BNI Riverside

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BNI Riverside BNI Riverside meets Thursdays 9:30–11:30am at Nepean Rowing Club in Penrith. We’re a business networking group built on real referrals and strong relationships.

Join us to grow your network through genuine connections and steady business results.

A full room, two feature presenters and a client story that made everyone stop and think. It was a big morning at BNI Ri...
15/10/2026

A full room, two feature presenters and a client story that made everyone stop and think. It was a big morning at BNI Riverside.

We had lots of guests from across the region join us today, so thank you to everyone who came along.

Angela Bichler led our education session on some exciting changes coming to the BNI app, including a new way for members to connect with each other.

This week we had two feature presenters. Simone Sidhom from JS Website Design shared what your website really needs for 2026 and beyond. She gave practical tips on how to show your experience and expertise, build trust and build authority in your space. JS Website Design has now built over 100 websites across a wide range of industries, and Simone shared some great examples of what happens when you get your website right.

Whitney Keir from Lava Operations then picked up where Simone left off, asking what happens when the leads do start coming in. Does your business have the systems and processes in place to keep moving forward? Many don’t, and business owners end up missing the things that matter most to them, like time with the kids or a proper holiday. Whitney looks at how your business runs and brings both the strategy and the implementation, so your business can keep working without you.

The golden mic goes to the best short business pitch of the meeting. Ben Yardley was looking for a pitch with a great example, and it went to Kate Rafton from Rafton Family Lawyers. Kate shared a recent client story that showed why getting legal advice early makes such a difference.

Kate is also looking to connect with local psychologists. If that’s you, or you know a psychologist or counsellor doing great work, we’d love to have you come along and visit.

If you are a local business owner looking for more referrals, come and see what we are about. Our next meeting is Thursday 22 October, 9.30am to 11.30am at The Rowers in Penrith. Visitor tickets are $40 and include coffee and breakfast.

Book your visitor spot: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/bni-riverside-weekly-networking-meeting-tickets-1978538393596

Meeting date: Thursday 15 October 2026

When business gets tough, who's in your corner?Running a business can feel lonely, especially when things are quiet and ...
14/10/2026

When business gets tough, who's in your corner?

Running a business can feel lonely, especially when things are quiet and every decision lands on you.

A strong network changes that. It gives you introductions to new customers, honest advice from people who've been there, and people who genuinely want to see you do well.

And when the right job comes up, they think of you first.

That's what happens every Thursday at BNI Riverside. Local business owners from trades, property, finance, marketing and more come together to help each other grow. It's a friendly, supportive room, and there's always a seat for visitors.

We meet from 9.30am to 11.30am at The Rowers (Nepean Rowing Club), 32 Bruce Neale Dr, Penrith. A visitor ticket is $40 and includes coffee and breakfast.

Book your visitor spot: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/bni-riverside-weekly-networking-meeting-tickets-1978538393596

This Thursday 15 October, Simone Sidhom and Whitney Keir are taking the floor at BNI Riverside, and you're invited to co...
12/10/2026

This Thursday 15 October, Simone Sidhom and Whitney Keir are taking the floor at BNI Riverside, and you're invited to come and hear them.

Simone Sidhom, JS Website Design
Simone and her husband Jordan have been building websites since 2017 for businesses across Penrith, the Blue Mountains and Australia-wide. Their focus is on websites that attract, engage and convert. If you are embarassed by your website or it simply does nothing for your business, this one is for you.

Learn more about JS Website Design - https://www.jswebsitedesign.com.au/

Whitney Keir, Lava Operations
Whitney helps service-based business owners untangle messy operations, tighten up their processes and build businesses that don't rely on them remembering everything. If every process lives in your head, this one is for you.

Learn more about Lava Operations - https://lavaoperations.com.au/

Visitors are welcome. We meet from 9.30am to 11.30am at The Rowers (Nepean Rowing Club), 32 Bruce Neale Dr, Penrith. A visitor ticket is $40 and includes coffee and breakfast.

Book your visitor spot: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/bni-riverside-weekly-networking-meeting-tickets-1978538393596

What a way to start a new BNI year. Over $700k in business passed between our members, and a big new goal to chase.It wa...
08/10/2026

What a way to start a new BNI year. Over $700k in business passed between our members, and a big new goal to chase.

It was a great meeting this week, with members, visitors and substitutes all joining us.

The BNI year starts on 1 October, so we took a moment to look back at what we achieved together. As a chapter, we closed over $700k worth of business from referrals passed between members. That is a fantastic result for a chapter that is not even two years old, and our goal for the year ahead is to become a million dollar chapter.

We also celebrated our Notable Networker awards for September:
👏 Most visitors: Razeeha Safiq
👏 Most Thank You For Closed Business given: Jade Sun Thompson
👏 Most referrals: Julia Yassa
👏 Most one-to-ones: Gerard Margetson

The golden mic goes to the best short business pitch of the meeting. Angela Bichler was looking for pitches with a good punchline this week, and Ben Yardley from Effective Bird Control took it out.

Our feature presenter was Daniel Blackstock from Strike Electrical. Daniel gave a really good presentation on his services and why compliance and safety matter so much in electrical work. He covers residential, commercial and industrial jobs, and he doesn't cut corners. Whatever the job, big or small, you'll get the same quality service.

Andrew Vasiliev led our education session on the importance of being specific and niching down when you ask for referrals.

