One More Meeting: Roshan Burnwal’s BNI Dynamic Durgapur Story

A YouTube Video That Sparked My Curiosity

Several years ago, I came across a YouTube video discussing BNI. It described an organization that did not operate like a conventional product-selling business, yet connected business owners through a networking ecosystem. That idea fascinated me. I remember thinking, How does something like this actually work? How can networking alone create so many opportunities? At that time, I was living in Ukhra, a relatively small town in West Bengal. Durgapur was still a fairly new business environment for me.

Out of curiosity, I searched Google to see whether BNI operated anywhere near my location. I found opportunities in Kolkata, but regularly travelling there from Ukhra didn't seem practical. So I did what we often do with interesting ideas that feel out of reach. I kept the thought somewhere in my mind and moved on with my work. I had no idea that I would eventually become part of that same organization.

The Facebook Advertisement That Changed Everything

One day, while casually browsing Facebook and Instagram, I came across an advertisement. BNI was coming to Durgapur. There was an upcoming meeting, and interested business owners could attend. I was genuinely excited. Something I had previously seen only through videos and online discussions was suddenly becoming accessible in a city close to me. Whenever I explore a new professional opportunity, I usually prefer taking someone from my trusted team along. Two people who have been particularly important in that process are Amit Burnwal and Ajay Verma.

For my first BNI visit, I decided to go with Amit Burnwal. I still remember the location.

Delta Suites, Durgapur.

And I remember the approximate amount I paid to attend as a visitor.

₹500.

I was going there with one expectation: I would learn something new about business. Interestingly, the chapter had not officially launched yet. The meeting was happening around its formation period. I entered with curiosity and excitement. But what happened next was quite different from what I had imagined.

My First BNI Meeting: Was This Really Worth It?

The meeting began with business introductions. People spoke about their companies, professional categories, and what they did. There were short pitches, introductions, presentations, and opportunities to interact with other business owners. I watched everything carefully. Coming from an IT and cybersecurity background, I was used to understanding systems, technology, training, and practical problem-solving. Naturally, I was expecting something I could directly learn and apply. But after observing the meeting, I found myself thinking:

Is this it? People introduce themselves, talk about their businesses, network for a while, and then leave?

I wasn't disappointed with the people. In fact, meeting those people was probably the most interesting part of the experience. I met established business owners whose names I had heard before but whom I had never personally encountered. I met people from different local businesses, including retail and furniture, along with other experienced professionals from Durgapur. For someone still building relationships in the city's business community, that exposure was valuable. But I couldn't immediately connect it to my own professional world.

I was running a cybersecurity education organization. My work revolved around technology, software, education, and technical training. Looking around the room, I didn't find many people who seemed to share that exact professional background. I kept wondering:

Where does someone like me fit into this network?

After the meeting, we had refreshments, spoke to a few people, and returned to the office. My initial conclusion was fairly clear.

These are good people, but perhaps BNI isn't for me.

I had almost made up my mind not to join.

Rajdeep Samal and the Second Opportunity

Some time after my first visit, I received a call from Rajdeep Samal, who was involved with BNI in the region. He asked about my experience. I explained my hesitation. He encouraged me to explore the chapter again, pointing out that I could attend another meeting as a visitor before making a decision. I thought about it. There was no real harm in giving it another chance. This time, I decided to attend with Ajay Verma.

I also remember my younger brother being in the car during that outing. I encouraged him to come along and experience something new, but he wasn't interested in attending the meeting. So I went inside with Ajay. And this second visit felt different. I noticed more established entrepreneurs and professionals, including Sarat Kanodia, along with several other business owners. I started realizing that these weren't simply people attending a weekly meeting. They were people who had spent years building businesses, handling responsibilities, managing teams, and understanding their respective industries.

And I was getting an opportunity to sit in the same room with them. That changed something in my thinking. I still wasn't completely convinced about joining. But I had started seeing a different kind of value.

Maybe the opportunity wasn't in what someone would teach me during a presentation. Maybe it was in the people I could learn from over time.

That question stayed with me.

The ₹52,000 Decision — And My Mother's Advice

The next challenge was financial. I remember the membership expense being approximately ₹52,000 including GST. That is my recollection of my own decision, not a current BNI price. Now, let me explain something about myself. I come from a business-minded Baniya family, where calculating the value of money is something we learn naturally. Whether the amount is ₹1,000, ₹1 lakh, or something significantly larger, I believe it deserves careful thought. Spending money isn't necessarily difficult.

Spending it without understanding the purpose is what makes me uncomfortable. And here I was, considering an investment of around ₹52,000 in something whose actual return I couldn't predict. It wasn't like purchasing equipment for my office. It wasn't a software subscription with clearly defined features. It wasn't a marketing campaign where I could immediately examine leads and conversions. This was a business networking membership. I had no certainty about whether I would receive even a single business opportunity.

So I discussed it with my family. My father told me that if I understood the opportunity and believed it was worthwhile, I should make the decision. My mother encouraged me to go ahead. She felt that being surrounded by experienced and successful businesspeople would expose me to new ideas and perspectives. What mattered most to me was her confidence.

