photo credit: fvanrenterghem

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a small business owner is that businesses grow like flowers, not like weeds. They need caretakers who follow the basic instructions and are dedicated to nurturing them.

Instead of water and sunlight, I like to give my business a good dose of networking each week. I joined a local BNI chapter a couple of months ago, and it’s going pretty well. I’m getting to know some great business owners, expanding my referral network and getting new clients. Any one who does business in Richmond knows that it’s a small town, and business is often earned by “who you know” instead of “what you know”.

Last year my BNI chapter passed over $350,000 worth of business between about 15-17 members, and this year we are hoping to increase that to at least $500,000. We also want to grow the size of our group – the more the merrier kind of thing.

While anyone is welcome to visit, we have created a list of professions that would easily fit into our group right now and quickly start receiving referrals.

• Attorney: Divorce, Trust & Estates, General
• P&C Insurance
• Recruiter/Headhunter
• Business Banker
• Credit Card Processing
• Payroll Processing
• Business Banker
• Event Planner
• Title Company
• Chamber Staff
• Interior Designer
• Business Coach
• Commercial Realtor
• Plumber, Electrician & HVAC
• Car Dealer
• Property Manager
• Wedding Coordinator
• Collections Specialist
• Commercial Moving Company
• Hairdresser/Spa Owner

If you are in one of these professions and looking for a great way to grow your business this year, come visit our group to see if it could be a good fit for you.

Curious about who is already in our group? Here’s a list of professions already represented in Capital Excel BNI:

• Residential Real Estate
• Graphic Design & Printing
• Financial Advisor & Life Insurance
• Promotional Items
• Commercial Insurance
• General Contractor
• Custom Closets & Storage (The Closet Factory)
• Home Mortgages
• Accounting
• Web development, Hosting, IT
• Health & Medical Insurance
• Copywriting & Social Media (That’s me!)

If adding someone from any of these professions to your network would be beneficial to your business, then you should check us out.

We meet Thursday mornings from 8-9:30. Let me know if you’re interested in checking us out and I’ll give you directions to where we meet.

Bill Bevins recently interviewed Central VA BNI’s CEO about the importance of networking. They cover the basics of what BNI is and these 3 tips for networking:

1.  Network before you need work.

2.  Be prepared when you go to networking events.

3.  Make sure you follow up.