Ballantyne Business Connections (BBC) meets on the first Monday of the month with the exception of holidays when our meeting is moved to the second Monday of the month. (For 2020, that means our September meeting will be on the 14th.)
To maximize our participants’ value, BBC is limited to TWO members per industry. Membership is $90 per year. If you are interested in learning more about the group including whether or not your category is available, email the board.
1. Business Classifications A. The Group allows two like kind businesses categories to join as members. The Group will not allow the two like kind business categories to be employed with the same company or firm. Members will represent their primary or full time occupation. B. Guest’s may visit two times when there is an opening in their category. Members will be responsible for bringing at least 1 guest per quarter in an open industry category. C. The list of available categories are on the Google Drive. Please clarify your category.(Each business can only fill one category. If your business can cross into multiple categories, please choose the one that coincides with your top income.) D. Membership applications will be reviewed on the 15th and 30th of each month. Applications must be submitted with biography, picture and annual dues or the application will note be considered. Applicants will be notified of the board’s decision to approve or deny their membership application request. Any refund of annual dues will be subject to a $15 application fee. 2. Membership List A. All members will be given access to the membership list in the Google Drive. Please use the list to set up one-on-one monthly meetings to get to know your fellow members. If we don’t know each other, we cannot recommend each other.
3. Calendar of Events A. All members will be given access to the master Calendar of Events list on Google Drive. This is where you will be able to add your events for the year. Members will be able to post their events on our website. It is the responsibility of the member to post their own events
4. Social Media A. As a member you are welcome to use the Facebook Page for posting events and providing quality information that would be helpful to the group. We ask that you bring value and not only constant solicitation. It is the responsibility of the member to post their own events. B. Members are encouraged to connect with and like other member’s social media pages and websites and to recommend each other’s services when appropriate.
5. Email/Texting/Anti-Soliciting A. Direct contact is for one-on-one correspondence only. Email blasts to the group are a violation of policy and will not be tolerated. B. Members are not allowed to solicit business from other members. Members will reach out to the other respective members when they need their services.
6. Attendance and Meeting Times A. Meetings are held once a month. It is essential that you make an effort to attend all meetings. Two missed meetings would result in you losing your spot in the group and having to reapply for your spot. There is no guarantee that you will be accepted back even if there is a spot open in your category. B. If you can’t make the meeting we encourage you to set up a replacement. Your guest MUST announce they are your guest to count towards the member’s attendance. When appropriate, the guest will be allowed to introduce themselves to the group. Please check the category list of professions that have availabilities so the opportunity would be there for your guest to join.
Regular Meetings and Agenda: We meet the first Monday of the month unless the holiday or some adjustment needs to be made due to our location.
11:30-11:45:Open Networking, Sign In and Order Lunch 11:45-Noon: BBC Welcome and Group Purpose 12-12:30:Relationship Building Exercise 12:30-12:55:BBC Announcements plus a rotation of the following: Educational Series, Member Spotlights and/or Open Networking 12:55-1pm:Closing Remarks and Adjournment
Quarterly Socials: A. Each quarter we will meet locally for after hours networking. This will be announced on Eventbrite and on our Facebook page. It will be normally scheduled between 5:30 and 7 PM and the location will be rotated as well as the scheduled weekday. One-to-One Meetings: Ballantyne Business Connections is about relationships. That's why we encourage our members to schedule one-to-one meetings with other members on a regular basis. Members should have at least 2 one-to-one meetings each month. 7. Sponsorship (Quarterly Socials)A. If you would like to be a sponsor or donate a door prize for one of the quarterly socials, please contact a board member (ballantynebusinesscon@gmail.com). Sponsors can be members or non-members. B. Sponsors would be responsible for providing light appetizers, plates and napkins. If there are two sponsors the cost would be split accordingly. C. All beverages must be supplied by a restaurant. Sponsors may purchase any bottles of wine for the group, otherwise there will be a cash bar. D. We will make a welcoming announcement during the event. The sponsors to be announced by BBC to our Social Media group and to our Email List as Sponsors.
8. Member SpotlightsA. New members can sign up for the meeting spotlights via the BBC website: https://www.ballantynebusinessconnections.com/speaker-application.html. This is a great opportunity to showcase your business by educating members on one topic that you offer. This highly encouraged member perk gives you speaker practice, expert level exposure and increases member trust. B. Pick ONE topic to educate members on what you do. The topic must be approved by a Board Member prior to Spotlight. C. Member Spotlight Speakers need to provide a three sentence introduction. Speaker can choose to be introduced by a board member or by a member.
9. By-Laws A. These by-laws are subject to change at any time by the board of directors. Members are required to follow these by laws and are encouraged to contribute to their development. The Board of Directors reserve the right to terminate a member’s membership at any time and to deny membership applications for any reason.