I was also feeling a bit guilty about being out of the office and on a boat, enjoying the sun and BNI friends while deadlines and client requests loomed in my mind. How is this going to result in business? What if … fill in the blank … happens?

Well, I’m glad I went ahead and went on the trip. It turned out to be a beautiful day, and I got to know my fellow BNI members a bit better and in a setting where they were more relaxed. Not only that, but there were two other people who went along as well who were in other BNI Chapters slightly out of my area, so I got to learn about their businesses and conversely they got to learn about me and my business.

Networking on the Sacramento Delta

As it turns out, the trip resulted in a job lead for me and I also subbed at another BNI meeting (at the recommendation of one of the boaters from another BNI chapter) where I got to meet 20+ other business owners. I also was able to relax, get some perspective on my business, and made up the missed hours a bit on the weekend.

I learned that networking doesn’t always have to be conducted at a mixer under fluorescent lights. Now I’m thinking of even more ways to network in unconventional settings.

Do you have any suggestions or examples around this idea? Please leave a comment.

Trey McAlister, BNI Director and Professional Business Trainer, will be sharing information about BNI and about why BNI is the number one referral organization. He will demonstrate how your business can increase by as much as 50% through “word-of-mouth” marketing.

Cost is $15.00

You must RSVP to attend this event. Please email us contact@ebar-bni.com

Among others, we are looking for the following positions:

We came into the process a little late this year, but Tim & Koy from Fitzgerald Abbott & Beardsley had put in a lot of work prepping the house and planning the 3 weekend long renovation process. However me made great progress and helped make some improvements and move the project along towards it’s desired goal of improving Ms. T’s home.

One Man Wrecking Crew

A Note from One of the Team Leaders:
“Dear RTO Volunteer Team,

The last challenge: Attempting to convey the depth of appreciation for the time, effort and heart you gave to Ms. T and her family. Here goes…

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

We started this RTO project over 2 months ago with a tight budget, a general plan and a lot of dreams for how we could transform 8712 A Street.

With your help, we achieved our general plan which was to repair all broken windows, paint the exterior and interior, repair Ms. T’s front gate, and put molding on the kitchen cabinets. In addition, some of our dreams became reality! We completely tore down and removed an old garage in the backyard, improved her front garden and laid new comfy carpet in her 2 bedrooms and the living room. We also connected Ms. T with several Bay Area home experts that may be able to help her with other issues very soon.

It was a joy to see you all smiling and laughing as you put in so much hard work. And it was great to witness new friendships being made and old friendships being strengthened during the process.

I hope you all enjoyed your RTO experience as much as we enjoyed your participation. Ms. T and her family are extremely pleased and thankful!

Thank you again, and we hope to see you next year – same time, different place!

For more images, please visit Flickr

The results were extracted from a report created by seomoz.org.

BNI is the largest business networking organization in the world.   We offer members the opportunity to share ideas, contacts and most importantly, business referrals.

If you would like to learn more about BNI, please visit www.bni.com or visit the East Bay Adundant Referral (EBAR) website at http://www.ebar-bni.com

For more information on this please watch this informative video: