BNI, short for Business Network International, is built on a two-word philosophy: “Givers Gain.” Ivan Misner founded it in 1985, with about 20 people in a coffee shop in Arcadia, California. Members bring each other referrals, and they expect business to come back to them in return.
Chapters meet every week. Each profession may have only one member in a chapter. At the meetings, members hand out referrals and report the business they have closed. BNI says it has more than 355,000 members around the world.