Recently my business EasyForms won the Excellence in Strategy and Planning category at the Westpac Business Awards. It was a huge honour for my team and I; one that BNI contributed to by helping to build the business.
My journey with BNI didn’t start with EasyForms however; I’ve been a member for more than 10 years and across multiple businesses.
My start with BNI
I first heard about BNI through a work colleague, when I owned an automotive repair business. After one meeting I was hooked. I could see that it would be a great way for me to introduce my business to a whole lot of other businesspeople who were looking for my services.
After a while I moved on from the automotive industry and began working in an engineering business. Throughout my career changes I have stayed in BNI to continue business referrals and business.
People buy on trust in New Zealand and you can’t build that trust based entirely on brand recognition. It’s two degrees of separation so BNI is perfect in terms of connecting with people, building trust and growing your business.
Along with the networking that goes on in weekly meetings, one thing I really appreciated about BNI was how there are a range of businesspeople represented; many of whom have significant experience in their chosen field. As I have matured as a businessperson it’s been great to know I have had the support and guidance to call upon from the members in my business group if needed.
EasyForms
Just over a year ago I decided to buy into a business that had been running for about a year and a half – EasyForms. We’re a software development company which audits and streamlines information flow processes and uses advanced technology to digitize the data. Despite the wide difference in product from my last company, I knew it would be beneficial to maintain my BNI membership. With my experience of BNI and knowing how they help businesses to grow I knew EasyForms would be a great fit so I brought our company to BNI.
During my time at BNI we’ve streamlined processes for some big enterprises such as ASB, 2Degrees, Hazardco and CCC, but we’ve also helped a number of BNI members grow profits significantly through our custom cloud-based solutions.
We now have three employees of EasyForms in various chapters of BNI as we have a business that has gone from strength to strength. We’ve tripled our staff and business is booming. Recently we entered the business into the Westpac Business Awards and were fortunate enough to take away a win.
Westpac Business Awards
At the awards we were a finalist in two categories: Excellence in Strategy and Planning (which we won) and Excellence in Innovation. It was humbling just making it to the finals considering the calibre of businesses represented.
Applying for the Westpac Business Awards provided our business with a big reality check in terms of seeing where the business was at and what it was moving towards.
BNI has been a big part of growing the business and putting us into contention for such awards. All in all entering the awards was a fantastic experience for us. It will lead to great publicity for the business and exposure to leaders in the industry that can help guide our team to even greater success.
I suggest other businesses give the Westpac Business Awards a go and of course wholeheartedly recommend BNI. Visit your nearest chapter for free and see how they do things. It has worked brilliantly for all the businesses I’ve been involved with and helped bring me to where I am today.
