Gina was the first person to contact me. She was the one that really got the ball rolling and gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, this web site and idea might just work.

I had just posted the National Geographic magazines, along with an explanation of what I was trying to do on Craigslist an hour earlier when she sent me an email asking me if I wanted to trade.

Her reason for wanting to trade: "I find your idea entertaining and I really hope it works.  I have been looking for the August 1966 volume of NG for a friend so I'd like to trade."

We swapped two days later.

Mikal is a very unique individual.

He first contacted me wanting to trade an old stock certificate from a company that was now defunct. I thought he was just making fun of me, turns out he was serious.

He introduced me to the world of Scripophily: the collecting of bond & stock certificates.

I had never heard of such a thing, but after he explained it all to me and I "googled" it, turns out it is a pretty big deal. Even with all he told me, I didn't think a worthless stock certificate would trade very well, so I told him "no can do".

Mikal was determined. He then offered up the military map case along with humorous copy to entice me. It worked!

Turns out he wanted to trade for the May 1983 issue to surprise his wife...I think it was the month in which they were married.

Tracy, by far, has been the biggest surprise for me. She contacted me wanting to trade for 9 magazines.

Seems she had a very creative idea for the 9.

In Tracy's words: "I'm going to frame all 9 individually and make wall art. Each issue has some relevance to me and the hubby, whether we've traveled there, want to travel there or the issue really "spoke" to us. I'll send you a picture of my wall art once I get it up. We'll work on it this weekend".

Tracy, from your description, you seem to be very creative and I can't wait to see the photo of how you displayed them.

Tracy also wanted to trade me for the palm tree votive candles! She got them!

Diana is an incredible woman! Not only is she my mother-in-law, but she a great healer!

I have known Diana now for over 14 years (hard to believe) and she has saved me from myself countless times. Being an active soccer player I get hurt a lot and being old means everything hurts!

I still remember the first time she "worked" on me. Somehow my back spasmed...I mean really spasmed, like I am flat on the ground and I can't move spasmed! I literally could not move.

I'll be honest with you, I am a pretty conservative guy and the the idea of having my mother-in-law massage my body had all my worlds colliding and imploding. It wasn't natural, but I was in no condition to do anything.

She saved me that day and many days after that. She is an incredibly giving individual. She comes to our house every weekend to spend time with us and her grandchildren.

If you are stressed, in pain, or in need of a deep tissue massage, I highly recommend Diana for your aches and pains. She is very skilled at healing. One last thing, she is very generous too. She donated a massage to my cause without me even asking her!

Kelly, Kelly, Kelly!

Anyone who knows Kelly knows that he is a one-of-a-kind! He is very much a people person and it suits him well.

He and his wife Barbara own and operate BBQ Bob's in Loveland, across from Hewlett-Packard, next to Schmidt's Bakery.

I met Kelly over 10 years ago, the very first week he opened his restaurant. My wife and I got a flyer on our door inviting us to try his new restaurant. So we toddled on up, walked right in and realized we were the only ones in the restaurant except for Kelly.

I asked him if we needed a reservation to get a table and from that moment on, our friendship was set!

When I told him about the web site and what I was trying to do, a couple days later he showed up on his motorcycle and took me to his house and started pointing to things in his garage that he wanted me to use to trade up. I settled on the block window and a lariat.

If you like great BBQ, stop in and give them a try, or if you have a special occasion coming up that requires catering, like a graduation, call Kelly at BBQ Bob's, you won't be sorry. We used him for my step son's graduation party and it was absolutely PERFECT!

www.b-b-q-bobs.com

Alex holds a special
place in my heart!

Not only has he offered what I consider "a most excellent trade", from out-of-state (Minnesota), but he's also my brother!

When I decided to do this, one of the things I chose not to do was ask my family for help. I didn't want them to feel like they had to participate. You see, I love my family and they are very supportive and giving.

What I didn't count on though was them wanting to be apart of my journey!

When I showed Alex the website he spent sometime looking at the covers and then made me a trade offer for October 1945. When I asked him why October 1945? His reply "a month after WW2 ended. It has to be a good read!"

I appreciate Alex's generosity!

He graduates from college in May. I am proud of him! Next year he is off to Grad School!

Oh yeah, he'll kill me for doing this, but Ladies, he's 23 and I believe he is available!

This is "J"!

This is "J" and me, but she really doesn't look like this, so if you see a woman that resembles this sketch, please, please, please, do not call her name or try to talk to her or you might to be arrested and put into a mental institution where you will have your very own special coat with super longs arms that hug you all the way around your upper body!

As I said before, I've know "J" for over 10 years! She is a very honest and trusty worthy person who is not afraid to speak her mind...this is not a bad thing as she tempers it with wisdom.

