Real Life Success Stories

Growth for Lotty

I joined the BNI Acclaim group in Leeds in May 2012 with the aim to expand my business network and to gain new business skills. The outcome has exceeded my expectations and in ways I did not envisage.

As a young professional who is passionate about creative media production I made the decision to establish Shot Blast Media, a company providing a fresh and innovative approach to visual media and communication.

As a member of BNI I attend weekly meetings and a host of courses including presentation and referral skills training, all providing opportunities to extend my professional network while arming me with the skills necessary to succeed.

By attending other BNI networking and training events as well as my weekly chapter meeting, I have been able to broaden my network and build relationships with other creative professionals who are in the same trade as me but who specialize in slightly different areas. The quality of the connections that I have made through the greater network of the organisation has enabled me to deliver projects for multi-national clients and I recently collaborated on a project with my fellow BNI members.

In BNI you’re working with trusted business people who have the right skills that you are looking for and who come recommended through the almost peer-review like system. I was confident in my colleagues’ ability to help me because they were part of BNI; I knew I could trust them to deliver what I wanted.  No one I know in BNI just wants to grow their business; they want to help each other to build a better business. Due to BNI I am now able to offer a wider portfolio of services by drawing on the knowledge and expertise of other members.

I am always looking for ways to develop my business skills and BNI continues to boost my personal and professional development. When I joined I thought it would be like other networking groups; turn up, give out some cards, maybe get some good contacts. But it’s much more than that, BNI is not just a place you attend, it’s a system to be used every day in your business. It is like doing a practical MBA and like an MBA once learned the payback keeps growing. It is fantastic to be part of an organisation filled with positive, like-minded people who are all keen to see each other succeed in their individual endeavours.

Lotty Wiltshaw
Director - Shot Blast Media
www.shotblastmedia.co.uk

BNI Acclaim

Support

For me, BNI isn’t just about the money, it’s about the support.

I joined BNI four years ago; although I initially didn’t ‘get it’ I soon learned what it was all about and how valuable it was for me and my business. I’m glad that I stuck with it as I wouldn’t be where I am today without BNI.

In April 2011 I was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer; a malignant melanoma was found in my left eyeball. In the space of just a few short hours my entire existence went through a 180 degree change. I was operated on within 18 days of being diagnosed and I lost some of the peripheral vision in my left eye. I wasn’t allowed to drive or lift anything heavy or even bend over for a month as the pressure would have damaged my eye further. I was off work for a total of six months and I had to take medical leave from BNI whilst I recovered.

My fellow Chapter members were extremely kind during this time and I received plenty of calls from them offering me help and support. When I started working again I found that in my absence my two biggest clients had deserted me. These two clients brought in 90% of my business so without them everything was over.

In my first BNI meeting after my illness I stood up and in my 60 seconds I thanked everyone for their support and told them that sadly this would be my last BNI meeting due to the current state of my business. Everyone was shocked and another member, a business coach, approached me after the meeting and asked for a 1-1 with me. He persuaded me to rethink and to take a shot at rebuilding my business.

I only had a short amount of time to replace the revenue I had lost; it was literally make or break time but with the support of my Chapter, I got to where I needed to be.

I got back into back into BNI in a big way. I had 1-1’s with as many people as I could and I made sure that I was more specific in the referrals that I asked for and told people exactly what to listen out for when they were looking for business to pass to me. I started to understand the Givers Gain® philosophy and made a really big effort; not just looking for referrals for myself, but finding business for other people as well. My Chapter were incredible in the support and business they gave me.

Within 4 months I had rebuilt about 90% of my business and two months later I had replaced the revenue I had lost during my illness and I was back to my pre-illness turnover levels of around £30,000 a year. All of my new clients had come directly through BNI and with the support of my colleagues in my Chapter and region my business has gone from strength to strength. Remarkably, my business is doing a lot better now than it was before I became ill, my client base has spread and now 98% of my turnover comes from BNI.

If my BNI colleagues hadn’t helped me two years ago, I wouldn’t be here now so I try to help them as much as I can and I’m now one of the top referrers in the Chapter. After all, they gave their time to me when I was ill and in return I gained and now they’re gaining from me. Their support goes on and on; I still have some residual problems caused by the cancer, which has meant some lifestyle and work changes, but all the members I know continue to give me their help, support and understanding.

I joined BNI for the money, but I’ve stayed for the support!

Geoff Townsend
Founder - Urecall Ltd
www.urecall.co.uk

Deeside BNI

Success for Duncan

I don’t do clubs and networking after a long day at work has always been my idea of hell. However, after 9/11 we lost 75% of our clients through redundancy in just 3 months and I knew I had to do something different to win new business. I was invited to a BNI meeting and have been a member of BNI Hammersmith ever since.

Over the past 11 years my company JDi, has earned over a £1.5m from the referrals and advice I have received from BNI members. Indeed, 75% of our largest clients have all come from BNI referrals, including famous brands like Zurich, Lufthansa and Lloyds Bank. I met my Creative Director through BNI, employed staff through BNI, sorted my IT, Insurance, Mortgage and Pension through BNI.

In 2007, I went to New York and met 180 people in 6 days, incorporated, JDi New York, set up premises, our complete supplier network and potential new business, all through BNI. 2 years ago we launched a client in Malaysia and through BNI we were able to introduce them to the country’s biggest tyre manufacturer. They could not believe a small company such as ours could be so well connected globally.

I even met my wife through BNI, so I guess, technically that means I got my three kids from BNI too.

Duncan Richardson
Managing Director - JDi Integrated Marketing Ltd
www.jdi.co.uk

BNI Hammersmith