BNI Northwest Success
11201 100 Avenue T8V 5M6 Grande Prairie, AB, Canada

Our chapter officially passed 2 million dollars in closed business for 2020! Did You Know? BNI members, on average, increase their business 20% the first year. Our chapter is a dynamic, committed group of business people who know how to refer business to each other. ... Our meetings are online via Zoom right now. Visit our chapter to experience BNI and network with local business owners. Sign up: https://bnialberta.ca/northwestsucce//visitorregistration Learn more about our chapter by visiting our website: https://bnialberta.ca/northwestsuccess/en-CA/index

10 Questions with John MacLennan! We Zoomed with RE/MAX John MacLennan Grande Prairie prior to John's feature presentation this Thursday. John is a REALTOR at RE/MAX Grande Prairie. He holds the Residential Real Estate seat in our chapter.... If you want to learn more about what John does join us for our next BNI meeting on Nov. 12 at 6:45am via Zoom. Register: https://bnialberta.ca/northwestsucce//visitorregistration 1. How long have you been in the real estate industry for? 14 years 2. Why do you love what you do? It may seem a little corny but I really enjoy being guide through a very big purchase decision for a variety of different people! I love helping investors, independent individuals, first-time home buyers, and those who desire acreages. There are a lot of obstacles that can come up during the process and having a lot of experience allows me to provide professional advice that benefits my clients. 3. How long have you been a BNI member? I have been a BNI member for 9 years. I am also a charter member (one of the first individuals to join the first chapter in Grande Prairie) and the first chapter president for BNI in Grande Prairie. 4. What is your favourite part of BNI? The depth of relationships both locally and internationally. I am amazed at the referral relationships I have been able to develop across the province and even the country. Having been given the opportunity to meet Ivan Misner, the founder of BNI, is also very memorable. 5. How has BNI changed your business? It has changed my business significantly. Rarely is there real estate transaction that I work on that doesn’t have a BNI connection. It has been humbling to know I have grown trust with others to receive referrals from so many BNI members. 6. Where did you grow up? Saskatoon, SK Oakville, ON St Catherines, ON Winnipeg, MB Kamloops, BC Edmonton, AB Grande Prairie, AB 7. What is your favourite hobby? Speed Skating 8. What is your favourite part about our #gpab community? I am most impressed with the support for non-profit organizations. 9. What is your favourite food? The perfect BLT. 10. What is something most people don’t know about you? Fun fact, my wife Annette and I are both left-handed, while all 5 kids are right-handed. #lovelocalgp #homeowner #RealEstate #bni #entrepreneur #business #CountyofGP

10 Questions with Trudy MacDougall! We scheduled a zoom meeting with Trudy to learn more about The Mortgage Centre - Sky Financial prior to her feature presentation this Thursday. Trudy is a Mortgage Agent at Sky Financial Corporation o/a The Mortgage Centre. She holds the Residential Mortgage seat in our chapter.... If you want to learn more about what Trudy does join us for our next BNI meeting on Nov. 5 at 6:45am. Register: https://bnialberta.ca/northwestsucce//visitorregistration 1. How long have you been in the mortgage industry? 15 years as a broker and 25 helping individuals with their money. 2. Why do you love what you do? It allows me to have a huge impact on people's lives, I like to guide people to make informed decisions. It is rewarding to have others reach their goals in the end. 3. How long have you been a BNI member? 9 years and I am a charter member (one of the first individuals to join the first chapter in Grande Prairie). 4. What is your favourite part of BNI? The relationships I've grown. I know more about industries I would have never learned about otherwise. I've also seen a lot of personal growth while being a BNI member, it has allowed me to be able to speak in front of people more comfortably. 5. How has BNI changed your business? I have a more streamlined business. I have developed really good referral partners and that helps me connect clients and friends with products and services that I trust. 6. Where did you grow up? Hines Creek, AB 7. What is your favourite hobby? Golf, camping and walk. Anything that gets me out in nature. I like Golf because it's an individual game and it’s up to you to do better each time you play. 8. What is your favourite part about our #gpab community? It’s the people. People are friendly and willing to help each other out. It comes back to that givers gain philosophy BNI has, and that's what I like about the community. 9. What is your favourite restaurant? Tractor Jacks/Major's Homestyle 10. What is something most people don’t know about you? I was a WOW (World of Warcraft) gamer for several years. #lovelocalgp #homeowner #mortgage #RealEstate #bni #entrepreneur #business #CountyofGP

