Legend of the Merchant - Business Resources For Modern Day Merchants

Legend of the Merchant

Using The Power Of Exchange To Make Your Ideas Come To Life

The spirit of the merchant lives within all of us. Our inner merchant understands that life exists with a constant flow of exchange, and wishes to use that exchange to transform their ideas into reality. We exchange many different forms of energy with our environment, with other organisms, and with ourselves. And with this exchange, the craft of trade arises.

Before they were called entrepreneurs or businessmen and women, the class of master creators was known as merchants. Today, if you are working on developing an idea and transforming it into a valuable good or service, then you are simply a modern day merchant.

Whether you are creating music, art, a clean energy device, or a new form of holistic medicine, it makes no difference. You are using your imagination to create value, you are offering that value to others, and then you are asking to receive value in exchange. Hence, you are a modern day merchant performing the craft of trade in the commercial arena.

Legend of the Merchant

Using The Power Of Exchange To Make Your Ideas Come To Life

The spirit of the merchant lives within all of us. Our inner merchant understands that life exists with a constant flow of exchange, and wishes to use that exchange to transform their ideas into reality. We exchange many different forms of energy with our environment, with other organisms, and with ourselves. And with this exchange, the craft of trade arises.

Before they were called entrepreneurs or businessmen and women, the class of master creators was known as merchants. Today, if you are working on developing an idea and transforming it into a valuable good or service, then you are simply a modern day merchant.

Whether you are creating music, art, a clean energy device, or a new form of holistic medicine, it makes no difference. You are using your imagination to create value, you are offering that value to others, and then you are asking to receive value in exchange. Hence, you are a modern day merchant performing the craft of trade in the commercial arena.

I. The Manifestation Process

A merchant brings an idea into reality via the Manifestation Process which consists of the following:

Conception - The idea is first seeded inside the mind and heart where it begins its initial stages of development.

Incubation - The idea begins to take shape in the form of actions that yield product or service development, a business plan, and an assortment of agreements.

Birthing - The product or service is released into the market where it is made available for purchase.

I. The Manifestation Process

A merchant brings an idea into reality via the Manifestation Process which consists of the following:

Conception - The idea is first seeded inside the mind and heart where it begins its initial stages of development.

Incubation - The idea begins to take shape in the form of actions that yield product or service development, a business plan, and an assortment of agreements.

Birthing - The product or service is released into the market where it is made available for purchase.

II. The Art of Trade

As merchants, we are playing a game of giving and receiving, and we call this game, trade. There are different ways in which we can exchange value with one another, most of which can be classified into two categories - bartering and money transactions.

Limitations of Bartering
Bartering is the exchange of goods or services for other goods or services. While we may find ourselves reaping the benefits of bartering from time to time, us merchants tend to find that there are great deal of limitations that emerge with this form of exchange. For example, those who need the good or service that we have to offer often do not have what we wish to receive in exchange. Additionally, those who we need good or services from do not necessarily need what we wish to give them in exchange. For example, a doctor may have a need for food from a farmer, but the farmer currently does not need any medical services from the doctor. This makes bartering, by itself, an often inconvenient and illiquid form of trade.

The Universal Medium of Exchange
Because of the limitations imposed by bartering, a universal medium of exchange was developed, which could be readily used as valuable consideration for most any good or service. This medium of exchange is commonly known as money. Money is rightly coined the nickname 'currency' because it reflects the flow of valuable energy (current) from one position to another. It carries a standard of value, a denomination, which can be contributed to every good or service reasonably imaginable. The value of money is regulated by economic conditions and governing agencies. In order for us to harness the powers of this currency, merchants must achieve at least a basic understanding of the laws that govern it.

II. The Art of Trade

As merchants, we are playing a game of giving and receiving, and we call this game, trade. There are different ways in which we can exchange value with one another, most of which can be classified into two categories - bartering and money transactions.

Limitations of Bartering
Bartering is the exchange of goods or services for other goods or services. While we may find ourselves reaping the benefits of bartering from time to time, us merchants tend to find that there are great deal of limitations that emerge with this form of exchange. For example, those who need the good or service that we have to offer often do not have what we wish to receive in exchange. Additionally, those who we need good or services from do not necessarily need what we wish to give them in exchange. For example, a doctor may have a need for food from a farmer, but the farmer currently does not need any medical services from the doctor. This makes bartering, by itself, an often inconvenient and illiquid form of trade.

The Universal Medium of Exchange
Because of the limitations imposed by bartering, a universal medium of exchange was developed, which could be readily used as valuable consideration for most any good or service. This medium of exchange is commonly known as money. Money is rightly coined the nickname 'currency' because it reflects the flow of valuable energy (current) from one position to another. It carries a standard of value, a denomination, which can be contributed to every good or service reasonably imaginable. The value of money is regulated by economic conditions and governing agencies. In order for us to harness the powers of this currency, merchants must achieve at least a basic understanding of the laws that govern it.

Money as Energy

When looking at the currency in terms of energy, a question arises. What is the most efficient way for us to give energy so that we may receive usable energy in return? After all, Isaac Newton's 3rd Law of Motion says that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, in other words, what is the most efficient way one can offer their skill set to others in exchange for the universal medium of exchange--money? It is from this question that the venue of business arises. Our business is the vehicle by which our goods or services are offered and sold to the world. Some goods and services can be made manifest from an individual, such as a sole proprietor selling his/her paintings, while others require many individuals, such as the production and sale of an Apple iphone. Like any living organism, a business is made up of many parts that must work together in order to make it function properly. A mission, team, good or service, finance department, marketing department, promotions department, and web site (public face), are some elements of a business we commonly consider when making our offering to the world.

In order for the merchant to increase their chances of success, they must become well versed in all parts of business that are necessary for it to properly perform its underlying function. This could be quite overwhelming in its initial stages.

Some people who start a business already excel at their particular skill set. Let's take a painter for example. A good painter is one who excels in the art of painting, but may not necessarily be one who is also successful in the business and industry of painting. Chances are, there are more good painters out there than painters who are successful in the business of painting. Why is this so?

In order for a person to be a good painter, they need only excel at the skill of painting, but in order for that painter to be successful in the business of painting, they also must develop at least a basic set of skills in finance, marketing, management, promotions, advertising, web design, and other governing aspects of a legal fiction (e.g. a corporation). In short, the skill of being a good painter is much more narrow when compared to that of a painter who has achieved the myriad of skills involved in the business of painting. In consideration of the foregoing, we can now understand why there are so many starving artists out there. Some artists (entrepreneurs) become intimidated at the idea of having to learn all the various aspects that accompany birthing a brand new company, not to mention the endurance it will take to see that company become economically sustainable.

That's where Order of Merchants comes in. At Order of Merchants we design tools to assist aspiring merchants in meeting their personal & entrepreneurial goals. Currently we are developing an interactive social platform that assists people in developing what we call the 3 Merchant Virtues. These virtues are powers that, when harnessed, better enable us to use the power of exchange to make our dreams come true.