If you are a local business owner looking for more referrals and genuine connections, come along and see what we are about. Our next meeting is Thursday 15 October, 9.30am to 11.30am at The Rowers in Penrith. Visitor tickets are $40 and include coffee and breakfast.

Book your visitor spot: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/bni-riverside-weekly-networking-meeting-tickets-1978538393596

Meeting date: Thursday 8 October 2026

Lock these Thursdays in your calendar.These are the upcoming feature presenters at BNI Riverside, with two of our member...
08/10/2026

Lock these Thursdays in your calendar.

These are the upcoming feature presenters at BNI Riverside, with two of our members now presenting each week. A feature presentation is a longer spot in the meeting where a member shows the room what they do and who they help.

Thursday 15 October
Simone Sidhom, JS Website Design
Whitney Keir, Lava Operations

Thursday 22 October
Carl Southern, M.O. Media
Kaid Fosker, Fosker Plumbing Services

Thursday 29 October
Emma Blakeney, Fight For Their Future Foundation
Andrew Vasiliev, Laser Landscapes and Excavation

Visitors are welcome at any of these meetings. We meet from 9.30am to 11.30am at The Rowers (Nepean Rowing Club), 32 Bruce Neale Dr, Penrith. A visitor ticket is $40 and includes coffee and breakfast.

Pick a Thursday, lock it in and book your visitor spot: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/bni-riverside-weekly-networking-meeting-tickets-1978538393596

New leaders, plenty of laughs and a tax pitch nobody saw coming. It was a great morning at BNI Riverside this week.We st...
02/10/2026

New leaders, plenty of laughs and a tax pitch nobody saw coming. It was a great morning at BNI Riverside this week.

We started by thanking our outgoing Executive Leadership Team: Whitney Keir (President), Angela Bichler (Vice President) and Linda Benfield (Secretary/Treasurer). They have given their time and energy to the chapter over the last two years, and we are so grateful for everything they have done.

Our new leadership team has now stepped in. Jade Sun Thompson from JST Marketing ran her first meeting as President and did a fantastic job, and she has lots of fresh ideas for the year ahead.

Whitney from Lava Operations has taken on a new role as our Education Coordinator. Whitney set the scene for the next 12 months, and members will also get the chance to share their own knowledge, which we are really looking forward to.

The golden mic award goes to the best business pitch of the meeting. This week Rob Sommerville challenged everyone to make their pitch entertaining, and the room delivered with dancing, comedy and some great client stories. Angela Bichler took out the golden mic with a pitch about the ATO, your tax bill and a happy ending.

Our feature presenter was Penny Dixon from Penny Dixon Travel Managers. Penny shared the value of using a travel manager to book your next holiday. She has 20 years in the industry and has travelled to 25 countries, so you will definitely want her in your corner when planning your next trip.

If you are a local business owner looking for more referrals, come along and see what we are about. Our next meeting is Thursday 8 October, 9.30am to 11.30am at The Rowers in Penrith. Visitor tickets are $40 and include coffee and breakfast.

Book your visitor spot: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/bni-riverside-weekly-networking-meeting-tickets-1978538393596

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Meeting date: Thursday 1 October 2026

This week's feature presenter is Penny from Penny Dixon Travel Managers! Penny will be discussing how she operates as a ...
29/09/2026

This week's feature presenter is Penny from Penny Dixon Travel Managers!

Penny will be discussing how she operates as a travel manager and the benefits people experience using a travel agent opposed to self-booking.

If you'd like to hear from Penny, come along to BNI Riverside. Meeting at Nepean Rowers Club in Penrith, this Thursday from 9.30am till 11.30am.

Tickets are $40 - get yours here https://sys.bnisnw.com.au/en-AU/find_a_chapter?chapterId=5D1OPakjOh6egqNUScy1PQ==

Last weeks meeting ended on a high for the outgoing leadership team. There was a full room of fully engaged people and i...
28/09/2026

Last weeks meeting ended on a high for the outgoing leadership team. There was a full room of fully engaged people and it truly was a great way to see their term out. A big thank you to Whitney, Angela and Linda for their tenure as our ELT for the past two years.

Feature presenter this week was our Commercial Lawyer Razeeha from HNT Legal, who performed her presentation with several people in the room contributing as actors to sell the story. It was great to see the HNT team show up in droves to support their colleague too!

Razeeha was our golden mic presenter and she threw a curve-ball out there for people in the room to try and use the word "carrot" into their referral pitch. It was incredible to see everyone think on their feet and incorporate this into their pitch. The golden mic was awarded to Rob for his feel-good and funny pitch.

We had Julia step in for Linda this week as Secretary Treasurer and Whitney deliver our education piece.

Meeting date: 24/09/26

This week's feature presenter is Razeeha from HNT Legal! Razeeha will be taking us through her journey as a commercial l...
22/09/2026

This week's feature presenter is Razeeha from HNT Legal!

Razeeha will be taking us through her journey as a commercial litigation lawyer and how she helps businesses and individuals navigate disputes and protect their interests by providing practical, strategic advice with a focus on resolving issues efficiently.

If you'd like to hear from Razeeha, come along to BNI Riverside. Meeting at Nepean Rowers Club in Penrith, this Thursday from 9.30am till 11.30am.

Tickets are $40 - get yours here https://sys.bnisnw.com.au/en-AU/find_a_chapter?chapterId=5D1OPakjOh6egqNUScy1PQ==

Address

Bruce Neale Drive
Penrith, NSW
2750

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

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