The Official BNI Podcast

Episode 953: Growth in Difficult Times (Classic)
Host: Dr. Ivan Misner
Guest/Co-Host: Priscilla Rice
Date: March 25, 2026

Episode Overview

This classic episode, originally Episode 725, features BNI Founder Dr. Ivan Misner sharing strategies for achieving growth in business—even during challenging times. The conversation centers on mindset, passion, leadership, and the foundational principles that drive lasting success in both BNI and business generally, regardless of external conditions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mindset: The Power of Belief and Perspective

Belief as the Foundation: Dr. Misner emphasizes that success begins with personal belief—believing you can pivot and adapt your business in difficult times.
The Shoe Salesmen Parable (03:05):

“The first salesman wrote back… 'No one wears shoes here. There’s no market.' …The second said, 'No one wears shoes here. There’s a huge market!' ...It’s all perspective. You have to believe.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 03:36)
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy:

“If you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re going to be right.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 05:11)

2. Passion and Commitment: The "CPR" Formula

CPR for Business: Commitment + Passion = Results
- Passion alone isn’t enough; commitment creates passion, and together they drive results.
“Passion does not produce commitment. Commitment produces passion. Commitment and passion produce results. It is the CPR for any business.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 06:47)
Acronym Origin:

“That CPR acronym came from one of our directors, Glenn...”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 07:09)

3. Leadership: Inspiring and Connecting

Mobilizing vs. Managing:

“Leadership is not about managing and complying. It is about mobilizing and inspiring. I’m going to repeat that...”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 07:40 & 07:48)
Touch Points Matter: Building trust and care with members, visitors, and clients.

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 08:09)
Consistency in Action:

“It’s about doing six things a thousand times—not a thousand things six times.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 08:47)
- Doing the right things over and over until you can’t get them wrong.

4. Simplicity & Resourcefulness

The Humble Beginnings of BNI:

“When I started BNI back in 1985, I had one sheet of paper… It was the agenda typed up by me on an IBM Selectric typewriter.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 09:34)
No Excuses:

“I opened 20 chapters in one year. And all I had was one sheet of paper.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 09:59)
Don’t Overcomplicate: Success does not require complex materials or processes—focus on fundamentals.

5. Vision and the Global Impact of BNI

Vision Shapes Reality:

“Our vision controls our perception, and our perception becomes our reality. Set a vision that makes a difference.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 10:25)
Excellence over Mediocrity:

“Why accept mediocrity when excellence is an option? Even in difficult times, excellence is an option.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 10:29)
Worldwide Reach:

“When you’re in your little chapter, you kind of forget… it’s really an incredible giant clock of working parts… worldwide.”
(Priscilla Rice, 11:04)

6. BNI's Resilience and Growth

Remarkable Growth Despite Challenges:

“We’ve added 6 to 700 chapters during all of this chaotic last year and a half... 36 years of consecutive growth. Very few companies in the world have ever done that.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 11:47)
Dependence on Network:

“Today, more than ever, you need your network. And BNI is a great way to do it.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 12:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“If you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re going to be right.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 05:11)
“Commitment and passion produce results. It is the CPR for any business.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 06:47)
“Leadership is not about managing and complying. It is about mobilizing and inspiring.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 07:40 & 07:48)
“It’s about doing six things a thousand times—not a thousand things six times.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 08:47)
“I opened 20 chapters in one year. And all I had was one sheet of paper.”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 09:59)
“Set a vision that makes a difference to the people around you. Why accept mediocrity when excellence is an option?”
(Dr. Ivan Misner, 10:25 & 10:29)
“When you’re in your little chapter, you kind of forget… it’s a giant clock of working parts… worldwide.”
(Priscilla Rice, 11:04)

Timestamps for Key Segments

Mindset and Belief Discussion: 03:00–06:00
CPR (Commitment, Passion, Results) Concept: 06:45–07:30
Leadership Principles and Touch Points: 07:35–09:00
Early BNI/Foundational Simplicity: 09:30–10:15
Vision and Excellence: 10:20–10:50
Global Impact & Recent Growth Stats: 11:26–12:20

Episode Tone & Language

Dr. Misner speaks with motivational authority and a touch of humor, particularly when recounting the humble beginnings of BNI and the power of a positive, action-oriented mindset. Priscilla Rice’s contributions are supportive, enthusiastic, and aimed at grounding the global scale of BNI back to its impact on individual chapters and members.

Summary Takeaways

Growth is absolutely possible in difficult times—if you believe, commit, and lead with passion.
Focus on doing the fundamentals consistently well rather than seeking shortcuts or reinventing the wheel.
Leadership is about inspiration and connection, not just management.
BNI’s global reach and resilience underscore the power of networks and community.

This summary covers all major insights and moments for those seeking actionable ideas and inspiration from Dr. Ivan Misner’s timeless advice on business growth—even in challenging eras.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Hello, this is Priscilla Rice and I'm coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio. This week we're going to have a rebroadcast of one of our earlier classic podcasts. We hope you enjoy it, and thanks so much for listening. Episode number 725, Growth in Difficult Times.

B (0:20)

You're listening to the official BNI podcast with BNI founder and chief visionary officer, Dr. Ivan Meisner. Stay tuned for networking and referral marketing tips from the man who 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.

