One thing that I’ve learned after more than a decade in business is the importance of commitment, or stickability. It’s helped me grow my business from a part-time operation in my friend’s basement to a successful team of 6 specialists.
In the life-cycle of any business you’ll experience ups and downs that will test this commitment. My BNI chapter has provided both the support, and the referrals, to keep me going through the down times and grow during the good. After 10 years as a member of BNI Metro my commitment to the chapter has been rewarded time and time again.
I started my website design business, Messiah Studio, in 2001 with my best friend Leon Matthews. Beyond our immediate team, we have a strong network of writers, photographers, video producers, graphic artists and marketing experts we can rely upon to produce amazing work. Everything we do is about creating strong relationships, both with other business professionals and our clients.
Belonging to BNI fits perfectly with these values of building relationships. Over the last 10 years in BNI I’ve learned a number of things that may be of value to other chapter members:
- Take every opportunity offered to you to create and build relationships. As a new business owner I was initially uncertain about taking up the offer of visiting a BNI chapter, and I wasn’t comfortable with networking. But by taking the plunge and joining the chapter, we now attribute 35% of our turnover to BNI referrals.
- Keep an open mind. It’s the quality of the referrals and relationships that I’ve created through BNI that are important, not the quantity. I’m open to forming associations with other members and am thrilled if I get even one new referral every month.
- Have a mindset of champions. A few years ago our chapter decided to make BNI Metro the ‘flagship’ chapter for our region. The mentality in the leadership team changed and we all began to work together to increase membership. We went from having 20-30 members to now having over 40. Energy in the chapter went through the roof and all the businesses involved are reaping the rewards.
- Givers gain. Part of belonging to BNI involves giving back to the community – as well as other members. We’ve been involved in a number of fundraising activities that have not only helped out charities, they’ve strengthened our chapter as a whole. Working together on something other than your own business strengthens the ties in a chapter and helps to build trust and powerful relationships that endure over time.
- Stay committed. Most important to having success within BNI is sticking with it long term. Going to meetings every Friday morning over 10 years takes commitment, but has paid dividends in terms of the genuine relationships I’ve built with other business people.
Stickablity both in your business and BNI is a vital quality if you want to have success over the long-term. There are always ups and downs in business, but being a committed member of a strong chapter will provide you the network you need to succeed.
James McGoram, Messiah Studio, Member of BNI Metro
