17/09/2026
๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ช๐ก๐๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ช๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ข๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก
๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ, ๐ฉ๐๐ โ A local business owner is reportedly recovering after asking a community Facebook group if anyone could recommend a reliable photographer.
It seemed like a straightforward request.
โCan anyone recommend a good local photographer who works with businesses?โ
Three minutes later, the first response appeared.
โMy cousin takes amazing photos.โ
Then another.
โHighly recommend Dave.โ
No surname. No business name. No website. Just Dave.
Within ten minutes, 47 people had tagged friends, relatives, neighbours, former colleagues and several people who appeared to own cameras but had never actually photographed a business.
โFollowing.โ
โInterested.โ
โSent you a DM.โ
โMy daughter is just starting out.โ
โTry this guy. I havenโt used him personally, but I see his van everywhere.โ
By lunchtime, the post had attracted 126 comments, 19 private messages and one argument about whether professional photography was necessary when modern phones have portrait mode.
Witnesses say the business owner spent the afternoon opening 34 different pages.
Nine had no website.
Seven had not posted since 2022.
Four specialised exclusively in newborn photography.
One appeared to be a DJ.
Another recommendation simply said:
โCall Steve. Tell him Mick sent you.โ
Nobody knew who Steve or Mick was.
The following week, the same business owner needed a plasterer.
Against the advice of family members, another Facebook post was made.
โLooking for a reliable plasterer for a small commercial job.โ
The responses began immediately.
โMy husband can do it.โ
โTry Gary.โ
โDonโt use Gary.โ
โWhich Gary?โ
โNot that Gary. The other Gary.โ
One person tagged a plasterer located three hours away.
Another recommended somebody who was โreally goodโ but admitted he had stopped returning calls sometime in 2024.
A third suggested doing it themselves because โYouTube makes it look pretty easy.โ
Investigators believe this was the moment the business owner began to lose hope.
Days later, they asked for an accountant.
The post received 83 recommendations, including accountants, bookkeepers, mortgage brokers, financial advisers, someone who โknows a lot about moneyโ and one person promoting cryptocurrency.
The business owner stared at the screen.
Who was qualified?
Who was reliable?
Who understood business?
Who would actually answer the phone?
And had anybody recommending these people genuinely used them?
That was when someone quietly asked:
โHave you tried BNI Yarra Valley?โ
At first, the business owner was confused.
โWill I get another list of 100 names?โ
โNo.โ
โWill strangers tag their cousins?โ
โNo.โ
โWill somebody recommend a person theyโve never met?โ
โNo.โ
Instead, they discovered a room filled with local business owners and professionals who meet every week, build genuine relationships and learn how each other works.
Not just names in a Facebook comment.
People who know the person they are recommending.
People who understand their work.
People who are prepared to put their own reputation behind the referral.
At BNI Yarra Valley, we already have trusted professionals across accounting, bookkeeping, residential and commercial finance, asset finance, electrical services, graphic design, surface protection and cleaning, property services and other essential areas of business.
These are people we see every week.
We hear about their work.
We learn who they help.
We see how they treat their clients.
That is what gives a referral real value.
But there are still professionals our local businesses and clients regularly need who are not yet represented in our room.
Right now, that includes a ๐ฝ๐ต๐ผ๐๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ and a ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฟ.
Weโre not claiming to have them.
Weโre actively looking for the right people to join us.
Professionals we can get to know.
Businesses we can learn to trust.
People we can confidently recommend when somebody asks:
โDoes anyone know a great photographer?โ
โCan anyone recommend a reliable plasterer?โ
Because receiving 100 names isnโt always helpful.
Sometimes, you donโt need more options.
You need the confidence that youโre speaking with the right person.
Over the coming weeks, weโll be highlighting more of the business categories we would love to welcome into BNI Yarra Valley.
If you are a photographer, plasterer, florist, builder, handyperson, property manager, car detailer, or another local business owner who wants to build genuine relationships and become the trusted person people confidently recommend, we would love to meet you.
Come and see what happens when referrals are built on relationshipsโnot random names in a comment thread.
BNI Yarra Valley meets every Friday at 6.45am at Yering Meadows Golf Club.
๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐บ ๐ช๐ด ๐ด๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ข๐ด๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ค๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ด, ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ, ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ.
