This morning we had a Guest Speaker Jan Morgan from Hospice Rotorua. Fantastic to have her along to talk about what Hospice does, unfortunately demand is high for Hospice but Government Funding does not increase when more nurses are needed.

For those who may not have had any dealings with Hospice, here’s a little bit of what they do. Hospice make it possible for families to have their loved ones soon to pass on, at home rather than at the hospital. For most if not all, to spend their last days, weeks or months with their families around is a more dignified way to go.

How does Hospice make this possible? Well they provide the hospital equipment i.e. hospital beds, oxygen, etc not forgetting the nurses who not only work 12hr days but are on call 24/7. This enables the patient to be at home in a loving and more relaxed environment during this period.

Hospice is BNI’s Charity Partner Nationwide and Internationally. Government funding is only 65% of what Hospice needs to continue the service they provide. So they rely on community donations and sponsorship for the rest. As members of BNI we give as an organisation, but we can also help by giving individually. So how can we give individually? Well there are a number of options you can choose from:

1. Donate clothing, household furniture, crockery, outdoor tools, etc to their Hospice Shop.
2. Shop at their Hospice Shop, all sales goes towards their cause.
3. Register as an Annual Sponsor at $30 or more per year. Just go to www.rotoruahospice.co.nz and find out how.
4. You can also make a one off donation on their website.
5. Attend their charity events, details can be found on their website of any events coming up. Ticket sales go towards their cause.
6. Finally, drop a donation into a Hospice Donation bucket if you see one at any participating business

Not a lot of people give this too much thought until the time actually comes that they need them. This is why Hospice is an invaluable service, because they care and they are there for families who want their loved ones to depart our world with dignity and with their family around them. Thank you Jan for coming to speak to us this morning.

Onto other news to report about, well last week I wrote that we had 30 referrals but we actually had 32. Ken Thompson from NZ Home Loans our Chapter Sheriff has laid down the law this morning, from here on in there will be a gold coin fee for going over your 60 seconds.

Rightyho, that’s me for another week. Don’t forget your dances, referrals for next week and consider trying to bring a prop each week to really give your 60 seconds a bit more impact. Anyway thanks for reading, enjoy the rest of the week and the sun while it lasts. See you all next week!!!!

In our BNI group we have a variety of reputable business services & trades. All our members run their businesses with complete professionalism and integrity. Below are the types of services currently in our chapter.

Maybe you have a need now or in the future for any one of these services. If you do then check out our “Business Card Box” under photo albums to access their contact details and give them call, they ALL COME HIGHLY RECOMMENDED :)

First Class Accounts - Accounting Specialists

Olphert & Associates - Barristers, Solicitors & Notary Public

Security Plus - Security Alarms & Monitoring

Tracey Robinson Photography - Professional Photographer

Chris Panel & Paint - Approved Repairer

Rotorua Electrical - Certified Master Electricians

Advantage Tyres - Tyre Professionals

Bell Automotive & Electrical - Automotive Repairers

NZ Home Loans - Home Finance & Debt Management

Motor Trade Finance - Motor Vehicle Finance

Need A Nerd - Computer Sales & Support

Harcourts - Real Estate Services

Aon - Home, Business & Personal Insurance

Pope Homes Ltd - Certified Builders

Joan’s Flowers - Professional Florist

Rotorua Health & Spa - Natural Health & Massage

Copies Ecetera - Professional Printing Services

FABULOUS MORNING!!! Awesome turnout from visitors and GREAT meeting! The key purpose this morning was to offer the BNI opportunity to people who are passionate about their profession and wanting to grow their network of connections as well as their business. BNI   itself has been around for years, our chapter (Rotorua Worx) has been around for almost 3yrs. Some of us have been with the group for that length of time and others have joined at later stages. Nevertheless, no matter at what point we joined, we have all developed a fantastic rapport with one another and have gotten to know and trust each other. This is the foundation of BNI, enduring, long lasting business relationships and often lifetime friendships with a network of trustworthy, reliable and motivated people. And this is why BNI works so well, as business owners we can refer our friends, family or customers to other businesses within the group with complete confidence.

So the motto or the philosophy as I like to call it is “GIVER’S GAIN”. To take interest in and gain a better understanding of each member’s business so that we can better refer each other to the people we know. As Mike Tennent our Regional BNI Director said this morning, he has never had to look up “Yellow Pages” to find a service for 5yrs. Why? Because he can look up a member in any chapter NZ Wide who he knows and trust to do the job, that is the “POWER of REFERRAL”. Our chapter did a little exercise around October last year. We were asked as a group by Mike Tennent, how much did we individually spend on tyres and a plumber (just to name a few), work or business related in the last 12mths. At that point no one in our group was a tyre merchant or a plumber, but the figures were astounding!!! Collectively just our group alone had spent $70K plus on tyres and $66K on plumbers for that 12mth period only, WOW!!! So if you’re wanting to take your business to the next level, this is seriously some “Food for Thought”.

To all our visitor’s that came this morning, thank you for attending and maybe we will see you again if you’ve liked what you’ve seen. To Mike Tennent our BNI Regional Director, thank you once again for being part of our Visitor’s Breakfast and presenting. And again, a BIG CONGRATULATIONS for your MASSIVE achievement in completing the “Tarawera Ultra 60KM Marathon ” Mike. Mike came in 14th in the Men’s division and 15th overall and raised over $5500 for Hospice, SOOOOOOO COOL! Congrats also to Chris Park (Security Plus) & Mike Dent (Rotorua Electrical) for winning the “Door Prizes”. And just before I sign off, I have left the best for last!!! Our group passed 30 referrals this morning, that has got to be a NEW RECORD!!!! Woooohoooo!!!!!

Well everyone, that’s me for another week! I look forward to seeing you all next week and don’t forget get some dances in and keep your eyes and ears open for all those little sometimes overlooked opportunities that may be a referral just waiting to happen. REMEMBER “Giver’s Gain”

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