If you had five dollars and two hours, what would you do to make as much money as possible?

There’s a six minute video from the Stanford technology venture program that asks this question, and gives three interesting solutions. One team pumped up bicycle tyres, another made reservations in restaurants that had lengthy queues and then sold their place, and the winner… well, you’ll have to watch the video!

So how is this applicable to magazine publishing?

The students who made the most money were the ones who were able to adapt. They saw a new challenge and knew they couldn’t afford to be limited by what they’d done in the past. In some senses, having no cash helped them find the creative spark they needed. They realised they had their own skills, and a three-minute presentation in the classroom at the end. They worked with what they’d got.

These are the sorts of people we think our new advertising barter exchange will appeal to. You’ve got a magazine that people read. You’ve got unsold pages. Why not barter them with other magazines and promote each other? Free promotion that benefits everyone.

Magazine publishers can sign up to ContraSwap today, free of charge.