BNI Blog

There was hardly a dry eye in the house last Tuesday morning when more than 200 small business owners and self-employed people were surprised with good wishes and big red Christmas gift hampers – all donated, assembled and packed by their comrades up and down New Zealand.

With Christchurch having such a rough time and so many people still in limbo, BNI New Zealand members (mostly SME owners and the self-employed) around the country banded together to pack the surprise Christmas hampers full of ‘love and goodies’ for their fellow members in the earthquake struck city.

Pictured above: Dennis Inkster (BNI Kinesis) collects his hamper. In the background, left Denise Robinson (BNI Otago Director) and right BNI New Zealand National Director Graham Southwell.

The entire initiative was co-ordinated, planned and carried out by BNI Auckland directors Mariska Mannes and Rosemary and Paul Meyer.

Mariska said BNI is about comradeship between members who do business by the mantra ‘Givers Gain’, and the surprise Christmas hampers are a great way to articulate that comradeship and that spirit of mutual support.

Christchurch members, many teary-eyed, were clearly overwhelmed and touched by the gesture and, while there was hardly a dry eye in the house, there was certainly joy on every single face.

BNI Canterbury director, Sam Williamson, said people were very emotional.

“’Blown away’ were the words used often. People said they were really just humbled that other people up and down the country would show such a sign of support.

“Everybody was very surprised; they had no idea whatsoever. I’ve had a huge number of messages from people with their thanks – many want to get in touch with whoever made their box, to pass on their thanks.

“It certainly lifted our spirits to know that people are thinking of us and that we haven’t been forgotten,” said Sam.

BNI New Zealand National Director Graham Southwell told the breakfast that sometimes the toughest times are those that follow a tragedy or disaster, when everybody else has started moving on with their lives, leaving those affected to pick up the pieces.

“This is our way to say that you haven’t been forgotten. That we are still thinking of you, still supporting you and we are here to help in any way we can,” he said.

Mariska Mannes says she got the idea for the early Christmas surprise when talking to Kathryn Mountain, a member of BNI Epsom in Auckland, about how they felt quite helpless and not sure of how to help people in Christchurch.

“Kathryn remarked that it would be nice to send them a Christmas hamper, and that really was how the idea got started.”

Julie Cunningham (BNI Hibiscus Coast Chapter) and Mariska Mannes drove a van across New Zealand to collect the hampers, with the road show culminating in Christchurch on Tuesday 29 November at the big breakfast in the city.

“Chapters around New Zealand put in a phenomenal effort to raise money to pay for the boxes, ribbons, cards and goodies for the hampers.

“The road show started when I collected hampers in Northland in mid-November, and included a big breakfast in Auckland where 128 people gathered for a big breakfast to assemble the boxes, write the cards and pack the goodies.”

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker was the guest speaker and took the opportunity to challenge Cantabrians to be innovative, and to think long term about rebuilding Christchurch into something truly unique for their children and their children’s children.

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The New Zealand Red Cross yesterday acknowledge the contribution of BNI New Zealand and its thousands of members around the country – who contributed to Christchurch Earthquake relief this year – with a special plaque.

The generosity from New Zealand members has been extraordinary.

New Zealand BNI members donated approximately $62,294 – some donations were made by BNI members in their individual capacity – and many chapters also benefited from pulling together as a team to generate funds by organising charity events.

BNI New Zealand also added $5,000 to the earthquake.

The further $8,500 raised for Christchurch by a cabaret on in Auckland was used to provide approved cash grants to those members who have been badly affected.

Some of the funds have also gone to funding guests’ first visits, as members focus on building chapters up again.

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Having witnessed the devastation of the Hiroshima atom bomb after World War II, BNI’s oldest member 82-year-old Don Wilson has always wanted to make a difference and his new business is letting him do just that.

(Pictured: Don Wilson delivers his 10 minutes)

As a result the BNI Whakatane visitor host and local business owner continues to inspire everybody around him.

“Age is only something on a calendar,” says Don. “If you want to do something and you feel like doing it, go out and do it.

Don has been in business in the Whakatane area since 1967 and sold his water filtration outlet just a couple of years ago. After that he wanted to do something that would make a difference to the environment, so he did.

Called Farmercy, his business supplies more than 60 biodegradable cleaning, sanitising and disinfecting products to customers such as farmers, workshops and motels.

Don spends six weeks to two months on the road cold calling in the entire Eastern Bay of Plenty, but has never officially missed even one of his 104 BNI meetings (he provided a sub to the one single meeting he couldn’t make).

“I look forward to my BNI meetings because we’re like a family,” says Don. “They’re a good bunch – it’s social as well as business.”

When he is away his wife looks after the shop, which has been set up in the couple’s garage at home. The business now has a good base of repeat customers.

He says he first became interested in the biodegradable products when a conman called at his door.

“He did a bunk without supplying me with all the product I paid for. I looked up the actual manufacturer and now deal directly with them.”

He says the biodegradable products are gaining widespread acceptance, particularly because people like farmers are concerned about the environment, and the penalties are so high.

“A farmer could be fined up to $100,000 if they damage a waterway – that’s probably a higher penalty than you could get if you punched a policeman on the nose.

“I’m no tree hugger, but I wanted to make a difference to the environment. We’re all going to go one day, but I’ll be leaving behind children, grandchildren and great grandchildren… and if we carry on as we are, we’re going to make an awful mess of things.

“This is a way for me to make a difference in my old age. I was in Japan in 1946, just after the War and I saw the devastation from the atom bomb. Then I went to Korea for two years during the Korean War and saw the damage caused by things like Napalm. We have to stop making a mess of things,” says Don.

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By The Catalyst

All BNI members know that they are only allowed to represent one category in their chapter. However, although a clash with another member, or potential member, is one of the most common problems in BNI, it even goes further than that. Many members, even if sticking to their category, try and include everything they can within their category, trying to grab as much business as possible, but not understanding that they are losing much more than they gain.

As a business you must stand out. What makes you different to someone else doing what you do? Doing everything, for anyone, is not different. You need to be special; have a category of one!

Take BNI as an example. BNI is the world’s largest referral organisation. It is not the world’s largest networking organisation. It is not the world’s largest membership organisation. It’s not in more countries than other organisations. You can come up with lots of things that BNI does, very well, but the only thing BNI talks about is being the world’s largest referral organisation.

Now you have to be brave to focus on just one thing; think of all that business you might be missing out on. But I promise you, if you are brave, you will see the rewards. Whereas, if you are the same as everyone else, offering everything, to everyone, you will get the same result – nothing special! Think about successful people: do they do the same as everyone else? No, of course not!

So, not because of BNI, but because you want greater success, focus on your core business. Give a clear message to your fellow members and watch your referral rate climb.

Blog: My BNI Day

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BNI East Auckland (chartered 16th August 2001 and originally named BNI East Tamaki) recently celebrated their 10th Anniversary at the Pakuranga Country Club, where they have met for the majority of their 10 years.

BNI South / East Auckland directors Paul and Rosemary Meyer presented four members with their 10 year member pins, certificates and plaques.

Rosemary says this is an exceptional milestone because three of the 3 members were founding members of the chapter.

This was a cocktail evening  with formal dress code where Canapes, which was by invitation and included past presidents of the chapter. Paul did a 10 minute talk on “The Joy of BNI” with some brief chapter history.

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