The network
How the network works
Explained the way I understand it after years of taking part, so you know what to expect before giving up a morning to visit.
The meeting
Every Wednesday
6:45 AM
- Format
- In person · about 90 minutes
- Chapter
- BNI Winners · BNI HCM Central · 33 members
- View the chapter on the official BNI site ↗
- The full member list and each term’s leadership live there — I do not copy them here because they change every term.
One seat per profession
Each chapter accepts only one person per profession. No two insurance agents sit side by side. So when a need arises in your field, the whole room has exactly one person to refer — you.
A weekly meeting, on time
A 6:45 AM meeting every Wednesday, about 90 minutes. This is the part most people underestimate, and the part that decides whether you get results. Skip it often and the network forgets what you do.
Givers Gain
The founding principle: you pass opportunities to others first, and they come back to you later. People who join thinking "I need customers now" usually give up within three months.
Referrals, not cross-selling
This is not a place to sell to each other. The value is that each member opens their own client network to the others. A chapter of 30 is 30 networks, not 29 prospects.
A referral borrows someone’s reputation
When I refer you to my client, I am putting my own name behind you. If you do poor work, I am the one who loses face. That is why I screen — and why this page exists.
Joining involves a review
Signing up is not enough. Typically: visit a meeting → submit an application → the chapter’s membership committee reviews it → a decision. Your professional seat may already be taken, in which case another chapter may be suggested.
One note
This is how I understand it after years of taking part, written on my own personal page. It is not an organisation’s official material and I do not represent one. Official rules on fees, admission and conduct come from the organisation itself — please ask directly during your visit.