BNI Marseille Planète Business
Strength in numbers
BNI, or Business Network International, is the world’s most effective business referral system, with more than 280,000 members and €13.5 bn in revenues.
By Valérie Rouger
Vincent Boulay, fondateur du groupe Marseille Planète Business.
In France, BNI has 18,550 members, who made referrals worth more than €790 million to each other in 2020. Most members are owners or representatives of small to medium businesses, artisans, or independent professionals. There can be several BNI groups in one département, or even in the same town. The groups form regional federations. Vincent Boulay, head of asset management company MGF, launched Marseille Planète Business in 2020 with 81 members at the start. It’s the largest BNI group in France. “I joined BNI in 2018 as a member and later became consulting director of BNI13, the regional group,” he says. “I now get 15% of my business through BNI. BNI13 was founded by Nicolas Cazaban nine years ago. It has 1135 members, in 42 network groups, who refer business worth €46 million to each other annually.” Marseille Planète Business alone enabled 2900 referrals in its first year, generating revenues of €2.5 million for members. BNI is transforming the way people do business. “Those who give, receive” as the motto goes – a philosophy, and “a way of working based on solidarity, trust and self-help”, says Vincent Boulay.
