Frequently Asked Questions  

1 -  How often MBA chapters meet and for how long?
Meetings occur bi-monthly, normally every other week. The meeting time is a minimum of 1 hour for conducting business-related issues, with additional time spent on networking and socializing. 

2 -  What is the fee for joining MBA? 
There are two options for membership fee payment:
            a -  Annual: on a yearly basis at $200.00/year
            b -   Monthly: on a monthly subscription basis at $20.00/month.

4 -  Am I required to meet a quota for the number of referrals I bring to the chapter? 
No, we do not police your referral activities.  Rather, we strongly believe that building an atmosphere of team-work automatically leads to the generation of referrals.

5 -  Can I represent more than one business? 
Yes, you may represent more than one business; however, if we receive a membership application for an industry that overlaps one of your businesses, we will ask that you choose a core business to promote.  In addition, by representing more than one business, you understand that at your chapter events, guests may attend that overlap one of the industries that you represent.

6 -  How is my business promoted at the bi-monthly meetings? 
Each member gives a 30 second presentation of their business and distributes marketing material at one of the two monthly meetings.  At the second monthly meeting, one member will be featured during a 20 minute showcase.  

7 -  What is the format for the monthly showcase?
The entire meeting is dedicated to one member, during which they display their products or describe their services in detail.  After the presentation, questions are asked and a brainstorming session is held to arrive at a strategy to help promote the business of the presenter.  In addition, members of the group provide anonymous feedback as to the quality of the presentation by completing an evaluation form.
 

8 -  Can I visit MBA chapters before deciding if MBA is for me?
Yes, you may visit chapters that have openings for your industry once before joining MBA.  Contact the chapter leaders to attend as a guest. 

9 -  Does MBA provide child-care?
As a general rule, we expect our members to arrange for child-care during the
meetings.  However, being sensitive to the needs of mothers, we realize that sometimes child-care arrangements fall through.  Thus, we allow our members to bring their children to meetings up to 3 times per year. If you attend our events with your children, you assume all risks and responsibilities, and are required to supervise them at all times.

10 -  Is there an attendance policy?
As a member of MBA, you are required to attend both bimonthly events on a
regular basis.  Members are excused from attendance due to illness, family emergencies and travel. Upon four consecutive unexcused absences you will be asked to vacate your spot to new members that overlap the industry you represent. 

11 -  Are there any business categories not accepted at MBA?
Due to the child-friendly environment of MBA, we cannot accept businesses that offer adult-only or sexually-oriented products.  In addition, individuals owning a business networking group are not allowed to join MBA, as their presence in our group would present a conflict of interest.