Mohit Mehta, a member of BNI Gazelles and Ambassador for BNI Rising Phoenix, joins us to share his experience in his unique ventures.
“I moved to Dubai in August 2015 to establish one of our companies where we rent construction equipment, and in 2017 we started Helpsters, which is the company I represent in BNI. We provide cleaning services all across the UAE right now. I have also been a member of BNI Chennai in 2014.
I was the youngest member to join at the age of 21. So I knew how BNI worked and what it could do for my business. Within a month, my wife joined as well, as a member at BNI Genesis.”
Special Relationships
“In BNI, I made connections and relationships that I carry on for the years to come. I had connections with people who helped me with my business growth.
They served the same target market, a term we use in BNI; it was very easy to refer to each other’s business. So automatically, we started meeting once a week, twice a week, just to give each other more business. So those are one of those special relationships that, even today, even if I’m not a part of BNI UAE, I still get referred to through those connections.
I found so many mentors in so many ways, people who inspire me to be a better businessman, people who inspire me to be a better manager, leader, a better father, and a better husband. The connections I received at BNI have helped me be a better person. That’s something that goes beyond just business.”
The DNA Drive
“Back in 2014, when I was a BNI Chennai member, I used to see the chapter, the DC, and the Ambassador come into the chapter once a month, and usually, they used to be senior members. They were respectable and carried themselves with a certain poise and persona. So at that point in time, I was highly motivated to become an ambassador or a director consultant.
However, I was 21, and my peers reminded me of that very well. Nonetheless, I was a member for a short stint for about 8 to 10 months in Chennai. So, when I moved to Dubai, I visited BNI Gazelles and loved the chapter.
When my interview was being conducted, there was a particular line in the interview… “What role would you take?” I answered, “President, Ambassador, or maybe a Director Consultant,” and the interviewers were taken aback.
I was focused; I wanted to serve fellow chapter members, be able to learn, and help members in terms of not going through the learning curve. I mean, we all learn in one way or the other. So I wanted to shorten the learning curve.
I sleep so much better when I know I’ve been able to do something good with my day, help and push members and become a mentor.”
Key Takeaways & Advice
“I became much better in terms of MIS (management information systems) because we have reports that we maintain as Ambassadors. So I learned that even better. I copy-pasted many of those reports in my own business, which helped me be a better business person. I’ve also become much better structured in terms of my days. I have a calendar now, and of course, being an Ambassador, you learn the art of follow-up and getting things done. Identifying problems, identifying potentials, and, more importantly, the solution to those problems. So I’ve become a little better as a networker overall.
If you are a business owner or a key decision-maker, I think BNI is a prerequisite for you and your business, or if you are an executive who wants to, who has the fire to grow, to become a manager or a business owner, this is the place for you.
Mohit concludes with a great piece of advice for members looking to join BNI by saying, “Think of a school where they teach you life skills, there are no books but only practical knowledge, where you become a better speaker and a well-groomed person. Think of a school where they teach you how to run your own business and as a fee, you get ‘business closed,’ and as a side effect, you have money in the bank.”
