Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why do you operate on a monthly fee as opposed to an annual membership fee?
2. Why do you charge more if I choose to pay using a method other than monthly credit card?
3. What business structure are you operating under now and why?
4. How is Brisbane Business Bayside run?
5. Do you have a special rate for not-for profit organisations and charities?
6. How are your networking meetings different to others?
7. I’d like to volunteer to help with Brisbane Business Bayside events and promotions. Is there an option for this?

1) Why do you operate on a monthly fee as opposed to an annual membership fee?
In many membership organisations, a lot of time is spent issuing annual membership invoices and chasing these. There is always a tremendous amount of uncertainty at renewal time as to how many members will renew. A better approach – we believe – and one that frees up admin staff time to get on with performing the main functions of a business group, is to ask members to pay regularly via a monthly credit card payment, with the option of cancelling at any time. More and more business is conducted this way today, and for good reason.

2) Why do you charge more if I choose to pay using a method other than credit card?
As above, because the admin time tied up with other payment mechanisms is a high burden for a lean operating organisation. We believe this payment mechanism allows our members to get the maximum benefit from their membership.

3) What business structure are you operating under now and why?
At this point Brisbane  Business Bayside operates under a proprietary limited (pty ltd) structure. It is providing services at a fee to member businesses and was deliberately set up with this structure to avoid some of the problems inherent in community bodies. Community bodies must operate under a committee structure composed of volunteers, and sometimes suffer negative impacts of this type of structure – for example, an inability of a committee to make important decisions, significant delays in decision making imposed by a (commonly monthly) meeting schedule, volunteers with little time outside their regular work to devote to projects for which they are not paid. In the past few years there has also been a significant decrease in people’s willingness to volunteer for community projects (likely due to increased work obligations/work hours) which makes operating under a purely volunteer based structure very difficult to do. Having said this, some community bodies work very well – those that have a very clear objective shared by all participants tend to work the best.

4) How is Brisbane Business Bayside run?
Brisbane Business Bayside is run as a lean organisation, using technology (such as online polling, email/SMS communication, online event booking and payment) to minimise admin time required to operate. A critical component of this approach is the strong encouragement of the membership fee payment via monthly credit card (see above).

5) Do you have a special rate for not-for profit organisations and charities?
Yes, we do. Please contact us for details.

6) How are your networking meetings different to others?
It is clear that most people who come along to ‘networking’ style meetings want to meet new business contacts, but have limited time available for these meetings, often outside business hours. Some networking events can become bogged down in announcements and other business when many attendees just want the chance to meet other business people. Brisbane Business Bayside networking meetings are different – read how on our  Events page.

7) I’d like to volunteer to help with Brisbane Business Bayside events and promotions. Is there an option for this?
Yes there is. As described above, the general approach is one of not needing to rely absolutely on volunteers to keep the organisation running. However, volunteers are welcome for various activities.

If you have any other questions please feel free to email them through to us at hello@brisbanebusinessbayside.au or call us on 07 2111 8609.