Congratulations to our chapter members Ruben Marin and Kris Waye of Grassroots Realty Group! Grassroots Realty Group Inc. has been selected as the recipient of the Profit 500 Startup List of Canada’s Fastest Growing New Companies. #gpab #lovelocalgp #startups #grassrootsrealty #realestate

10 Questions with Charlene Burte Nearing! We Zoomed with Charlene to learn about her and Hayes Fry Law ahead of her first feature presentation this Thursday. Charlene is the Real Estate Conveyancer/Wills & Estates Assistant at Hayes Fry Law and holds the Legal Administration seat in our chapter. ... If you want to learn more about what Charlene does join us for the next BNI meeting on Oct. 22 at 6:45am. Register: https://bnialberta.ca/northwestsucce//visitorregistration 1. How long have you been in the legal industry for? 34 years. 2. Why do you love what you do? I love working with people it is very interesting never a dull moment. 3. How long have you been a BNI member? 7 months. 4. What is your favourite part of BNI? The people. Learning about what people do personally and business-wise. I love growing relationships with local business people. 5. How has BNI changed Hayes Fry Law? We’ve grown professional relationships in the community and we've been able to help more individuals and businesses through referrals. 6. Where did you grow up? Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. 7. What is your favourite hobby? Crafts - Knitting. 8. What is your favourite part about our GPAB community? I love the long daylight hours and humidity in the summer, the amenities, great community of people, many of my fellow East Coasters live here as well. Grande Prairie has everything I need. 9. What is your favourite restaurant in GPAB? Fatburger 10. What is something most people don’t know about you? I am Ambidextrous (the ability to use both the right and left hand equally well). I've done the edge walk at the CN Tower. I am a daredevil, which many people would not expect. I love exhilarating activities. #gpab #lovelocalgp #law #realestate #willsandestates #bni #entrepreneur #business #CountyofGP

Happy Halloween from BNI Northwest Success ! Stay safe everyone. #gpab #halloween #CountyofGP #smallbusiness #enterpreneur

Ruben Marin is no stranger to contributing to the #gpab community by giving back. Just one more example of our BNI members stepping up to the plate to help others. Ruben Marin - Grassroots Realty Group

Thanks to Jasmine Ganther of Trans Dynamic Services Ltd. Sage 50 Training and Bookkeeping for an enlightening presentation at our chapter meeting this morning! Today our chapter learned that Trans Dynamic Services offers full-service bookkeeping including: Monthly, Quarterly and Annual Reports GST Prep... Accounts Payable Payments Accounts Receivable Statements Fiscal Year End Budget and Projection Allocation Sage 50 Consultations Thank you for educating us on how you help business owners keep their books in order Jasmine! Congrats on your very first feature presentation. If you want to learn how Trans Dynamic could help your business contact Jasmine at (780) 830-9650. #gpab #networking #entrepreneurs #businessowners #womeninbusiness

10 Questions with Trevor Sodergren! We Zoomed with Trevor to learn about him and Broker Age General Insurance Inc. ahead of his feature presentation this Thursday. Trevor is the Co-owner of Broker Age Corporation and is the Director of Business Development and Marketing. He holds the Property and Casualty Insurance seat in our chapter.... If you want to learn more about what Trevor does join us for our next BNI meeting on Oct. 29 at 6:45am. Register: https://bnialberta.ca/northwestsucce//visitorregistration 1. How long have you been in the insurance industry? 8 years. 2. Why do you love what you do? It gives me the ability to help other people. I like to solve problems and help people find success in what they do. 3. How long have you been a BNI member? 7 years. 4. What is your favourite part of BNI? The relationships I’ve built over time and the opportunities to grow more relationships. I enjoy seeing people succeed in their businesses. In BNI you really get to know people on a personal level. The people you meet in BNI have an impact on your life, even outside of business. 5. How has BNI changed your business? The givers gain philosophy is so aligned with our core values of helping people succeed. It’s right in line with how I do things, it has reinforced what we are doing in business. 6. Where did you grow up? Sexsmith, AB. 7. What is your favourite hobby? I would have to say Golf because I can do it with friends, family and colleagues. 8. What is your favourite part about our #gpab community? The entrepreneurial spirit here. There are so many people that jump into something without worrying about the consequences and that is unique about Grande Prairie. 9. What is your favourite food? Sushi 10. What is something most people don’t know about you? I named my son after Tom Brady. #lovelocalgp #insurance #brokeragegeneralinsurance #bni #entrepreneur #business #CountyofGP

