KUALA LUMPUR: Over 300 business owners participated the BNI Miracle chapter, a new chapter under BNI Malaysia,
to elevate business networking and collaborative business opportunities.
The BNI Miracle Chapter, the latest addition to the existing 82 chapters in Malaysia, is also recognised as a Diamond Chapter, a feat only nine other BNI chapters have achieved in the world.
"What makes this feat truly amazing is that chapter members are coming together to achieve this ambitious target, to collaboratively grow their business as a unified force," BNI Malaysia national director Marcus Hwang said, adding that the global BNI community currently stands at 9,125 chapters.
BNI is the world’s leading referral organisation. In the last 12 months ending May 2019, BNI member referrals have generated USD$16 billion in revenue for its member businesses.
To secure this historic global recognition as the largest launched chapter in Southeast Asia, BNI Miracle chapter needs to have a minimum of 102 members upon its official launch date on July 24, 2019 or 138 members by the same date to break the world record.
As of 10 July, the Miracle Chapter has 86 professionals on its membership roll, putting it firmly on track to be the largest in Southeast Asia very soon.
A chapter with 102 members is expected to translate into 5,151 possible connections amongst members.
Targeted at small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which form the backbone of the Malaysian economy, BNI has been operating in Malaysia for the last 19 years and has gained more than 3,400 members.
Impact wise, BNI Malaysia has helped more than 5,000 companies to grow their business and in the last 12 months ending in May 2019, recorded over RM 850 million worth of transactions.
“Our leadership team is guided by the 'Givers Gain' philosophy, and we are very passionate about creating an outstanding culture that promotes collaboration and cooperation,” said Hwang, who added that BNI’s ability to tap into high quality connections without having to invest in huge budgets sets it apart from other forms of business networking.
“We are the only networking organisation where members help each other grow their businesses through referrals and without giving commission upon closing,” said Marcus Teoh, who co-founded the BNI Miracle chapter with Adi Afendi.
Teoh is an author and a Facebook marketing guru, while Adi has made a name for himself in the emceeing
industry.
According to Teoh, the BNI Miracle chapter was formed with the vision that will make it stand out in Southeast Asia.
“We are here to break the world record for the largest chapter, which is currently held by chapters in India, China and Hong Kong. We want to put Malaysia on the map as a regional hub for SMEs to connect internationally and locally,” said Teoh.
Based on the idea that Giver’s Gain, members of the BNI Miracle chapter are able to tap into the personal
networks of other members to generate business opportunities.
The chapter also provides a support system for business owners with members coming together to share experiences and a helping hand if needed, added Adi.
“More likely than not, the BNI Miracle chapter will be upholding higher monitoring standards compared to other chapters. We will diligently evaluate every member's contribution towards the growth of business and the chapter, as our vision is not just about growing members’ business within Malaysia, but also taking them internationally,” added Hwang.