A Stockport business referral group is celebrating after generating £30 million pounds for its members since launch.
BNI Pyramid, which currently meets every Friday morning at Bramhall Golf Club, was set-up with twelve founding members in 2004. Celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year, the group has supported over 250 businesses since launch, representing a wide spectrum of industry sectors, from architecture to finance, IT, HR, legal and a broad number of trades.
The group is part of global organisation BNI, the world’s leading business referral organisation which, with over 318,000 members in 77 countries, provides weekly networking meetings for groups of businesses, who follow a focused meeting agenda that enables them to use their combined network of contacts to find business opportunities and referrals for one another.
Last year, its members in towns and cities across the UK & Ireland shared over half a billion pounds (£538m) of business between one-another.
BNI Pyramid Chapter President Martin Howe of Searchlight Finance Ltd said: “We are incredibly proud to have reached this multi-million milestone as we celebrate our twentieth year.
“BNI has been shown to have a significant positive impact on the economies of the areas in which it operates, bringing together the SMEs that form the backbone of UK Plc, and helping them grow together.
“A key value for BNI, so much so it’s a registered trademark, is Givers Gain®, which reflects how our systems are entirely built on encouraging and facilitating an altruistic attitude to business – if you help me, I’ll want to help you.
“It’s an approach that has helped many thousands of people across the planet over the last thirty-nine years to build businesses of their dreams, and we have several members in our own group who have been with us in the long-term and built up multi-million pound businesses.
“The secret to making BNI work is having the right people with the right attitude in the group, so our doors are always open to businesses who are keen to grow by working with others, who might be interested in coming along to see what it’s all about.”
BNI Executive Director for Greater Manchester East, Lancashire, Kirklees and Calderdale Louise Eccles joined the group to congratulate them on their feat.
She said: “BNI Pyramid has a special place in my heart as I was one of those twelve founding members, way back at its launch twenty years ago.
“It has been absolutely fantastic over that time to see the incredible impact BNI has in helping local businesses come together and work together for mutual success. I have seen it change lives and can honestly say it has changed my own in so many positive ways.
“BNI Pyramid’s multi-million milestone is a prime example of the huge boost groups can provide to local economies and local communities.”
