Since joining, we’ve seen our business grow – it’s brought us an additional 10-15% customer base which we just wouldn’t have had if it wasn’t for Bartercard. Our bottom line has increased by up to 20% and we save around $500 cash per month!
Being a part of the network also allows me to cash convert as I’m able to purchase workshop products using our trade dollars which I can then sell on through cash. A great example of this is when I’ve been able to buy oil products - $10,000 worth – saving the business roughly $7,000 in cash! I also use trade dollars
While Bartercard is an excellent business tool, we’ve also taken advantage of the lifestyle offering! We’ve purchased personal items such as gaming consoles, compound bow, overseas holidays, got my son’s car panel beaten, bought a new lounge suite, painted my corvette, as well as dinners out. My boat purchase has to definitely be my most memorable purchase. I’d always wanted a boat and Bartercard allowed me to achieve this dream.
All in all, Bartercard is awesome and I’m really enjoying being a part of a growing network.
Stuart Evans
To find out more about Stuart’s business, visit https://evancomechanical.com.au.