"J" I want to thank you for your support for my cause!

(One last thought...thank you to my daughter, Sara. She drew the portrait of "J" and I drew me!)

I'm not sure how well someone can get to know someone in 5-10 minutes, but I would like to think I am a pretty good judge of character. From our brief interactions through email and our meeting in person, Amy impressed me from the very start! From what I can tell of Amy, she is an intelligent, warm and generous woman who wants to give her 3-year son a great childhood.

Amy contacted me wanting to trade for the Lariat Rope and Sports Cones. It seems her son has been trying to rope a steer head with a dog leash, and somehow it's just not quite the same. So she did a search on Craigslist for a lariat rope and that is how she found me!

She loved my trading up idea and showed her family. She then sent me photos of two really nice mountain bikes. They are definitely a trade up!

I also want to say "Thank you" to her brother, David, not only for making the journey with her to make the trade and taking our picture, but also for taking the extra step and greasing up the bikes! They are in great condition.

Ann is Family!

She is my mother's cousin, so I think that makes her my 2nd cousin...not sure if that is correct or not.

Ann was out here in Colorado visiting in July and I had an opportunity to share with her what I was attempting to do. She sympathized...you see, she is a self-made entrepreneur and knows first hand the trials and tribulations of trying to start up a business. So she has graciously traded me a beautiful hand-made Navajo Turquoise ring from her store that she runs in Sedona, AZ.

She and my mom are close and she has a lot of love and respect for Grammie. She thinks what I am doing is inventive! She liked the idea so much, she wanted to trade me a authentic, hand-made, Navajo Indian #8 spiderweb turquoise ring for the October, 1970 issue. That is the month and year of her son's birthday!

If you would like to see more of Ann's jewelry selections, please visit her at http://www.beadofthemonthclub.com

This was one of the most unusual trades I have made to date! It wasn't what I traded for, but how the trade went down. I never thought I would ever have to succumb to a NSA background check, and jump through so many hoops to set up a meeting just to swap a couple of items.

You see, Tony/Toni (not his or her real name, it was changed to protect the innocent...and that would be me if you were wondering!) is in the WRP (Witness Relocation Program).

I really wasn't able to learn too much about Tony/Toni or why he/she was in the WRP. All I was really allowed to do was take a silhouette photo, make the exchange, and promise never to reveal anything about the trade, not that I ever could. I was picked up in a black SUV, blindfolded, and taken to an undisclosed location. The only thing I did learn about why Tony/Toni wanted to trade me for the Nintendo Gamecube was that it was for his/her 5-year old child.

One last thing, I would like to thank Tony's/Toni's handlers for not doing a strip search on me!

ps. (I'll leave it up to you to decide if this is a true story.)

Ali wanted the April 1984 issue of National Geographic for a couple of reasons. It is her birthday month and year, but more importantly it had dogs on the cover.

I do not know a whole lot about Ali, but one thing I know for sure is that Ali is very passionate about dogs...especially her own, Buttercup.

As you can see here, Buttercup is special! Also know as SpiderDog! But please keep her real identity a secret...nobody likes a tattletale!

This is a "Boomerang Trader"!

A "Boomerang Trader" is someone that has previously traded with me and has come back to trade with me again!

"Movie Jackpot"

Brandon is a straight forward guy that strikes me as someone with a lot of integrity and really values honesty. Add in his big heart and you have one great guy!

Brandon was moving out of his last house and had a rather large (and heavy) television. Once he got it down the stairs, he realized he didn't want to lug it any further, so he gave it to his neighbor!

That's why he wanted to trade me the DVD player and DVDs...he no longer needed them since he gave away his TV!

So why did he want the oil painting? He was moving into a new place and wanted something nice to put on his wall!

Bryan Adams would
love this trade!

For those of you who are confused, Bryan Adams is a Canadian born rock star that gained popularity in the early 80's with a song titled "Cuts Like A Knife" OK...OK, so it's a bit cheesy, but it is my web site and this is my way of having a little bit of fun!

I like Vern!

Vern traded (5) pocket knives for the Jan 1969 issue of National Geographic Magazine.

Vern is the type of guy that if you were to sit down next to him at a bar, by the time you are finished with your first beer, you are best friends!

He is a very interesting, easy-going guy that I felt very comfortable talking too. I imagine he has some great stories...

Vern made me a trade offer with me early on in the year, but I declined his first trade offer. Two months later he offered up these pocket knives. I appreciate him remembering me and trying again.

Vern wanted the January 1969 issue for his son who turned 40 this last January just to show him what was going on at the time of his birth, like a time capsule. His son thought it was kinda cool!

"Brandon Part 2"

As I said before,Brandon is a straight forward guy that strikes me as someone with a lot of integrity.

