How do you build a modern alternative to BNI and the chamber of commerce?

If you're a local business owner who wants to network, most towns give you two options. BNI, which might be great for certain personalities, but I'd say 80 to 90 percent of people would hate it. Or the chamber, which is old school: breakfast once a month and a ribbon cutting in front of your building. There are so many digital businesses now. What am I going to have you cut a ribbon in front of?

"there is such a market, like, just like we're doing in media, to reinvent BNI in a way that is actually valuable and actually desirable for people."

What's wrong with the networking options most towns have?

In my community you're either ultra organized and terrible, like BNI, or it's "every Wednesday I show up to the coffee shop, stop by if you want." That's too unofficial. There's one near me from 8:30 to 9:30 with no structure at all, and it's usually the same people every time.

What should a modern business group include?

• Some organization. A 30-minute AI training, for example.
• Regular, easy meetups. A monthly morning coffee and a monthly happy hour.
• A digital place to connect. A Slack group or a Facebook group.
• A little structure in the room. Name tags, a prompt to switch conversations every 15 minutes, anything that makes meeting people less awkward. More on that in how to host a networking event people enjoy.

That gives you the benefits of in-person, the benefits of digital and most of the benefits of organization, without the horrible, annoying parts.

Should the community live on its own website?

No. From what I've heard, dedicated social networks for a niche aren't working well, and I know why: the cold start problem. If not enough people are there, nobody gets used to going to a separate site. Put it in Slack or a Facebook group.

The digital part matters more than people think. Even in a group like EO, you meet in person once a week or every other week. Then what about after that hour? Members want to keep learning from each other and sharing.

What does the modern chamber pitch sound like?

For my county, it goes like this. We don't have a building, and we're not coming to your ribbon cutting. We're the modern one. We teach you AI and digital marketing, help you build your website, set you up with AI voice agents and help you hire overseas talent.

The membership I've sketched bundles all of that: AI and digital marketing training, website help, AI voice agents and help hiring overseas talent. Each of those is cool, but maybe not worth paying for alone. Bundle them at a cheap rate and you're stupid not to join.

Should it be exclusive?

I think so, even if it's free. Make people apply. Am I good enough for this? Do I qualify? That question makes them want it more.

A vertical version could work even better, just smaller. In a market of 500,000 to a million people, picture a group only for home service business owners making $250K a year or more. Nobody's doing that. It would just be you. For the paid, application-only version, see how I'd start an exclusive business owners group.

Why is a local media brand the right host?

Distribution. I tried to build a group like this for dads about three years ago, and the problem was that I had no distribution. That's why I built the audience first.

The opposite case exists near me too: a big monthly business meetup that pulls a crowd every month and sells sponsors, with no media angle at all. I went to one with 45 people there, all B2B, selling insurance, selling in-home healthcare. Doing what they do plus what a local media brand does, as one brand, is the gold.

What makes it actually work?

Execution. I don't care how good the idea is. You have to do it consistently, every week or at least every other week, for six months to a year.

Provide value first and protect the room. One person with a negative attitude, or one who constantly pitches, can ruin the whole group. Saying no to the wrong people, even when they're bringing you money, is one of the worst parts of running a community, and one of the most important.