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Welcome to the Barter Edge Podcast—your insider guide to smarter business, bigger networks, and better ways to trade.
Whether you're a seasoned member or just getting started, we're here to share real stories, expert tips from different industries, and fresh ideas to help you grow your business using the power of the Bartercard ecosystem.
BC_Episode 3
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[00:00:00] Welcome to the Barter Edge Podcast, your insider guide to smarter business, bigger networks, and better ways to trade. We are here to share real stories, expert tips from different industries and fresh ideas to help you grow your business using the power of barter cart.
I'm your host, Jen Trevorrow, and today I'm here with a very special Barta card member, miss Annie Noon from photo four. It's absolutely pleasure to have you in the studio with us today. Annie, would you like to introduce yourself to everyone? I. Thank you, Jen. It's always lovely to see you. Yeah, so I'm Annie Noon from Photo Force Photography.
It's a business that I run in conjunction with my husband David. And we have a studio based out of Burleigh Heads. But basically we do all kinds of photography and we operate anywhere from Byron Beta. Brisbane is our patch, but most of our work is on the Gold [00:01:00] Coast. You, your work is absolutely sensational.
I've been privileged enough to see your presentations and the scope of your work is just amazing from business photography for your headshot and things like that, to family, to pets, to events. Your event work is just amazing. So I love photographing events 'cause I love capturing just the spirit of a, of a.
People go to so much trouble organizing these amazing events and to have, you know, them documented photographically creatively is fantastic because it becomes almost like a historical document of that event. You know? So I love to capture all the little secret moments when people aren't looking and everything in anything that's happening on stage and in the room and just try and capture the vibe.
So I love, I love photographing events and it is something I've become very much known for on the coast. Yeah. Annie, you've been a Bartercard member for quite a long time. Can you share with us how long you've been a member [00:02:00] and maybe how Bartercard has helped your business? Yes. Well, I have been a member now for over 20 years, so a long time, and during that time I have traded over a million dollars so you can see, wow.
It's brought, and I mean, that's me. Earning dollars and spending dollars, it's probably half and half in each court. But you can see how it's really added an extra stream of income to my business that I wouldn't have otherwise had. So it, it brings new clients to me. And you know, I always find, I. The Bartercard people as, as in yourself and the lovely Renee who's also there.
You're really good at promoting us finding what we're looking for. If there's something we wanna buy, you'll kind of research it and try and find it for us. If there's an area that we can be promoted in so that people come to us, that'll happens too. So it's really reciprocal and I love that.
Yeah, and it's interesting because a lot of marketing and things like that, or networking even, you can't [00:03:00] track. Where the business is going. Yeah. And you know how much you're investing into a marketing campaign. You can't always track what you're getting in return. Yes. But, but with barta card, you can actually track everything, can't you?
Yes, absolutely. It's, it's all, it's all down there on record. Yeah. Yeah. So what are some of the innovative or strategic ways that you've been able to use your Barta card account? Well, look, I see it as, you know, I've been able to really improve my lifestyle. You know, at Bartercard has afforded me to buy things that perhaps it was coming out of my bank.
You know, my normal banking money, I'd think twice about. So I put solar panels on the roof through Bartercard which was fantastic. My house I also operate a business on one on one level of my studio. And. That whole house we painted inside and out. Now we bought all the paint on Bartercard and then we got tradesmen in to, to complete that.
That obviously took a couple of weeks 'cause it's quite a big job. Outdoor tiles we've done on Bartercard and my garden, which is extensive 'cause I have over half an acre of [00:04:00] gardens that so many plants have been bought through Bartercard They have now grown up to be beautiful plants that I actually use as backgrounds in my photos.
So it's kind of created lovely settings within my garden from all those plants. That's just a touch on a personal level. I remember at one stage having this really big s shindig of a party and we basically did the entire party on Bartercard We did the catering. Had a huge cake made. It was to celebrate.
I. My wedding. So it was my wedding reception. Oh. I bought a new dress. I had my hair and makeup done. All of that was Bartercard We bought alcohol for it. We had a cocktail maker. We had a musician. Really, it was just a beautiful, beautiful party for, for everyone we know. And it was totally. You know, paid for with Bartercard So that was fantastic. That's amazing. And I'm so glad that you've brought this up. I was having a conversation with a woman who works at a cafe a few weeks [00:05:00] ago. Mm-hmm. And she said her previous employer had Barta card and they got all of their staff bonuses through their Barta card. Mm-hmm. And she goes, I loved it because I got to pay for a third of my wedding.
Mm-hmm. And I got some of the extras that I never would've been able to afford. Exactly. That's exactly right. Yes. Yes. It, it can help you win your lifestyle and your business. It does, and it's helped me with both, for sure. Yeah. I love that. Thank you so much for sharing, Annie. Mm-hmm. From your experience in photography, what opportunity or trends should business owners be looking into?
Well look, in today's world, there is so many streams of promotions that you can follow. You know, so many different aspects to social media. You know, you've got LinkedIn, you've got Instagram, you've got Facebook and oh, and all of the other ones too. Tac, TikTok, et cetera. And I think what businesses need to do now is be brave enough to put themselves out there because doing that brings work to us.
It's kind of [00:06:00] like. Our advertising now, and particularly when you get other people who jump on a and add comments 'cause they've used you and they can sing your praises. So it becomes like a whole advertorial promotion for you and your business. And I think in today's world. People want do want to know about you.
They want to know about the face behind the business. They want to know what your passions are. They want to see if they're in sync with you. There are so many reasons why you really do need to be promoting yourself and all the aspects of your business out there in today's world. So, you know, for all of those reasons you know, I can help with that because of course I can produce some beautiful imagery which.
