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Members of the Warkworth BNI chapter represent a diverse range of business sectors including insurance, printing, water services, banking, IT, web design, electrical, valuation, real estate, accounting and legal.
Building a stronger local business network which leads to business referrals may be the primary aim of BNI Warkworth, but it is far from being the only benefit members receive.The group is holding an ‘open day’ breakfast at the Warkworth RSA on Wednesday, April 22, starting at 7am. Any business person in the wider Mahurangi catchment is encouraged to attend without obligation.
Long-time member Steve Reynolds says the event will follow a normal meeting programme so visitors can see how the club runs and can talk to members about how the network has helped their business.
“While qualified business referrals underpin the Warkworth chapter’s objectives, it is also very much about building relationships,” Steve says. “Barrie Wood and I have both been in the group for 10 years and many of the relationships that we’ve developed over this time have gone from acquaintances to genuine friendships.”
BNI is New Zealand’s largest business networking organisation.
There are 120 groups around the country which collectively have 2600 members.
In the 12 months to January this year, NZ BNI groups generated nearly $70 million in business and that figure is expected to rise this year.
“We’ve only recently started to track the value of referrals,” Steve says. “The Warkworth group started midway through last year but we’re generating about $50,000 in business referrals a month.
“The aim is to do more than $1 million this year.”
Steve says BNI is particularly beneficial for people who are new to the area, people who are new in business and businesses that don’t have a shop front.
“There is a lot of experience in the room and members are only too happy to take on a mentoring-like role. Sometimes it can be as simple as helping a person sort out their accounts systems or referring them to a professional for advice on staffing or health and safety issues.
“It’s always good to be able to help people avoid the mistakes we have made when we were starting out.”
BNI meets weekly and allows only one person per business category to join a chapter.
For catering purposes, the group is asking anyone interested in attending the open day breakfast to RSVP to Scott Morison at scott@morison.net.nz
BNI in the community
BNI is a long-time supporter of Hospice NZ, with BNI chapters raising funds and awareness for their partnered hospices. At a national level, BNI supports the Palliative Care Scholarship programme, the development of the Foundations of Spirituality professional development programme and the Sustainable Business Network.
