"On a Personal note, I have been involved with several BNI branches over the past 25 years and can honestly say they we the main contributing factor to gaining clients and growing my businesses."

Anthony David

What is BNI?

BNI (Business Network International) is the world's largest business referral network. Founded in 1985 by Dr Ivan Misner, it has been running in Australia since 1998. Members join a local chapter and meet every week to build relationships and pass work to each other.

How it works

• Local chapters, weekly meetings. Each meeting runs for about ninety minutes. Members present their business, pass qualified referrals and get to know each other properly.
• One seat per profession. A chapter accepts only one person from each professional specialty, so you never compete with another member in the room.
• Givers Gain. The philosophy is simple: give business to your fellow members and they will want to give business back to you.
• Accountability. Chapters track attendance, referrals, visitors and ongoing education, which keeps everyone active.

BNI by the numbers

• 355,000+ members in 77 countries
• 11,600+ chapters meeting every week
• 17.8 million referrals passed between members in the last 12 months
• About A$38 billion in member-generated business in the last 12 months
• About A$326 billion in revenue for 2.28 million businesses since 1985

How effective is it?

BNI's own research found that:

• BNI referrals convert to revenue 55% of the time.
• They convert to business 38% faster than leads from other sources.
• They are twice as likely to convert as leads from non-networking marketing channels.
• The average member received 46 referrals in a year.

Closer to home, the neighbouring BNI Gold Coast and Tweed Shire region reports that nearly 500 local businesses generated more than $40 million in new business through referrals in a single year.

Is BNI right for you?

Independent reviewers agree that BNI works best for business owners who turn up every week, invest in relationships and actively give referrals. Its strength is structure and accountability. In return it asks for a weekly commitment, and it usually takes 60 to 90 days for a chapter to learn your business well enough to refer you with confidence.

The best way to find out is to visit. Come along as our guest, meet the members and see how the chapter works.

Global figures are reported by BNI from member data. Dollar amounts are converted from US dollars at approximately US$1 = A$1.43 (November 2026) and rounded.