About Mississauga Networking

If you’re interested in growing your business by joining our referral business networking, please fill out this membership form.

Here are the Membership Guidelines as of January 1, 2012. They are open for discussion.

• Mississauga Networking is a structured group: meaning, there will be an agenda to follow at every meeting, as opposed to just free networking and chatting around. See agenda below.
• Free membership. There are no membership fees, however, members will be required to pay a $10 cover charge for the use of the meeting room, food and beverages served.
• Members will be required to pay a small annual contribution toward covering the cost of hosting, domain registration and maintenance of the group’s blog site.
• Exclusive or Open Category Membership: Only one member per business category. Some overlap of businesses is inevitable, but the main focus of a business must be unique to that one business. Important note: Each member controls the exclusivity of his/her business category. Some categories may be still open to accept up to one additional business. Please contact the member directly to discuss this.
• New members will attain full-member status after submitting a membership application, and then attending 3 consecutive meetings.
• If we’re meeting biweekly that gives us about 25 meetings per year. It is reasonably expected that members cannot miss more than 7 meeting per year. If 3 consecutive meetings are missed the member is sent a reminder to come back to the next meeting (or send a suitable delegate). Unless the member shows up the 4th time, his/her membership is cancelled and, blogging account suspended and articles removed from the blog.
• Membership in other referral networking organizations is not encouraged. This includes organizations such as BNI, BCX, RQ and similar referral networking groups.
• Members are free to join non-exclusive business-building networking groups, such as a Chamber of Commerce, women’s groups, professional organizations, etc.
• Only full-time business owners, or full-time employees can be members.
• To ensure that new potential members meet the qualifications an application must be filled out and a brief interview conducted before full membership is granted. Any inaccurate or false representation in the application process may be grounds for membership not being granted or revoked in the future.
• Substitutes: If you can’t make it to a meeting, please consider sending a substitute. At a minimum, please advise a member who will be attending that you cannot make it.
• Timekeeping for infomercials: You will have about 1 minute, depending on the available time (the more members we have, the shorter the infomercials) timed by a volunteer member.
• Referral follow ups: Members are not required to report on the success (or failure) of a referral, but the group encourages you to do so, as this lets new members/visitors know that we are doing business.
• Venue: Turtle Jack’s, 980 Southdown Road, Mississauga, 905-822-1998
• Members are encouraged to contribute articles, images, videos and other content to our blog.
• If you have a web site or blog, please create a link to http://MississaugaNetworking.com/
• Advertising spots will be provided on the blog to any member who wishes to participate.
• Members are encouraged to participate in running the group. The group recognizes Jackie Connolly as the founder of the group.
• Meetings are to run not more than 90 minutes.
• Visitors/potential members: You are welcome to visit at any time, but do let us know you’re planning on attending. A cover charge applies for food/beverages.

Agenda (8:00am – 9:30am)

8:00 Open networking

8:15 Welcome

8:16 Edumercials

8:45 Marketing Minute – members share marketing tips.

8:46 Open discussion on any topic

8:55 One-on-One — members will be randomly assigned in pairs, and will have a total of 20 minutes to learn about each other.

9:15 What do we have to give – referrals. If you have a referral, do not wait for the meeting to give it, pass it along as soon as you have it, then stand up and share it with the group at the meeting.

9:20 Referral Check – Voluntary. If you have a good story to tell about your referral, now would be a good time to do it.