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Episode 910, Reflections on BNI's Journey Part 3.
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You're listening to the official BI podcast with BI founder and chief visionary officer Dr. Ivan Meisner. Stay tuned for networking and referral marketing tips from the man who's been called the father of modern networking, along with suggestions and insights into getting the most from your membership in the world's largest networking organization, bni.
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Hello everybody and welcome back to the official B and I podcast. I'm Priscilla Rice and I'm coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkeley, California. And I'm joined on the phone today by the founder and the Chief Visionary Officer of B and I, Dr. Ivan Meisner. Hello, Ivan, how are you and where are you?
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I am at my home in Austin, Texas this week and this is the best season to be in Austin. The weather is usually great. It's warm, it's a pool weather for sure.
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Okay, good. And so what is this that you're going to tell us for part three?
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Well, we're going to do part three of, you know, what, what we view for the, the future really of bni. And we, we've already done two parts and I don't think we've ever done a podcast that was a three part podcast. But there was a lot that I had to say and this as, as I recall, comes from a series of questions that I was asked by somebody and I thought it would be great to have you ask me these same or similar questions and let me respond a little bit about what I see as the future of the BNI organization. So you've got some questions for you in front of you. I, I, let me hand it over to you.
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Okay, great. So the first question that I have is how can the organization today honor B and I's legacy while driving its future?
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So its legacy really rests on the core values of the organization and the implementation of the core values. And what I find interesting is sometimes people say, well, you know, so and so doesn't live the core values. Okay, well I, not everybody's going to, but it can start with you. And so the more people that really live the core values, the stronger their organization is going to be. And our principal core value is of course, givers gain. And what I love about that is you can go any place, any place in the world, any BNI chapter anywhere in the world and ask what our principal core value or philosophy is and they'll tell you giver's gain. And giver's gain is more than a phrase to me. It's a way of living one's life. It's a perspective to view and interact with the world. It's an attitude, not an expectation. And when it's applied properly, it'll change your life. And when it changes enough lives, it'll change the world. And that's what we're trying to do in BNI because I really believe that culture eats strategy for breakfast. Culture is the secret sauce. It's the DNA of a successful organization. And so I think that driving forward technology has changed. Many things have changed in 40 years. But if our core values remain consistent, we can work through the technological changes that are taking place throughout the world.
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Great. Second question is, what does this 40th anniversary mean to you personally and professionally?
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Well, you know, BNI has been relevant now for the majority of my life. We went international back in about 1995 when we opened in Canada, the first country outside of the United States. And then, you know, we've kind of. It's interesting when you're building a business based on word of mouth, it's not linear. It's sort of a hopscotch. So if you're looking, if you were to look at the map, a map of the world, it wouldn't be like other than the US And Canada, which are side by side, most of the other countries, you know, we hopped around, we opened in the UK and in Sweden and then Australia. And so doesn't look linear. And the reason for that is that word of mouth comes from people who happen to visit a chapter or hear about a chapter in a country and they want to open somewhere. And so one of our first countries outside the US Besides Canada and UK Was Sweden. And Sweden was the first place that I, that I went to and saw a BNI meeting in another language. And it was a visitor's day and it was all in Swedish. And you know, if you're an American, you know a few words in French. I grew up in Southern California, so I know some Spanish. But Swedish is just different. You know, it just, it has this great sing song kind of tone and it, it's not. Nobody in the US Knows, Very few people in the U. S know Swedish unless they're from Switzerland or have family members who are Swedish. And I remember the first meeting I went to in another language was in Sweden, Stockholm, I believe. And one of the directors leaned over to me and said, you, you have no idea what they're saying right now, do you? And I said, no, they're introducing the referral part of the meeting and they're explaining that if you don't have a referral, this is where you give a testimonial. And the person said, wow, you know Swedish. I said, no, I wrote the agenda. That's what happens right now. Then he laughed, and he's like, you're right. That's exactly what he's saying. And I said, I know. That's what happens in. You know, we have now, over at this moment, over 11,300 chapters worldwide. And you could go to any good chapter in any country, and you'll know exactly what's happening in the meeting, even if you don't know the language. That's one of the amazing things about being I. And, you know, there are all these different cultures, but what people forget about is the culture of entrepreneurism and how, you know, we overlay this culture of entrepreneurism on top of the individual culture of that nation, and we provide a system and a structure within the cultural context of that country, not outside the cultural context. So in terms of, you know, milestones for me, you know, opening in another country, knowing what was going on in a different language, hitting our first 100,000 members kind of blew my mind. And then, of