The Buy Nothing Ladder, and the Lessons it Teaches

My neighbor had an extension ladder. We borrowed it about 10 years ago and he asked us to just keep it because he didn’t have room for it in his yard or garage. It was generous of him to loan it to us, even more so for us to have it at anytime we needed. We used it a lot, but over the years haven’t needed it as much.

We belong to a “Buy Nothing” group on Facebook, and that ladder gets around. One day a woman was asking if anyone had an extension ladder she could borrow for a day to fix a hole in her siding. A man needed to hang some holiday lights. Another couple were fixing up a nursery with a vaulted ceiling. The list goes on and on.

In the past three or four years, that ladder has been to more than two dozen houses, and it hasn’t cost me anything, except a little time for communication.

Today someone who has borrowed it in the past sent me a message asking if his neighbor (not in the Buy Nothing group) could borrow it. Again, it is on its way to help someone new.

This all got me thinking about what we each have that we can easily give to another without any cost, and only a little communication effort. What metaphorical ladder do you have?

A thank you. A note to cheer someone who might be down. Encouragement to that entrepreneur who is secretly scared to death. An introduction of two people who could benefit from knowing each other. A comment on someone’s post to boost their visibility. What is your metaphorical ladder?

Or flip it – what do you need that someone might be willing to offer you? Do you need an introduction? Ideas for a blog? An invite to someone’s podcast? Advice? Encouragement?

What if we focused a percentage of our day – even if it was just a small one – on what we could ask for or offer to make our businesses grow? If you are an entrepreneur reading this, please let me know what I can do to support you - email me!