BNI Warriors – Celebrating Platinum status

A proud moment for BNI Warriors as they become the fastest chapter to reach platinum status! Members from BNI Warriors, President of this chapter- KD Sawhney (Director of Waynik.com, an online e-commerce portal), and Secretary-Treasurer, Tanveen Nayar (RGV Events & Weddings) join us on this special occasion to share their experience in this wonderful chapter. Vice-president Bipin Mulani (3S Biz City Business Center) was truly missed.

“I got into BNI (Warriors) during peak COVID times; everything had moved onto Zoom, which made it easier for me to attend the meetings. Through a Zoom meeting, I understood the vibe of Warrior and BNI in general; it was just lovely. The first meeting I came to as a visitor, the second meeting I came as a member, it’s been a good 1 year and 18 months,” says KD as he shares the moments of transitioning from a visitor to becoming a full-fledged member.

“I was in BNI Calcutta earlier. I have a friend in Warriors who had requested me to attend one of the meetings as a visitor, and I loved the energy of the chapter, especially KD’s, who was a visitor host at the time. His energy was next level, and he convinced me to join the chapter. So within a month, I was part of Warriors; the experience has been really good so far,” says Tanveen as she relives the moments which led her to join the chapter.

Being the quickest chapter to reach the Platinum status indeed called for celebrations!

“We celebrated on the 20th of December; that was the last meeting of 2021. It was great since we, as a group of networking people, were also celebrating Christmas; therefore, it was multiple celebrations together. We had people dressed up in different attires and dress codes, and the best part was we had our national director Mr. Bijay Shah to announce this. So we planned it in a way that we had a couple of celebrations towards the end of the year, and this was one of them.

None of the members except the leadership team knew about this special milestone, as we wanted it to be a surprise. A big thank you to the previous LTs, Director Consultants, and Ambassadors for doing what they have done and keeping our energies going. We are really excited for the journey ahead”

KD sheds light on the celebratory proceedings that took place on the occasion of this fantastic achievement as Warriors is a relatively new chapter and reaching platinum status in such a short period is truly commendable!

“The journey has been phenomenal; the kind of visibility our business and me as an individual have received is great. The cross-chapter connections and references are next level. Believe it or not, during peak COVID times when I joined BNI, there was a lot of business coming in from the food industry; it was just an eye-opener that people from the food industry come together and get you that kind of business.” says Tanveen.

They take a leap of faith to get you those kinds of connections. BNI has been part of my family as well for a very long time; my brother has been there for so long; it’s good to be having a networking group where you can share your problems, share business and get some learning out of it.”

“There are two amazing instances… First, Waynik is a BNI baby; it does originate from BNI a lot. Secondly, there are a lot of suppliers, vendors, and business partners responsible for taking Waynik where it is today. At least 15-20 BNI members have brought in their business ideas as well as help and support. BNI gives you the kind of platform where you can reach out to people from different industries. Also, when I joined BNI, the first week in, I got a connection through our general insurance category, Mr. Nouman, for about 200,000 Dirhams cash business during peak COVID times!” says KD.

That’s when I understood the power of BNI, which gave me a lot of energy and joy to help out as much as I can.” KD highlights the moments where BNI has been beneficial to him and his business during times of crisis.

“The best part about BNI are the networks you make within the chapter or even cross chapter. It really helps you a lot. So when I joined BNI, it was more about getting work done, not getting work for myself. For example, when I recommend a photographer to a client, I need to give them multiple options. So for me getting one photographer from each chapter was the icing on the cake. I could give trusted vendor contacts to my clients. I’ve learned that networking helps, and we can develop trusted vendors within BNI. Everyone upholds their reputation, and members will go out of their way to do a little more for you since a bond of friendship has been developed.”

“Since I moved from India to Dubai, I still get calls from chapters in India for events in India, so there’s visibility as well. I can go on and on about the benefits I’ve experienced here,” says Tanveen, as she shares the benefits she has got through BNI.

“We are keeping the energy up high; we want to create a FOMO moment so that members attend, week on week, excited and looking forward to different things in meetings. In the following 12 months, we want to ensure that members within the chapter are happy, enjoy the network, which is a family, and make them grow tenfold. We have reached that 55 member strength, and now there’s no looking back.

“There’s a reason we are called the ‘Warriors’ as we don’t let out too much of what we do; we keep our energy high at all times. We do different kinds of things; for example, in the middle of call-outs, we do a ‘wellness challenge,’ i.e., yoga or some kind of dance to keep our members entertained. We do our call-outs in a very unique and different way; small things like these ensure the members keep attending week on week.” KD states on being asked the secret of reaching platinum status at this speed.

“KD’s energy is really high, and as the president, his energy ensures that all members stay active,” Tanveen adds.

“We focus on one member, who invites us to their office or warehouse or store. The events team leads this to experience what members do since the 30-second introduction is not sufficient to understand what they do. So, for example, at Waynik, we didn’t know what kind of products KD has; we got to see a lot about his products and details during his business shower.”

“Business was down for 90% of the chapter; motivation was low, the best thing we could do was to make sure everyone was still at it and stay hopeful. Kudos to the events team for planning this out, and the sense of having 15-20 people in your warehouse/ office understanding what your business is about was moving. We also had an activity where we would print out a form and ask members to write out referrals for us. This helped members form a strong bond with each other.”

“These roles do give you a lot of visibility, but you need to make sure you take out enough time for it; if you can manage time and money well, this role would suit you well. My team, KD & Bipin, have supported me, which has helped a lot.”

“With power comes great responsibility, so you have to think not for yourself but the whole team. If you have the right team, the process gets effortless. A big thank you to all the members who have taken up responsibilities at all levels.”

Tanveen and KD sign off with these few tips for other members and chapters!