Samina Zakkir beamed with happiness and pride, as she represented her small-scale boutique at the BNI Dynamic Coimbatore Chapter meet, recently. She was one of the many women entrepreneurs who had gathered at Grand Regent. “My family is conservative. I am the first lady from my family to become an entrepreneur. My daughter encouraged me to step out of my house. I feel proud.”
BNI Dynamic is a networking model for the business community and serves as a platform for entrepreneurs in the city to build contacts in their fields. The number of referrals, testimonials and minutes of the each meet are fed into a common database. “It’s like a family. We meet often. There are eight chapters in Coimbatore alone,” says R. Vinod, the chapter director.
The day was rewarding for not just Samina but also for many others who came from Pollachi and Tirupur. Arshiya runs Ela, an organic store for milk, chicken eggs and coconut oil. “I got at least 20 clients. The referring system is extremely helpful,” she says
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Swetha Vijay, who has a jewellery line called Silver Trails, says it saves her from hunting on the Internet for contacts. “There is healthy competition between the members. People are ready to help each other with references. The database takes stock of how many references you give, thank-you notes and testimonials. It is a confidence booster.”
Almas Sajjath, who runs a fitness centre, says. “Seven months ago, I knew none in the city. Once I started attending the sessions, I started networking with the right people.”
Dr. Shifa Arshad, a paediatric dentist, delivered a presentation on how women can be successful in all their endeavours. A former chairperson of BNI Dynamic, she recalls how a few male subordinates were uncomfortable about working under a woman! “Women need to come out of their shells. They have to be guilt-free if they do not cook for a day and focus on their career.”
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For more information, visit bnidynamic.com.