A (0:43)

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the official BNI 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?

C (1:03)

Oh, I've been all about zooming about the world. I've done some live radio interviews. Pittsburgh, St. Augustine. I'm doing a lot of global interviews. Did some stuff on Clubhouse. The app took a little time off in Galveston, and I did a live BNI China event.

A (1:21)

Wow.

C (1:21)

And that was a. That was a lot of fun. So been. Been zooming around.

A (1:27)

It sounds great. So what are you sharing with us today?

C (1:30)

You know, I was asked to talk to some B and I directors about growth because it's so interesting how some directors are just on fire and their regions are on fire and their chapters are on fire and they're really doing well, and other chap and other regions and B and I directors are like, well, how can you possibly grow during, you know, these difficult times? And I'm like, oh, wow. Why is it that some people see the opportunity where other people don't? You need BNI today more than ever. And the last 18 months have been, I think, a great example of understanding that, because it's been a challenge for most businesses. The truth is, it's your network of friends and associates that can help you get through times like this. You know, operating more than 10,400 networking groups now in over 70 countries, I've learned this firsthand. I've also learned something else. It starts with you. It starts with what you believe you can do first. You must have belief. You must believe you can pivot your business and find ways to help more people in your profession, in your industry. You must believe in what you can do for people in this new normal that we live in. There's this old story of two shoe salesmen who were sent to different parts of a developing nation to see if there was a market for their shoes. And after a week, the first salesman wrote back to the company and said, no one wears shoes here. There's no market for us. Send me a return ticket. The second shoe salesman wrote back to the company and said, no one wears shoes here. There's a huge market for our shoes. Send me a large shipment. It's all perspective. You have to believe. You have to believe in yourself. You have to believe that you can. You have to believe that you can pivot. You have to believe that your network can help you in this process. I think, you know, I recently had a B and I director who said, you don't. You don't understand, Ivan. It's. It's impossible to. To grow right now. No, that's not true. If you believe you can or believe you can't, you're going to be right. And if you think it's impossible, It'll be impossible. Nbni, we have over 280,000 people in the organization, and I see people in the exact same professions who believe it's possible to pivot and people in the exact same profession who believe that it's not possible to pivot during these challenging times. And it may come as a surprise to some, but it doesn't come as a surprise to me that many of the people who believe they can pivot are doing so successfully, and all of the people who believe they cannot pivot are not doing it successfully. If you think you can or you think you can't, you're going to be right. Pivoting during difficult times begins with the belief that you can. Next, you have to have passion, passion about what you do and how you'll achieve it in the current environment. And that includes your participation in B and I. You got to be passionate about it. But let me be clear about passion. Passion does not produce commitment. Commitment produces passion. Commitment and passion produce results. It is the CPR for any business. Commitment and passion produce results. C +P equals R. Nothing great in life has ever been done without passion and commitment. And that CPR acronym came from one of our directors, Glenn, who suggested that because I was talking to them about commitment and passion, and that's what it takes to get results. The third key is leadership. And leadership is not about managing and complying. It is about mobilizing and inspiring. I'm going to repeat that. Leadership is not about managing and complying. It's about mobilizing and inspiring. Over the years, I've learned that it is true that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. It's about the touch points that you have with the people you manage, that you work with and that you serve. In a BNI context, it's about staying connected with your fellow members, connecting with visitors in the organization. And your business is about connecting with your clienteles on a regular basis. It's all about those touch points and connecting with people. It's about giving members and clients and customers. It's about giving them love, care and attention. It's about doing six things a thousand times. Not a thousand things six times. A good friend of mine, the late Chick Gallagher, liked to say he was a BNI director and he liked to say it's not about doing something so many times that you finally get it right. It's about doing it so many times that you can't get it wrong. But you have to be doing the right things. And the right things involve inspiring people to take action. It's about those touch points and BNI that involves learning how to coach people effectively. And the leadership teams are so incredibly important. And of course the directors and director consultants are important, but even, you know, members, the, the visitor host, the, the education coordinator can help guide people and help people day in and day out. It's about showing up to help people be a better version of themselves. That is what we can be doing right now and that is how we can grow a business during difficult times. Don't over complicate things. I don't know why people make things so complicated. And I'm not just talking about bni, I'm talking about people in general. We as a human race just tend to make things complicated or, or we tend to reinvent the wheel, which also drives me nuts. But B and I doesn't have to be complicated. You know, When I started BNI back in 1985, I had one sheet of paper. That's all I had. I think I've talked about this in a podcast before. It's all I had, one sheet of paper. It was the agenda typed up by me on an IBM Selectric typewriter. And if you're a millennial, you millennial, you have no idea what I'm talking about today. It's just basically an anchor, big heavy typewriter. And back then I typed Columbus style, you know, seek out and discover. And, and I typed up the agenda and people would ask me, do you have any material? When I was trying to start a chapter. They'd ask, do you have any material? I said, no. You don't have any marketing material? No. Well, surely you have a brochure? No. What do you have? Well, I've got the agenda. And they'd look at the agenda and they'd say, well, this doesn't really tell me a lot. And I'd say, no, you got to come to a meeting. You have to come to a meeting and experience it. And Priscilla, I opened 20 chapters.