She wasn't promising that I would earn the membership fee back. She was telling me that learning from good people could itself be valuable.

Around the same period, I also developed a good connection with Vikas Kumar Burnwal. He visited my office, we interacted, and he encouraged me to consider joining. With my family's support and encouragement from people around me, I finally decided:

Let's do it. Whatever happens, I will learn something from the experience.

And that was how I became a BNI member.

The First Month: I Still Didn't Understand BNI

I wish I could say that joining BNI immediately changed my life. It didn't. During the first month, I still struggled to understand the system. I attended meetings, listened to introductions, interacted with people, and tried to understand how networking was supposed to translate into meaningful business relationships. But I wasn't seeing any extraordinary result. There is something about the way I make decisions. I prefer clarity. For me, it is often a matter of zero or one, yes or no.

Once I commit to something, I don't like remaining permanently stuck in confusion. BNI Dynamic had regular Friday meetings, generally four or five times a month depending on the calendar. Attendance and participation were important parts of the chapter culture. Initially, these weekly commitments felt like another responsibility added to an already busy entrepreneurial schedule. But I had made the investment. More importantly, I had made a decision. So I continued showing up. I started having more conversations, understanding what members actually did, listening to their business challenges, and slowly getting to know the individuals behind the companies.

After roughly a month or six weeks, something became clearer.

Networking wasn't simply about introducing my business to thirty people in thirty seconds.

It was about creating familiarity and gradually building trust. And trust wasn't something I could expect to earn in one meeting.

From Strangers to People I Could Call “Bhaiya”

One of the most meaningful parts of this journey has been the relationships. I met Abhishek Kiyan and developed a warm professional connection with him. Over time, our conversations became comfortable enough that I began addressing him as Bhaiya. That may sound like a small thing. But for me, it represented something important. I wasn't simply collecting contacts. I was developing relationships with people whom I respected. I was also meeting entrepreneurs from different generations and industries.

They had experiences I didn't have. Some had spent years managing traditional businesses, customers, staff, suppliers, and the day-to-day realities of entrepreneurship. I came from a younger generation of technology-driven business owners. My background was cybersecurity and education. Their experiences were different from mine. And that difference became an advantage. I could learn from their business experience while contributing my own understanding of technology and digital systems. That exchange of knowledge eventually became one of my favorite parts of BNI.

The Business Category That Changed My Direction

When I first joined BNI, my registered professional category was related to educational institutions. That made complete sense to me. After all, I had founded The Drop Organization, and cybersecurity education was a major part of my professional identity. Training students, developing cybersecurity skills, and building educational programs were things I understood deeply. Then something unexpected happened. Some members began suggesting that I should represent Digital Marketing instead. My first reaction was hesitation.

Why digital marketing? I'm here as a cybersecurity education entrepreneur.

But there was another side to the situation. The Drop Organization already had an in-house team capable of handling digital marketing, design, and related technology services. We weren't starting from zero. We had the people and capabilities to deliver that work. Still, I didn't want to make a category decision without thinking carefully. I spent approximately a month to a month and a half considering whether I should make the change. There were discussions, doubts, and moments when I thought I should simply continue with the education category.

Eventually, I decided to explore Digital Marketing. And looking back, that was one of the most important business decisions to emerge from my BNI journey. I hadn't joined BNI expecting it to change how I presented my company. But the people around me had noticed a capability in our organization that I wasn't prioritizing within the chapter. They helped me see an additional business opportunity.

When Relationships Started Becoming Business Opportunities

I entered BNI with very low expectations of receiving business. At that stage, The Drop Organization was already active, and I was focused on developing the business I had built. I wasn't joining because I had run out of work. I was joining to explore, connect, and learn. Then business conversations gradually started becoming real projects. One member discussed a website requirement with me. Other conversations also led to digital work through people I met in the wider professional network.

Some requirements involved website development. Others involved digital marketing, design, software-related work, or broader digital support. What fascinated me was that these opportunities didn't arrive through the kind of conventional advertising process I was accustomed to. They grew out of conversations. Someone understood what our team could deliver. Someone developed confidence in our work. Someone introduced us to a requirement. And gradually, those relationships translated into professional opportunities. As the business relationships grew, I felt that our marketing work had become familiar to many people in the chapter. That is my impression of those relationships, not a formal measure of business generated.

More importantly, the scope of our digital services grew. Digital marketing became a stronger part of what The Drop Organization was doing. For someone who had initially joined under an education-related category, that was quite a transformation.

I entered BNI as an entrepreneur representing an educational institution. I discovered another way to grow as a digital services entrepreneur.

The Power of Showing Up Every Friday

If there is one quality that I believe helped me build those relationships, it was consistency. BNI meetings required commitment. And I took that commitment seriously. Across more than a year, I made a conscious effort to maintain an extremely consistent attendance record. On two occasions, I arranged substitute attendance rather than simply leaving the chapter unrepresented. For the rest, I tried to be there personally. As an entrepreneur, Fridays weren't always convenient. There were company responsibilities, staff issues, projects, meetings, and plenty of other reasons I could have used to miss a session.

