Nowy świat możliwości – by Ryszard Chmura

International Networking Week: “A New World of Opportunity” stories from various international BNI leaders

Submitted by Ryszard Chmura

National Director – BNI Poland

The Polish economy is becoming more and more dynamic. In 2018, the GDP increased by 3.8%, thanks to which Poland aspires to advance in the ranking of the largest economies in the world. More and more companies are being established in our country year after year. There are now 3,175,407 of them operating in Poland. About 25,000 new business activities appear on the Polish market each month.

Many entrepreneurs, at different stages of development of their business, have to deal with challenges in their companies on their own, without any help or support from outside.

At BNI, we enable business owners to collaborate in groups, thanks to which we connect them in business. BNI is the largest business organization in Poland, bringing together reliable entrepreneurs and responding to all the problems faced by business owners in our country.

Currently, BNI operates in 25 cities in Poland and consists of 2 thousand members, who generated an additional net revenue of PLN 446 million from  BNI referrals in 2018 alone.

Because Success Can Be Planned

I joined BNI with an advertising agency in which I employed only 1 person and my company belonged to the BNI Group in Kraków at that time. In BNI, I went all the way from a Member, through various positions in the Leadership Team, Chapter Director Consultant, Chapter Area Director Consultant, to National Director.

Two years after joining BNI, I became involved in the development of the organization and started opening new chapters. Together with other entrepreneurs, we set ourselves the goal of bringing together as many business owners as possible in BNI. We have expanded the organization to 12 chapters and nearly 500 Members in the region.

From 1 to 150 Employees in 5 Years

BNI was the main source of growth for my company. The dynamic expansion of the organization in the region made my company grow very quickly. Using business referrals, I grew the company from 1 to 150 employees in 5 years.

Apart from receiving referrals from BNI Members, I was also able to learn from them how to run a business and manage a company. Thanks to BNI, I met my future partners and associates.

Since 2014, I have had the pleasure of being responsible for the development of the entire organization in Poland. There are two main goals that I have set for BNI. I want BNI to be present in every city in my country and I want BNI Poland to bring together as many reliable entrepreneurs as possible who are close to the idea of cooperation in business.

Business Growth on an International Scale

Being part of BNI is A New World of Opportunity. Our organization is not just a group of dozens of entrepreneurs operating locally. BNI is an organization that is built by business owners from around the world who want to support each other in business.

Mariusz Skalmierski, the owner of a company in the construction industry from BNI Victory Rzeszów, has found out about its strength and business opportunities on an international scale. Mariusz decided that he would go abroad with his business and start operating on the global market, especially in India.

He began his attempts to enter the Indian market with economic missions, meetings with politicians and local government officials, and visits to various fairs. However, these actions did not bring tangible results.

Only thanks to BNI and after holding meetings with companies from BNI in India did his activities on their local market gain momentum. Thanks to the help of other entrepreneurs from BNI, he managed to achieve his goal. His partner, Yash Vasant, is the director of two BNI Areas in India. They are opening a factory together and are going to specialize in the prefabrication of ventilation elements.

“Nowy świat możliwości” is Polish for “A New World of Opportunity”

Thanks to your membership in BNI, you too can grow your business not only locally but also internationally. BNI is a global network of contacts – with almost 250,000 BNI Members around the world. It is a huge growth opportunity for your business and it is up to you how you use it. This is a new world of opportunity. Looking forward to meeting you at the 2019 BNI Global Convention in Warsaw this November.

Wishing everyone a fantastic International Networking Week 2019!

Ryszard Chmura | National Director – BNI Poland