Helps to sing your praises. Yeah, absolutely. I've got a bit of a pet peeve when I go onto websites and there's no about section, but there's also no real people on the website. Like I know for myself and I, I'm sure a lot of our listeners will agree that people wanna do business with real [00:07:00] people, and so we need to inject that.
Personality back into the business. And I absolutely, rather than using stock shots, which are just these anonymous people, to make them make them absolutely real. And I've developed a, a new sort of way of photographing groups of people or teams. 'cause I do a lot of different corporate teams, some who have large employees, you know, 25 people, 10 people, 15 people and we've.
Created this way of photographing people where we can photograph you individually whilst we're doing the shoot and depe you or cut you out and. Then we blend all the images together to create a current team look. And if somebody leaves, it's very easy for us to drop that person out and then insert the new person without having to photograph everybody all over again.
It's just a way of really keeping your teams up to date and a lot, I'm doing that for a lot of businesses around town, and they can see the advantages of always having something that's absolutely current and up to date of who their teams are, you know what, what [00:08:00] areas they work in, et cetera. I've seen some of that photography, Annie, and you couldn't tell.
It looks like you've got them all know. That's right. Look, I, you know, sometimes we photograph them at the back of a warehouse or something like that. I put a bit of a WAP white background up, but then we end up, once we create the team, look, we might put them at the beach or we might put them on a building site or you know, we can create.
A new look background for them with, with ease. And it also means it just lends itself to once you've got that deep edge team photo, you know, you can put it on an Easter background on a Christmas background and it becomes your company kind of Christmas card, that sort of thing. So, it's quite innovative and a lot of people are really liking it.
Yeah. Yeah. Fantastic. Now you've had a lot of experience. Mm-hmm. And you could talk about photography all day, I reckon, and I love looking at some of the, the things that you've captured. Who's the most famous person you've been able to capture? Oh, look, I guess people always talk about my photos of Richard Branson.
He he was on the Gold Coast with [00:09:00] his, not really his offsider, but was kind of his right hand man was an ex Bondi student, so he. Australian who went to Bond University, worked with Richard for several years and they were actually in town for some sort of Virgin music festival, but they heard that there was an entrepreneurial Ted talk on at Bond Uni 'cause he heard about it.
'cause he's a, he's a bondy, so he gets all the current thing and he said to Richard. Wouldn't it be amazing if we just lobbed in on that unannounced kind of thing? Well, it was announced to bond, but the students didn't know what's happening. So this, they just landed in their virgin helicopter and I sort of got the inside words.
So I went and photographed him for a couple of newspapers and things, and he's such a lovely man, and nothing is too much trouble. I mean, unlike a lot of. Big time people who big note people. He was, now you sure you've got enough? Is there anything else you want me to do? Nothing was too much trouble for him.
He's just a really, really pleasant individual. What a, that's one a [00:10:00] remarkable experience for you, Annie. You would've been the envy of every other photographer for that. Yeah, I actually photographed him twice 'cause I photographed him at cooling Gutter Airport. Once again, it was another Virgin Virgin Airline promotion thing, so, yeah.
Yes. Has Barta Card helped you promote your business to more opportunities? Yes, A, a, as I've said. It opens up a whole stream of business that you might not have been you know, you might not have known about otherwise. 'cause you can promote us in house, but you also promote us personally through all your trade co coordinators and things.
So, yes, sometimes you've come up with ideas that I haven't thought of and it ended up in me. You know, selling lots of vouchers, that sort of thing. So it's been great. Speaking of vouchers mm-hmm. What offer do you have for people listening today? I have a hundred percent barta card vouchers that I'm doing at the moment, and that, that is, is kind of split into two areas.
One, I'd see as. If you're needing a great new corporate headshot then it's a one hour photo shoot. So in that you could [00:11:00] probably do three outfit changes, so get three different looks and it would include your 10 favorites that we find, finish, and edit, and. Always bring out the best of yourselves in, in our editing.
And I usually do those at my studio at Burleigh. But it's very easy just to stroll outside and do a few outdoor ones as well, so you can have that incorporated into it. A studio and an outdoor setting. So that is four 40, which is a good price for one hour and 10 images, but also for the same price.
That, and again, it's one hour and 10 fine finished images. You can use that for your family portraits or it could be a, a. A beautiful couple just got engaged or something. Or it could be you with your pets, you know? Or it could be, you know, your daughter's going off to a school formal, and it's the photos that you take beforehand before she goes off to the formal.
It can incorporate it in any way you'd like to. That revolves around your family and something personal like that. Oh, Annie, thank you so much. That's such an [00:12:00] amazing offer for all of our Barta card members. If someone's listening right now though, and they aren't a Barta card member mm-hmm. What would be your advice to them?
Look, I would say, you know, definitely look at Barta card and as I said, it is, you know, you have your normal business coming to you, but this opens a whole new stream to your, to your business makeup. So, you know, when I'm doing my. Bookwork, you know, I have my cash customers and then I have my Barta card customers.
So it's just another stream to my bow and basically brings, brings you in work that you wouldn't have otherwise got. And in turn, often those people then recommend other people to you. So it just, it keeps escalating and keeps growing. Absolutely. Yeah. You can't really lose. Thank you so much once again, Annie, we love you at barter card.
Thanks. I mean, you have photographed some of our team as well. Yes. And yeah. I wish you all the best in the future. Thank you, Jen. [00:13:00] Thanks for your time. Thank you for being with us. Today and sharing your stories and expertise. If you wanna find out how Barter Card can help your business, or if you wanna be a guest on our future podcast, contact our team at hello@bartercard.com.
Make sure you tune in for our next episode of the Barter Edge.