IT Specialist
“In 20 months I’ve made around £10,500 from BNI...”
Case Study: Chris Henson of One Touch Solutions
IT Support is an ever growing area of importance for small businesses and luckily for our BNI Chapter in Bracknell, the members have their very own specialist to seek advice and services from. For Chris Henson, his membership at BNI allows him to help other businesses in his group which lead to referrals outside of the room.
We asked Chris about his BNI experience and how being a member has helped him grow his company, One Touch Solutions.
“I’ve been in BNI for around 2 years now. I was first a member in the Slough chapter, but when that disbanded I moved to the Bracknell chapter instead.
I actually joined BNI because I got sent a postcard invite. It’s something they encourage new members to do, and it was the push I needed. I was working with a business coach at the time, and he said ‘have you thought about BNI?’
And I remembered going to BNI in Woking years ago as a visitor, but never really took it anywhere because my category was filled.
I was actually thinking about it when a week or two later I got this postcard from a member at Bracknell, and I thought I’d go along and have a look. It was a good meeting, and it all just kind of went from there really.”
“IT is a difficult one, because often the business I get isn’t all that big, but it is in long term contracts that keep paying month on month. Which is what I want really! Though it does depend on the type of company you are and how you invoice.
I’d say in the last 20 months I’ve made around £10,500 from BNI, but most of it is in monthly drip-feed clients. My biggest single piece of business came to around £1,500, and that was to install a CCTV system for another member.”
Real Member Stories: IT Specialist
“My biggest BNI referral came to around £1,500"
“A lot of the benefits for me have been in the structure and learning side of BNI. Between the training we’re given and just getting to know other members and how they do things, you pick up a lot of ways you can make your business run better. So being in BNI has helped me learn a lot about how I run my business and being a bit more regimented in how I do things. It’s more about getting things in place that I might not have thought about, but that can significantly improve my day to day. The ed slots, training sessions and one to ones with other members are to thank for that."
We asked Chris what his advice would be to other IT support companies considering joining BNI, and he had some great thoughts:
“I enjoy BNI for reasons other than the fact that you get business from it, and I think that’s important to remember. Business is obviously an important thing, but the relationships you build and the experience you gain add another level.
I would certainly come along and see what it’s all about, and if you like the feeling of the room then you’ve got to give it a go for a year. It depends, you know? Different business get different things out of it, so it’s important to know what you expect and how much you need to put in to get the results you want. But I would say it’s worth joining, yes.”
Contact Chris Henson
Call: 01276 818 698 | Email: chris@onetouchservices.co.uk | Visit: www.onetouchservices.co.uk
Tagged as: Business Services
Share this post: