Murali Srinivasan reminisces on the time when BNI was launched in Goa and the heights it has managed to scale today
In the summer of 2009 Rajkumar Kamat (Raj), entrepreneur and owner Om Enterprises – a company manufacturing FRP doors – had a dream to empower 1000 business owners to grow their business and provide employment to 10000 people. At about this time he met Pradyut Bera, a friend who invited him to experience a business meeting of BNI at Pune.
“The day Raj visited this meeting he could visualise and feel his dream coming true and BNI Goa was born in his mind” – MURALI SRINIVASAN Senior District Director, BNI India
The day Raj visited this meeting he could visualise and feel his dream coming true and BNI Goa was born in his mind. About a year later on 1st May 2010 the first Chapter – BNI Aparant was launched with 21 members. Over the next few years Raj passionately invested his time an energy in putting together his first few Chapters; and by the summer of 2012 his vision was taking shape with 150 Members in 4 Chapters actively working together to grow their businesses. This was when Raj faced a major roadblock with his time being thinly spread between his growing business, his active involvement in various business organisations, working with the Government of Goa to support local economy and his passion for BNI.
He realised that he was faced with the difficult decision of either letting go of his dream or remaining stagnant – a place between a rock and a hard place. When I had the privilege and honour to coach and mentor Raj, the leadership story emerged. After our initial discussions Raj had a ‘eureka moment’ that he could scale the growth of BNI with the help of his own members – the cream of the business community of Goa. He realised that he had the best brains inside his own membership who also shared the same passion. He put together a plan to empower these leaders with a winning strategy.
Over the next decade, Raj structured and empowered a brilliant team of dynamic leaders – Rasik Naik, Avinash Borkar and Manoj Patil who were later joined by Parag Loliyekar, Armaan Bankley, Andre Shackleton, Fauzia Shahid, Ashfaq Shah and many more who have now powered the growth of BNI Goa to 825+ business owners and racing to be at 1000+ in the next few months. This is a dream team of leaders with a united vision and a passion to make a difference. Raj brought this team together and they have delivered magical results. This is truly a testimonial to visionary leadership and empowerment which has changed the way Goa does business and the landscape of the business community in Goa.
