Business Digest

NATION

Census data compare stay-at-home moms, others

NEW YORK — Move over, June Cleaver. Stay-at-home moms today are more likely to be younger, lower income, Hispanic or foreign born than their working counterparts.

Census data collected by the U.S. government on families and households compared married stay-at-home mothers with other married women — who either worked themselves, had husbands who didn’t work or did not cite caring for home and family as the reason they didn’t work.

In this market, bartering can help small businesses

NEW YORK — It may be the oldest business strategy in the world, dating back to prehistoric times.

Today, bartering can be a great way for a small business to either use free time during a slow cycle or dispose of excess inventory without taking a markdown on its balance sheet.

“The market right now is perfect for bartering, whether you’re a landscape artist, restaurant owner or a printing company,” said Bob Reiss, author of the recently published book, “Bootstrapping 101: Tips to Build Your Business with Limited Cash and Free Outside Help.”

Not only can a business benefit from exchanging goods and services for other goods and services without handing over precious cash, the swap can be good advertising if the other party is pleased with the trade. It’s also a great way to get full retail value for your product or service without having to discount the price.

Associated Press