Building a business made easy with the experts at BNI
2015 has been a massive year for my business Heat Pumps NOW and also for me and my team. The business grew enormously this year and we had an incredible outcome at the David Awards. Not only did Heat Pumps NOW win the Most Outstanding Fledgling Business and Most Community-Minded Business Awards, we also won the Supreme Award for best business overall.
The intention of the David Awards is to recognise small businesses which often fly beneath the national radar but are doing extraordinary things. It was humbling to be honoured in this way and we credit much of our success to our membership of BNI Phoenix in Christchurch.
Heat Pumps Now Team, The David Awards 2015
My beginnings at BNI
My journey with BNI began years ago when I was working for a telephone company. BNI was an excellent source of referrals and also a wonderful way to develop personally and professionally. Overall my early experience of BNI was fantastic and in that time the organisation has gone from strength to strength – growing throughout the country. I think part of the reason for this is its rigorous application process which ensures only quality people are represented in its business groups.
When I set up Heat Pumps NOW, I wanted to reconnect with the business world as I’d been out of the game for some time. It can be lonely in a start-up and I was keen to rejoin the BNI chapter I had previously belonged to. Because only one industry is represented in each business group (and my old group already had a heat pump company) I had to join a new chapter – BNI Phoenix. Joining this business group was one of the best decisions I ever made, as BNI Phoenix is an incredible chapter.
The first year in business
In 2014 90% of our business was generated through BNI referrals, which is obviously a phenomenal amount of business. As Heat Pumps NOW grew during 2015 the percentage dropped slightly. In saying that we still received $82,000 in business from a single member, which will increase to $100,000 once we complete a transaction at the end of this year. All our referrals come from the close relationships I’ve developed within BNI. This is the key to the group’s success. People refer you because they like what you do and what you represent. BNI has systems in place that ensure you can trust members – it’s all about the integrity of your business.
Givers Gain is another key part of BNI’s success. After the earthquakes people in Christchurch began to think more about what was important in life and business. Givers Gain came into play in a big way. It’s a good way of doing business; basically paying it forward. Giving inspires others to give and strengthens the community as a whole. You end up giving because you want to – not because there is anything else coming back to you.
The David Awards
We entered the David Awards because the business had reached a point where we thought we needed to see how we stacked up in relation to other businesses. I never dreamed that we’d achieve this level of success. When we got the call to say we were finalists in two categories we were over the moon. To win both of them, and the Supreme Award was extraordinary – it was a real boost for the whole team. I think this success is also a testament to the value BNI can give your business.
Looking ahead
Improving our processes and systems will be a big challenge for us in 2016. We use contractors because they believe in the business and are exceptional at what they do. They’ve been a big part of our growth but if we see the same growth we enjoyed in 2015 during 2016, we will be in big trouble. We need to improve our systems and move to the cloud so we can handle the business’ growth and go beyond Christchurch.
We’re adding new staff in 2016 and a big challenge will be managing all of this while finding time to do work in the community – which we love. We also love our Facebook followers and want to do more in the social media space. We have 3 big events coming up in 2016 that will truly wow our followers on Facebook – it’s exciting times.
Experience counts
There’s no question that BNI has been a huge part of Heat Pumps NOW’s success. It’s not just the referrals but also the experience on offer in my chapter. There are basically two types of people in BNI: the young go-getters, enthusiastically setting up their businesses and the solid, established businesspeople with a wealth of experience to share. What I love about my chapter is that people aren’t backward in coming forward. Those more experienced members will let you know if you aren’t doing things the right way or if you’re moving in the wrong direction.
This is especially true when you do one-on-ones with members. This is how you really build strong relationships. There’s a saying that I think sums up BNI:
Pursue wisdom above riches, for wisdom has value into eternity.
There’s so much wisdom in BNI it makes building your business and achieving success far more likely.
Blair Ashdowne, Director of Heat Pumps NOW, Member of BNI Phoenix
