GILD Community Corner: The Goldback Merchant Network Has Grown 75% This Year!

Written by Phil Eborn, Director of Community

November was another strong month with 194 new businesses joining the network, bringing the total to 3,363 merchants. Overall, we’ve seen a 75% increase in merchants this year alone! 

A More Diverse Network

More and more interest is coming in from outside the United States. Just recently, I had conversations with people building the GILD network in both the United Kingdom and Canada. Ten of November’s new signups were international, with Canada continuing to lead the way at 33 merchants so far. 

One of the most rewarding aspects of our growth is seeing the diversity of businesses joining the network. The seeds planted years ago have grown and are now starting to bloom! We began with small, local shops and family-owned businesses, who we will always value. Today, we’re welcoming a broader range of service providers, including health and wellness, home goods, food services, law offices, chiropractors, specialty retailers, construction services, and more. In some areas, there’s a Goldback-accepting business for nearly any need. Our goal is to continue building strong, diverse networks across the country. 

Growing the GILD

The beauty of this movement is that we’re building it together. As local networks grow, the likelihood of a Goldback series coming to your state increases. To support and empower that effort, we created GILD—a program that helps participants connect new businesses with Goldbacks.

In recent months, we’ve held GILD events in Utah, Florida, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Some of these gatherings have been as small as 20 people, while others saw 250 attendees. Large or small, each one has been meaningful. We have been encouraged to hear how many of you see Goldbacks as part of the solution to today’s economic challenges!

To support the growing GILD Network, we’ve developed a Field Guide that outlines our vision, our mission, and how Goldbacks work. We’ve also created a playbook that helps guide merchant interactions as you build the network in your local community.

Updates to the LER Program

The Limited Early Release program was developed to reward those who sign up new businesses and jumpstart new Goldback communities. Some participants and distributors have earned as many as 50 LERs! That’s real, inflation-resistant wealth returned to those strengthening the network. 

In Goldback states, both the merchant and the referrer receive a state-specific LER. This currently applies to Florida, Oklahoma, and Arizona, as well as all new and refreshed state series moving forward. For merchants and referrers in non-Goldback states, we introduced the Silverback LER reward. The response has been outstanding, and we quickly ran out of the Silver Dragons used for this program. 

I’m excited to share that we’ve created a new Silverback reward, featuring the Greek God Hades! It’s currently in the grading process and will be ready soon. Rest assured, we have kept all of the new merchants and referrals on record so we can retroactively reward you. Look for the new Hades Silverback around the beginning of the year!  

Merchant Spotlight

As we travel, we love using the merchant map to visit participating businesses and support them directly. A few recent highlights include Bella’s Pizza in Moore, Oklahoma—delicious food and even better people—and Freedom Mercantile in Vernal, Utah, where more than 30 businesses operate in one location. It’s a powerful example of a micro-economy where merchants use Goldbacks to support one another, keeping value circulating locally. We would love to see these types of mercantiles in every community!  

In Conclusion

We are always working to improve, and the best way to do that is by spending time with merchants, listening to their feedback, and supporting their needs. We are building a better future together. If you’d like help getting things moving in your own community, I’d love to hear from you.

You can reach me at philip@goldback.com.

Thank you for your continued passion and partnership!