BNI Genesis

Crossing 30 members has been a truly remarkable milestone for BNI Genesis and the Leadership Team. But, growing a chapter isn’t always easy, so how has Genesis done it?

President of Genesis Chapter, Abu Talha, highlights the importance of maintaining a close-knit relationship with fellow members as well as extended family. “We are connected, by doing these socials, by meeting…with the family members. It helps in making good bonding and good relationships,” he says.

“BNI is like planting seeds, and every seed has a gestation period. Some seeds grow very fast, some take a little longer, as long as we keep nurturing them, with our contributions, referrals, helping other team members, and staying actively involved,” adds Secretary-Treasurer Dipak Bhadra. Dipak’s journey with BNI involved a transition from an employee of the organization to an entrepreneur. He credits BNI with much of his success saying, “BNI was my support system, my network…my seed is growing, with faith, with belief.”

On the way to reaching this incredible 30 member milestone, Abu shares a moment he was blown away by during his tenure as President of Genesis. “I literally got goosebumps, after seeing the numbers that were …in just one referral,” he exclaims!

“BNI teaches networking as well as connecting differently. Unfortunately, no institution, no college, or university teaches you how to network. As a business owner, your network is your net worth,” Dipak Bhadra shares. As an entrepreneur running his own business training and coaching center, he’s found BNI’s system to be foolproof. “In BNI, success is a system. It’s no secret, if we follow the system, we will become successful, sooner or later.”

Vice President, Kevin Fernandes believes BNI’s network isn’t the only benefit, but it sure helps! “The best thing I’ve learned is the 30-second presentation, to sell myself, my services, and my company in 30 seconds. That’s great training for any entrepreneur, business owner, or salesperson,” he remarks. “Also, the support BNI offers you, anything in terms of systems, networking…if I have a problem, I know I can look up, find a person who is in the field I’m looking for, and they will go out of their way to help you.”

“During these interesting times there was zero business… events were not allowed for five to six months. The Leadership Team at that time, even Bijay, our ambassadors, would constantly be in touch with us, try to help us in whatever way they could, give us moral support…you need a support system, and that is what has helped me become a better business person overall, ” Kevin adds.

Lifelong Learning is key to growth, and Abu is a firm believer in the benefits of using BNI’s educational resources. “BNI University (Business Builder) has a wealth of information. If you use it nicely and cleverly, it is going to help a lot,” he says.

“Follow the core values, Accountability, Positive Attitude,” Dipak shares. “Looking for the good in every situation, in the last one and half years, many people have suffered, but when you look for the good in every situation, you will find it, with this attitude. It helps the chapter to grow, the person to grow, and the team to grow.”

“When I became the Vice President, as I had not nominated myself, I felt proud that even the senior members of the chapter had considered me to be vice-president material,” says Kevin, as he shares a fond memory at BNI Genesis.

It’s been a bit of a comeback journey for Abu. The validation has left him overwhelmed. “After people voted me as the President of the chapter, I realized my importance in the chapter,” Abu smiles. “This made me really happy, especially since I was the second last member in my traffic light report back in 2018!” All three members conclude by sharing their words of advice to fellow members of BNI and their chapter, “Think long-term and follow the principle of Givers Gain.”

Congratulations to BNI Genesis on reaching the 30 member mark! We wish them all the best as they continue to grow into a Diamond or Titanium chapter in the future.