In his latest BNI Education Slot , Sauren Ghosh, a long-standing UW Partner, shared valuable lessons on reputation, consistency and communication within the BNI community.

https://youtu.be/KWZry7BPGoo

He opened with a powerful question: “Do you light up the room when you enter, or when you leave?” The talk explored how every member’s brand is shaped not by their company logo, but by how others describe them when they’re not present.

Sauren illustrated this with a relatable example: when someone asks for an electrician, people rarely mention a business name—they talk about the person. “They say, ‘I know Dave, he’s brilliant. He turned up on time and did a great job.’ That’s Dave’s brand.”

He warned how quickly a personal brand can be damaged through poor communication, such as curt emails or delayed responses, and emphasised the importance of tone and professionalism across all channels, including WhatsApp and social media.

To help members protect their reputation, Sauren outlined three golden rules:

• Be consistent – Ensure your behaviour aligns both online and in person.
• Pause before posting – Ask yourself whether you’d say the same thing face-to-face.
• Deliver on promises – Follow through on introductions and commitments.

He also introduced the idea of thinking about your brand as a bank balance—each good action adds to your credibility, while poor decisions withdraw from it. Referencing the infamous Gerald Ratner comment that cost a fortune in reputation, Sauren highlighted how one small mistake can undo years of good work.

Closing his talk, he summarised that “You are your brand. Dress well, speak kindly, act reliably, and your brand will do the marketing for you.” Within BNI, that personal credibility drives word-of-mouth and the referrals that help every business grow.

Full Transcript

(00:00)
Do we light up the room when we enter, or are you lighting up the room when you leave? Some of you know that I’ve been a UW Partner for 18 years, and in that time, I’ve been very protective not only over the company’s brand but my own brand within the organisation. Today, I’d love to share a few thoughts about protecting your brand within BNI.

(00:31)
Now, I’m not talking about 500 pens with your names on—thank you very much, Zoe, very useful—but something a little different. When someone asks for an electrician, have a think about this. What do you say? You might say, “I know a great electrician.” You don’t say, “I know a company with a lovely blue logo,” do you? You say, “I know Dave, he’s brilliant. He turned up on time, fixed the problem, did a great job.” That’s Dave’s brand.

(00:56)
What do people say about you when you’re not there? It’s not just about being the face of your business. You are the business. Especially in BNI, and particularly if you’re working alone, you are your brand.

(01:25)
We can affect that brand so quickly with one slip of the pen. If you’re writing an email or a WhatsApp message, it might not be ill-intentioned, but it can still come across badly. Think about how you respond to messages.

(01:49)
This is something I picked up a while ago—it’s about the tone of your emails. For us, it might also apply to the tone of our WhatsApp messages. Sometimes they come across as short or abrupt, and that might not reflect your true tone or your brand.

(02:12)
Think about sending a message like, “Oh yeah, I’ve just seen your message from three days ago, sorry about that, I got a bit busy.” How does that sound? Once or twice, it’s forgivable. But if that becomes consistent, it affects how people perceive you. So we need to protect our brand.

(02:31)
I always think, as soon as we get out of the car and walk into the hotel, are we smiling? Do we light up the room when we enter, or when we leave?

(02:55)
Here are three simple ways to protect your brand:
Be consistent—whether in person or online.
Pause before posting—ask yourself, would I say this face-to-face?
Deliver on your promises—if you say you’ll introduce someone, follow through.

(03:44)
Think of your brand as a bank balance. Are you adding to it and increasing your credibility, or are you withdrawing from it by doing damage?

(04:05)
One post or one comment can make a big difference. Gerald Ratner comes to mind—he called his jewellery “tat.” Did that add to his brand’s bank balance or take away from it? One small comment can have a huge impact.

(04:28)
So in closing: you are your brand. Dress well, speak kindly, act reliably, and your brand will do the marketing for you. Word of mouth is what we have in BNI, and when your brand shines, your referrals will, too.