Your guide to
BNI Live
Everything you need to know before you join us on Tuesday morning. What to expect, how to prepare, and how to get the most from your 45 seconds in the room.
- When Tuesday
- Meeting starts 6:45 AM
- Where Zoom (virtual)
- You speak for 45 seconds
- In person Quarterly
What is BNI?
A long-running, successful, global business network organised into local chapters. Each chapter has a few defining features:
- 01 Just one of any kind of professional or trade per chapter — one accountant, one estate agent, one plumber.
- 02 Chapters meet weekly, with members required to be present and engaged.
- 03 Everyone helps everyone — through direct business, referrals, introductions, and anything else useful.
What is BNI Live?
A loosely London-focused chapter that meets virtually via Zoom every Tuesday morning.
The composition is largely professional services — coaches, lawyers, finance — without the trades like plumbers, electricians, and builders common in many other chapters.
It is a top-performing 'London' chapter: the value of business received by members is top tier relative to other BNI chapters. That's remarkable for a virtual chapter.
Face-to-face group meets still happen once per quarter, and in-person 1-to-1s are highly encouraged where possible.
The BNI Live team, face to face
What happens in the room
The meeting starts at 6:45 AM sharp — please be on the Zoom by then. Here's how the morning runs:
Opening Breakout
6:45 AMAs soon as you join, you'll be placed in a small breakout room — the equivalent of a coffee corner. Informal small group chat to warm up the room before the formal agenda begins.
Introduction & Purpose
From the Chapter Leadership Team. Sets the tone for the meeting.
Members Round
Each member has 60 seconds to (1) report their contributions to the chapter and (2) deliver their business brief and request(s) to the room.
Visitors Round
This is youYou and other visitors each get 45 seconds to address the whole room.
Mid-Meeting Breakout
A particular question or challenge to discuss in groups of 4–6, then report back to the big room.
Member Feature
One member delivers a feature presentation — deeper insight into their work.
Visitors Debrief
A final breakout room with a visitor host, ready to answer questions and explain how to consider joining BNI if it's a good fit.
What you'll actually do
Speak — for 45 seconds
Your main active moment is the Visitors Round. The host will name and prompt you to speak to the whole room. 45 seconds, so know what you want to say.
Network — in the breakouts
The smaller-group breakout sessions are where networking happens at a more natural conversational pace.
Listen — throughout
During the Members Round and Visitors Round, you're listening for collaborations, referrals, introductions, and people you want to follow up with.
How to prepare
Five things to do before Tuesday. The visitors who do these get the most from the room.
Know your 45 seconds
Know exactly what you want to say. Rehearse it out loud — 45 seconds is shorter than you think.
Be clear on what you offer
Don't assume people will understand it. Specifically — what problems do you solve?
Be clear on what you want
How can the people in the room help you? Direct business? Referrals? Specific introductions? 1-to-1s?
Scout the chapter
View member profiles. Identify who you'd like a 1-to-1 with. Consider messaging them in advance — they'll welcome it.
View members →Have your follow-up message ready
Prepare a short message, contact method, and link ready to drop into the Zoom chat right after your 45 seconds. Don't write it on the fly — it's the easiest way to lose follow-up momentum.
More on point 02Examples of what to ask the room for
Ask for follow-up 1-to-1s — often best if your offer is complex and not realistic for anyone to buy, refer, or help with immediately.
Invite direct business — from members and visitors.
Invite referrals.
Ask for specific introductions — to a named person or a profile of person.
How to follow up
Save the Zoom chat
So you have everyone's links in one place.
Contact people for 1-to-1s
The follow-up conversation is where the real value lives.
Visit other BNI chapters
Get more experience, decide whether BNI is right for you — and if so, which chapter is the right home.
Now scout the room.
Browse the members, identify the people you want to meet, and arrive on Tuesday with your 45 seconds ready.