But I had committed to something. I wanted to respect that commitment. Over time, people noticed. I received appreciation and encouragement from Arun Bharati, Sarat Kanodia and other members and leaders associated with the chapter. It motivated me to contribute beyond attending meetings.

Recognition, Responsibilities and a Sense of Belonging

Gradually, my involvement in BNI expanded. Because I had experience with social media and digital communication, I was given responsibilities connected with the chapter's social media activities. I became involved as a Social Media Coordinator and also contributed in a technology-related coordinator role. These responsibilities gave me another opportunity to put my professional skills to use. I could support the chapter in areas I understood and help contribute to its communication and digital activities. Along the way, I received recognition for my contributions.

There were certificates and acknowledgments connected with social media coordination, strong attendance, and referrals. Those moments mattered to me. Not simply because of the certificates. But because they represented the trust people were placing in me. I was a young, first-generation entrepreneur trying to build my own identity. Being welcomed, encouraged, and recognized by experienced businesspeople meant a great deal. I had entered that first meeting wondering whether I belonged in the room. Now, I was being trusted with responsibilities within the same community.

That was a personal achievement.

Why This Journey Meant More Than Revenue

Of course, business growth mattered. I am an entrepreneur. I understand revenue, expenses, investments, profit, and the responsibilities that come with running a company. The membership fee was an investment, and it was natural to consider its financial value. But my experience with BNI taught me something beyond that calculation. Not every valuable opportunity comes with an immediate invoice. Sometimes the value comes from meeting someone who has already faced a problem you're struggling with.

Sometimes it comes from developing a friendship with an experienced entrepreneur. Sometimes a conversation helps you recognize a new business category. Sometimes it is the confidence someone places in your ability that encourages you to accept a responsibility you hadn't considered before. I also learned to appreciate the importance of showing up consistently. It is easy to be excited during the first meeting. It is much harder to remain committed through ordinary weeks when nothing dramatic happens.

But those ordinary weeks are often when people slowly begin to understand who you are. And I believe that understanding makes professional relationships stronger.

The Moment I Decided to Renew

I am writing this after renewing my BNI membership for another year. That decision feels very different from the first time. When I initially considered joining, I was uncertain about whether the membership would be worthwhile. I questioned the cost. I questioned the format. I questioned whether cybersecurity and IT had a place in that networking environment. I even returned from my first visit believing that I probably wouldn't join. But the journey gave me much more than I had expected.

It introduced me to experienced entrepreneurs. It helped me build professional relationships. It gave me opportunities to contribute to chapter activities. It brought appreciation and recognition. And perhaps most unexpectedly, it encouraged me to strengthen the digital marketing side of The Drop Organization. I would like to remain associated with BNI for many more years, provided the experience continues to be meaningful. Not because every meeting guarantees business. But because I now understand the value of the relationships that can develop through genuine participation.

What Would I Tell a Young Entrepreneur Thinking About BNI?

If someone asks whether they should join BNI, I can only speak from my own experience. My answer is positive. But I would also tell them something important.

Don't join a networking community expecting every person to become your customer.

Go there to understand people. Learn what different businesses do. Respect the experience of professionals who have been working for years. Be clear about what you can offer. Be willing to contribute. And give relationships enough time to develop. If the membership fits your budget, professional category, availability, and business goals, it may be worth exploring. For me, BNI Dynamic Durgapur became a place where I found professional relationships, opportunities, encouragement, and a stronger sense of belonging.

I joined with doubts. I stayed because the experience began to make sense. And I renewed because I valued what those relationships had become.

A Personal Thank You

I want to conclude this story by expressing my gratitude. To my parents, especially my mother, who encouraged me to take the decision when I was uncertain. To Amit Burnwal and Ajay Verma, who accompanied me during those early visits. To Rajdeep Samal and Vikas Kumar Burnwal, who encouraged me to explore BNI more seriously. To Abhishek Kiyan, Sarat Kanodia, Arun Bharati, and the many entrepreneurs and professionals who welcomed me, supported me, and helped me learn.

And to every member of BNI Dynamic Durgapur who treated me with warmth, respect, and encouragement. Being a first-generation entrepreneur is not always easy. There are moments when you have to figure things out without a clear roadmap. You make decisions, question them, learn from them, and gradually become better at understanding people and business. BNI became one part of that learning experience for me.

And when I think back to that first ₹500 visitor meeting at Delta Suites, I realize something. I walked into the room hoping somebody would teach me something extraordinary. At the time, I couldn't see it.

What I eventually learned was that sometimes the most valuable lessons don't come from presentations. They come from the people you meet, the relationships you build, and the commitments you choose to honor.

That has been my BNI journey so far. You can see more about my work and my background on this portfolio. And I am grateful that I gave it a second chance.

— Roshan Burnwal

Entrepreneur | Founder, The Drop Organization | Member, BNI Dynamic Durgapur