As we draw closer to the end of 2013, I wanted to share my observations and thoughts about the Chamber’s Business Referral Network Group (BRN), as well as my hopes for our group in 2014.
The BRN is a networking group within the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce, for chamber members from different industries to band together and form a supportive group. The most obvious way that we help each other is by referring clients to each other, but there are so many other ways that the group can help a business owner–we give each other moral support, we share knowledge, experience, and ideas with each other, we continually spur each other to keep growing and improving as entrepreneurs.
Stewart, (Chamber President/CEO) attends and actively participates in the group, which is a testament to the chamber’s dedication to its members. I do not know how I could quantify these benefits, but I can surely say that my business would not be where it is today if it were not for this group.
Click to apply to join one of our 2 BRN groups
For 2013, our group lost a few members but also gained some wonderful new members. We’ve had good amounts of visitors each meeting, on average we have 1-2 visitors each and every meeting. Alas the group size did not grow much this year, and I attribute this to the fact that we ask for a degree of time and participation commitment that “screens out” people that are not serious or are not ready. The result is a smaller but more stable, committed group of people that are ready to do what it takes. I would pick quality over quantity any day, and these people have become my friends, my mentors, my comrades.
Looking towards 2014, I have so many hopes for our group. We are lacking a number of industries that are crucial to the continual growth of our group, so targeted recruitment is of high priority. The group has also expressed the desire to learn and to sharpen various business skills, so we have formed a subcommittee to find speakers for what we call “BRN-University”–our educational segment of the meeting. Lastly, I hope we all help each other reach a new level of growth in our revenue and client base, and have fun all along the way.