Mark your calendar because next week is Visitors Day! Join us as a Visitor for a morning of networking with #gpab business owners 100% online via Zoom! Date: Thursday, October 15... Time: 6:45am - 8:15am Register Now https://bnialberta.ca/northwestsucce//visitorregistration

BNI Meeting Stimulants Remember to keep the fun in the fundamentals of BNI. The BNI online chapters that have fun during their meetings are always the stron...gest. Meeting stimulants during the weekly presentations can help with this. Have you tried the "Candy Bar" activity? It is easy to do during an online meeting! It is stimulant #26: "The Candy Bar". Chapter Presidents will need to email your members in advance asking all your chapter members to be prepared to bring a candy bar (or a healthy snack) to this week’s online meeting that can be incorporated as a prop in their weekly presentation. For example, a financial planner chooses a Payday candy bar and says, Each Payday you have to put a little bit away. An attorney chooses a Mounds candy bar and says, I have Mounds of legal information for you. A personal trainer can say that an ideal referral would be someone who eats all this candy. #BNImeetingstimulants #candybar

Respect to the Membership Committee:

Leadership Team - Educational Coordinator The main purpose of the information shared in the education segment each week is to help all members reach the level ...of success they expect from their BNI membership. It’s all about helping you get more value out of BNI. That’s why the Education Coordinator’s presentations will always be BNI-focused. After all, you and your fellow BNI members specifically joined a BNI Chapter because you trust the proven BNI system to generate more quality referrals for your business. These weekly presentations are an important tool to help the Chapter and each member reach that goal. Because knowledge is power, in BNI we believe that learning more is the key to earning more. The Education Coordinator speaks for 3-5 minutes at the beginning of each meeting, right after the BNI Purpose & Overview section. The information presented is always geared towards helping the members enhance their networking skills and knowledge of the BNI system, to better give and receive referrals. The Education Coordinator picks and researches the topic based on what the Chapter needs, works with the Leadership Team on topic selection, and presents BNI-related networking education only. We provide a wide range of resources: Facebook pages (weekly suggested educational topic) IvanMisner.com blogs My Books The better the Education Coordinator is at tailoring their information to the Chapter’s needs, the more practical, applicable information the members will receive. #leadershipteams #education

Social Media Marketing Tip Create a post once a week about ONE business category that you would like to have a virtual one-to-one with to learn more about THEM.... Do not talk about YOUR business or services in the post. Just share who you want to meet and from where. This will be quickly noticed by your followers and they will write a comment on your post if they want to schedule a one-to-one with you or connect you to someone they know in that profession. #onlinemarketing #onetoone

Did you know Did you know that there are 3 BNI Chapers in Grande Prairie? Aside from us, BNI Northwest Success, there is BNI Advantage - Alberta, Canada AN who meet on Wednesdays at 11:30 AM and BNI Northern Connections - Alberta, Canada AN who meet on Thursdays at 11:30 AM. With the 3 Chapters combined, there are over 65 business professionals and entrepreneurs growing their businesses and serving the local Grande Prairie community through referral marketing and giver's gain.

BNI has 7 core values. We are all in business to make a profit, but business should serve a greater need. As business people, we can make a difference in our communities and individual lives. Core Value # 7 - ACCOUNTABILITY This is an extremely important value in the business world, don't you think? Accountability helps us build strong relationships, meet goals and develop personally and professionally. Being able to count on others in your chapter is a key compent to success. Ways we hold each other accountable each week are through member attendance, following up on the referrals we receive and bringing visitors to chapter meetings.