Last April, when my nephew told me what his new business was, I told him he had to seek out and join a local BNI group. When I went looking for one, through the BNIBC website, I found out there were none in the area. I left it at that.

Yesterday, at a Japanese restaurant with my father, he picked up a Coffee News. I looked through it and there was an ad for an information session to start a BNI chapter in Chilliwack. I got excited! I called the number on the ad, introduced myself, and invited myself to the meeting.

Then I called my nephew and invited him.

Then I made notes, because I recalled my very first BNI meeting, around the turn of the century. It was also an informational meeting. The presenter was very poor, unexciting, and unenthusiastic. I did not come away with a warm feeling. The feeling I came away with was that I had escaped a shark tank.

I vowed this meeting would be different. If there was a poor presenter, a dull, unreceptive crowd, I would do my best to get them excited an motivated, because I am a convert, I see the power of BNI.

Let’s see how it goes.

I sent a text home. Elizabeth responded. I put my BlackBerry in my pocket, and it pocket-texted a smiley emoticon.

Cute. It read my mind.