I was really glad to hear he wanted to trade me again. This time I had a little more time to talk to him. I met him at one of his two jobs.

Come to find out we have a lot in common. We both have spent quite a bit of time earning a living in restaurants and we both have had held different positions within restaurants. After learning what he was doing now, I bow to his cooking expertise! He definitely has some skills I do not!

This time Brandon wanted to trade me for the "Rules of the House" plaque and the Ab Lounge Sport®. His fiancee really wanted the plaque to hang in their home. She remembered her parents having something similar in her childhood home and wanted the plaque to make their home special.

Brandon also wanted to trade for the Ab Sport Lounge. Both he and his fiancee are on their feet all day and having a exercise bike didn't really make sense for them.

"Great Friends!"

Ryan is a former neighbor of ours!

Ryan heard what I was doing and wanted to help me out by donating two very nice items. He donated the Monster iCarPlay iPod FM Transmitter/Charger and ADAX Traveler's Wallet.

I've know Ryan for over 10 years. We've both discovered the wonderment and joy of raising kids and have watched each other grow into fatherhood.

Although they moved away, we still get to see Ryan, his wife, and the kids at school functions! It is always great to catch up with them.

If you ever have a chance to get to know Ryan, I would highly recommend it–he is a real stand-up guy that will give you a genuine friendship!

I traded my Mother-In-Law
away for a Drill Press!

Helen is a long time friend and exceptional coed soccer teammate. We've been playing on the same indoor/outdoor soccer team now for over 10 years.

Helen, had been wanting to trade for the massage for quite a long time, but she didn't know what to offer up to trade. Then she thought of the drill press she never used in her basement.

Why the drill press? She had bought it for a good price years ago, and had high hopes for all these woodworking  projects. She never used it. It was taking up space in her basement, and she thought, "I don't have time to sell it for what it's worth, and I since I bought it for less than it's worth (so I'm not really taking a loss), and I need to clean up my basement. It was a pretty easy decison."

"Who doesn't want to go after a full hour of nothing but relaxation? Plus the massage doesn't take up space in my basement. Swapping's good, but it's even better when you swap something that adds to your clutter for something that takes up absolutely no space at all, (yet might extend your life span by a day or two!)"  : )

"Diana was great. I totally recommend her to anyone who needs a good relax and a good workover."

Helen, Diana, I truely appreciate both of you for your support and your generosity! Thank you!

Sometimes it's not about
the trade, but about the
burgers and fries and making the best of an unfortunate situation...

Meet Mark!
Mark is a very nice guy and from what
I can tell a great husband with a
very loving wife, Lonelle.

Mark loves biking, but wanted something for when the weather isn't cooperating, so he was looking into exercise bikes as something that might fill the void.

Mark's timing was perfect! I got to thinking about how with Summer coming up, people are going to be wanting to get into shape and possibly looking at exercise equipment. But that also meant garage sales, where exercise equipment is plentiful and cheap. So I decided to do something that I have not done before in my trades and that was to take a chance at trading for something that was very specific and didn't have wide appeal. This was the perfect opportunity to see if I could trade something that only a very few people might want.

So I agreed to the trade with Mark and I was very fortunate that Mark and his Wife were going to be in town to celebrate their 22nd Wedding Anniversary!

About 10 minutes before we were to meet, Mark called to let me know that their car had broken down on the side of the highway and wouldn't be able be at the trade on time. He told me he would call me back after he talked to the tow truck company.

While I waited for Mark to call me back, I started thinking about his situation and how I have had my fair share of break downs and it SUCKS! And to have it happen on your Anniversary date, that SUCKS even more. So I decided at that moment that the trade wasn't the priority but their safety and well being was and if I could do anything to salvage their special night, I would.

When Mark called back he told me that it would be about 45 minutes before the tow truck would get to them. For anyone who has waited on a tow truck, the 45-minute window is just the "Hope Bone" they throw you to keep you from panicking. I knew I had to do something to help them, so I bought some burgers, fries and drinks and met them on the highway.

I really don't know what they thought of me bringing them food, but I am glad I did. After we made the trade I contacted Mark to make sure they made it home OK and it turns out that they waited 2 1/2 hours for the tow truck.

Mark, I know it wasn't the best anniversary celebration, but Thank You for letting be a small part of it! I wish you and Lonelle all the best!

UPDATE: I was "chatting" with Mark on Facebook and found out that he was able to find another recumbent bike for free. Since he now had 2, he donated one to the local school exercise room!

Gene (and his wife) are the best neighbors anyone could
ask for!

For the record, when I started out on this journey, I promised myself two things:

1. "Don't give up" and
2. Don't expect my friends to trade with me unless they want to.

So to have Gene want to trade with me is an extra special treat!

Gene is the ultimate neighbor! He is like "Tim the Toolman Taylor" and "Wilson" the "wise sage" neighbor from Home Improvement all rolled into one.

He and I moved into our neighborhood at the same time and he has advised/supervised me on just about every home improvement project I have ever done. Fences, sprinklers, landscaping, lawns, framing, electrical, drywall, plumbing and just about anything else you can do to a new house. He has been very generous with his time, knowledge, wisdom and friendship. And now he was generous in trading me a great digital camera for a simple, but nice drill press!

I always joke with him that if Armegeddon ever comes, I will feel safe as he is capable of making just about anything and everything to repel any neighborhood invaders.

Funny thing though, he already has a drill press (in fact, I think he has 2) but he wanted one to put in his basement where is making handmade pens. As you can see to the left, they are pretty spectacular!

He uses a variety of materials including" corian, exotic wood, rare wood, and acrylic. If I know Gene, he can use just about any material and turn it into a pen...no, a work of art that just about anybody would be happy and impressed to have.

This is only a small sample of the pens and pencils Gene has made, but it gives you the idea how nice they are.

These pens make great gifts for just about any occasion! Think of your boss or coworkers, a graduate, your clients, or anyone you want to impress or treat to a special gift!

If you would like to have Gene make you a custom pen, pencil, or a matching pen/pencil set, just send me an email and I'll will get you in touch with him. The pens start at $20. Email me at randy@swapstartmybiz.com

SURPRISE!

This was a fun trade!

Dakota's Mom, Shari, knew that Dakota was getting bigger and needed a bigger bike to keep up on the family bike rides. So she turned to CraigsList where she saw that I had a Youth mountain bike up for trade.

She read my story and being an entrepreneur herself, she understood why I needed to raise so much capital to start my business. So she offered up a arc welder to trade for the bike.

When they arrived for the trade, I found out that she had not told Dakota about the bike until about 5 minutes before they arrived so he would be surprised!

Shari may have brokered the trade, but it was Dakota that "sealed the deal!"

He took the bike for a spin around the parking lot and had the biggest smile on his face when he returned. He then went on to tell me how "obnoxious" his old bike was and that he was very happy to be getting a new one.

Dakota, I wish you very many happy miles on your new bike!

Good Luck Chuck!!

This was a surprising trade that came out of nowhere and took very little time to complete.

Chuck contacted me wanting to trade some miscellaneous auto mechanic tools for the musical rainstick. He drove al l the way down from Wyoming to meet me at Buffalo Wild Wings in Fort Collins!

As I understand it, Chuck had a huge rolling toolbox back in Indiana, and one of the drawers in it was locked. Once he got it unlocked, he found quite a few mechanic's tools which he had no use for, so he thought he would trade me for the musical rainstick. He thought it would entertain his two girls.

My thoughts are with Chuck! He is going through a major life change. He is moving to Philadelphia for a new job. I wish him the best!

Thank you Chuck for your generosity!

Double Shot of
Decaffeinated Darla, please...

When Darla first contacted me, she was looking for a specific National Geographic issue that was about tornedoes and specifically had a fold-out of a Wyoming tornado in it .Darla really put me to task!

It took me a couple of hours to actually find it, but I did it! It was the June 1987 issue! This issue was special to her...she remembers looking at it in her Dad's basement.

According to Darla, the fold-out photograph of the Wyoming tornedo combines two of her passions. At a young age, Darla thought seriously about being a meterologist. That was what she seriously wanted to do for a living. Her other love is photography and she is constantlly taking snapshots of her family and the wildlife surrounding her home. She has taken some incredible photos that she posted on her FaceBook page.

Darla traded me a coffee maker that plugs into your cigarette lighter (great for RVs and campers) for the June 1987 National Geographic issue.

While we were visiting, Darla asked about some of my other trades, so I showed her my website and she asked if she could see the Eddie Bauer shadow boxes.

She then offered to trade her cappuccino machine for one of the shadow boxes. I accepted! I mean how often does one get to trade for a cappuccino machine?

Darla, thank you for the trades! I really appreciated the time we spent visiting!

Beer Here!!

Meet Shaun!

Shaun emailed me wanting to trade (2) kneeboards for my "Mr. Beer" beer making kit and he wanted to trade as soon as possible.

We tried to trade that very night, but it wasn't to be. So we tried the next night.

When I met Shaun for the trade, I mentioned that we needed to get the trading photo and he had sort of a perplexed look on his face. Come to find out, Shaun had no idea of what I was trying to do with all my trades. He just saw my ad on Craigslist and wanted to trade for the beer making kit.

He recently started brewing his own beer and was all in with all the products that it takes to make beer. He told me he had a batch ready to bottle. I think he needed my kit to help with the batch he currently had fermenting.