course, when we hit 10,000 chapters, that was. That was a huge milestone for me because I had predicted in 1986 that someday we would have 10,000 chapters. And I've told that story. I had a friend, Bruce, and Bruce said, how many chapters do you have now, Ivan? And I said, 30. He's like, and you think you're gonna have 10,000? I'm like, yeah, I absolutely think we can have 10,000. I remember him saying, well, it's good to have goals, Ivan. Very good to have goals. And I'm thinking, no, no, it's gonna happen. And sure enough, in 2020, we surpassed the 10,000 chapter mark. And I think, you know, along the way, early on, probably by 86, when I realized how big it could be, I realized that I was part of something bigger than myself and that BNI was going to become a brand. And a brand begins to have name recognition when it. When a significant portion of the target audience can readily identify the brand by its name, logo, or other visual cues, meaning they can recognize it upon seeing it without needing extensive prompting. And that's usually achieved through consistent exposure to marketing branding efforts across various channels. It's one of the reasons why this podcast is now 18 years old. We've been doing this for 18 years. I remember one of our first podcasts was I'm a baby Boomer. What's a podcast, because nobody knew what podcasts were when I started doing these. And of course, very active in social media. We want to see the organization grow because the, you know, with a few hundred thousand members, you're not going to have brand recognition like you will with a million members. Plus, with a million members, the amount of business that we can generate. You know, I've said this before. Last year we generated 25 billion with a B. 25 billion US worth of business for our members. And that to me is just mindboggling. So that's some of my milestones. Priscilla, I know you have one other question and running out of time. We're not going to do four episodes on this.
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Okay, so here we go. Vision of the future. What are your hopes for BNI's next 40 years?
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I think we can have millions of members. As of this date, we have about 340,000 members worldwide. I think we can have millions of members because we can make an even bigger impact in the world. A brand begins to have name recognition when a significant portion of the audience readily identifies with that brand. And that happens when you have millions of clients. And so that I, I believe that we have to think beyond where we are now. And these were some of the closing comments that I had at a recent BNI conference, and I'm going to share them with you now. And, and it's our theme for this year, which is think beyond. Think beyond what you see in front of you, beyond what your business is today, beyond what networking has meant to you so far. And this message is not only to you as a BNI member, but to your business as well. Because beyond is where growth happens. Beyond is where possibility lives. Now, I know some of you are thinking when it comes to BNI, I mean, it's been 40 years. Can't we just think about sitting down, taking a break, or taking our networking legs off duty? You know, fair enough. 40 years is a milestone worth celebrating. However, B and I is not over the hill at 40. We're picking up speed. What we built over the last four decades is just the foundation. If you're coasting for long, it's because you're going downhill. I want chapters to hear that, especially smaller chapters. If you're in a chapter saying, we're doing okay, things are moving along okay, if you're coasting for long, it's because you're going downhill. BNI as an organization is not coasting. We are not resting on our past. We are reaching for the future because BNI has never Been about what is. It's always been about what can be. We're not slowing down. We're scaling up. B and I began with a vision. Not just for referrals, but for relationships. Not just for business, but for belonging. It started with a handful of people in one room who believed in thinking differently, who believed in thinking beyond themselves. And four decades later, that belief has turned into a global movement. Not because we stayed the same, but because we kept thinking beyond what was and leaned into what could be. The future does not belong to those who settle in comfort zones. It. It belongs to those who think beyond them. It belongs to leaders who think beyond transactions and build transformational networks. It belongs to professionals who think beyond scarcity and embrace abundance and collaboration. It belongs to you. Those of you listening to this podcast, if you think. If you choose to think beyond your current limits. So ask yourself, what could BNI look like if you thought beyond your current beliefs? What could your network become if you thought beyond your own results? What legacy could you leave if you thought beyond success and into significance? That's a legacy that you can achieve. Let's remember that what we build together doesn't end at a B and I meeting. It doesn't end this year, may not even end this generation. We're part of a movement, a global community that's rewriting what it means to do business with heart, with purpose, and with vision. I love being part of this organization, and I appreciate all of you members who are listening to this all around the world. I appreciate you very much. And as you finish listening to this podcast, carry this with you. Think big, think bold. But most of all, think beyond. That's my message for today.
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Priscilla, that's great. I loved it. Wonderful.
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Thank you.
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Okay, well, I think that that's it for this week, Dr. Meisner. This podcast is sponsored by MeisnerAudioPrograms.com and these audio programs will provide you with the tools and the inspiration to powerfully enhance your BNI experience. So check out the great material that's available to you@meisneraudioprograms.com and then use the promo code IVAN5O for 50% off of everything. All of the proceeds go to the B and I Foundation. Thanks so much for listening. This is Priscilla Rice, and we look forward to having you join us again next week for another exciting episode of the official B and I podcast.