Grow Your Community, Grow your Network Each week at BNI4Success, we'll talk about referral networking networks. We'll discuss networking tips, strategies and action steps that are designed to help entrepreneurs and businesses work together to create quality referral business and explore new opportunities. Hi, I’m Cys Bronner, Executive Director of BNI4Success, BNI’s Greater Los Angeles regions and today’s topic is Grow Your Community, Grow your Network.Networking is a contact sport! Whoa – that sounds pretty aggressive, doesn’t it? But it came from Dr. Ivan Misner himself, so it must be true, right? And it is – it’s all in the way you hear it and the way you apply it. For me, it’s taking off the bib and putting on the apron – and no, that doesn’t mean being a housewife and cleaning up after people, it means getting involved. Effective networking begins in the community. We have BNI community all around us, we call them chapters. But that is finite – we want MORE don’t we? We want to expand our networks; we want it all.  First you have to be visible in the greater community around you.  You have to get out there and connect with people – what better way to plant those seeds, to be a farmer instead of a hunter than by giving. As business leaders in the community, we have a responsibility to give back, to give to organizations like the ones we have here at our power breakfast with us. Give – it’s so much a part of who we are in BNI that’s it’s our main philosophy, in fact you can all say it with me. Our main philosophy, Giver’s Gain. The grass isn’t greener where you plant it, the grass is greener where you water it. I have an assignment for everyone here today.Assignment: Your assignment today involves identifying two local events or community initiatives that align with your chapter's values and objectives. Or your business's values and objectives. Make a plan for your chapter members to attend, to participate, or even sponsor these events. It could be a local charity run, a business fair, or a community clean-up.Create a strategy to leverage social media to showcase your chapter's involvement in these events. Capture photos, share stories, engage with the community online. Use platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to not only document your participation but also to connect with other businesses and potential referral partners.Get up, get creative, and get involved in your community. Your business can help make the world a little bit better!Remember, the key is to authentically integrate your BNI chapter into the community, establishing it as a valuable and contributing member. That not only enhances your chapter's reputation but also opens up new networking opportunities within the local business landscape.Get out there, get involved, and watch yourself AND your BNI chapter flourish!Thanks for joining us this week on BNI podcasts 4 success. Make sure to visit our website, BNI4Success or BNIPodcast4Success.com where you can subscribe to the show at Apple podcasts, Spotify, and Google podcasts so you'll never miss a show! Our networking success ask this week is that you tell a friend about BNI4Success!BNI4Success Podcasts The Voice of BNI Greater Los Angeles; Where we’ll talk about referral networking that works!http://bnipodcast4success.com