Perhaps I’m not accepting enough responsibility on this topic given the title, but I feel that I became fairly complacent with my business in BNI.
There was this sense that I could simply be in BNI and that my business would grow. And it sort of felt like that was actually the case for many years.
Granted, I was fairly active in the chapter and more or less did the things I was supposed to do.
But I was still coasting. I didn’t really do anything else in my business at all. I just went to BNI, got clients, and did the client work.
That’s basically it.
I’m really not blaming BNI here because it wasn’t really their fault. In fact, it was the early success of that system that made me feel like I could just coast.
And coast I did, for quite a while. Granted, things did generally improve year-over-year. I started with nothing and grew slowly to where I was making a real living. I bought a house, paid off my debts, and slowly started transitioning to where I am now where I can travel the world, go wherever I want, and hopefully retire early.
But there’s so much more that I could and should have been doing.
What’s most frustrating to me now is that I didn’t even notice when BNI stopped working for me. It had probably been at least 3 solid years with virtually no new outside business. And it’s a huge time commitment.
I was a part of a lesser group for a short time (which will remain nameless), but at least in that one, I realized that I wasn’t actually getting any business and it was demanding a lot from me, so I quit.
Why didn’t I do that with BNI?
I guess it’s because it had been such a crucial part of my business for so long and can be credited with the early growth of my company. For the longest time, it would be sacrilege to suggest that I leave.
So much like some of my romantic relationships, I just didn’t question it and it went on far too long.
And actually, just like my relationships, things have become so much clearer after leaving.
Even up to the moment I quit, I was still second-guessing myself. I didn’t know if I was making the right choice.
But it didn’t take long after I left before I was much more confident in my decision. Having my Tuesday mornings free and not having to worry about all of the duties that come along with being in a chapter were immediately liberating.
And it didn’t affect my business coming in at all, since there really hadn’t been any for a long time.
I’m not sure every post really needs to have a lesson, but I guess in this case, I just think it’s important to take a step back from things and really analyze whether they are benefiting me.
That could apply to literally anything. Relationships, memberships, service offerings, hobbies, and more.
Just because I’ve been doing something a long time doesn’t mean they serve my interests anymore.