Sponsored by Schwinn CPA PLLC – Helping Lake Norman small businesses with accounting, bookkeeping, and tax services.
If you’re a small business owner, you’re in sales whether you like it or not. Most small business owners would agree that the source of their best clients is referrals.
The Lake Norman area has several well-regarded business networking groups available to local professionals and business owners. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite local small business networking groups to help you in your search for professional connections around Lake Norman.
Which local Lake Norman small business network is right for you? Here’s a hint: it might be the one listed at the end of this article.
Here’s our list of the best Lake Norman Small Business Network Groups for 2023:
One of the area’s oldest and most popular small business networking organizations. Weekly meetups at a location in Cornelius.
The founder of this organization, Jim Vogel, has done an excellent job of building a very enthusiastic local small business network.
Wednesdays at 9 AM.
Brick Row
Address: 19725 Oak St #9, Cornelius, NC 28031
- Free – there’s no membership cost for this group.
- No commitments are required – attend once a week, or once a year.
- No category exclusivity – join dozens of other professionals in your industry.
- Online “member” directory.
2. LakeNet
Tuesdays at 11:45 AM.
El Toro Restaurant
Address: 20930 Torrence Chapel Rd, Cornelius, NC 28031
- Category exclusivity – no competition within the group.
- Lower cost than BNI.
- Lunch meetings – no mornings.
Just as the name implies, Women in Networking is a women-only professional networking organization. There is a small fee to join, and meetings are held weekly.
Wednesdays at 9:30 AM.
Mortgage Boutique – Hoffman Lending Team
Address: 19725 Oak St Unit 11, Cornelius, NC 28031
- Large and active membership roster.
- Category exclusivity – no competition within the group.
- Low annual fee.
2nd Tuesday each month at 8 AM.
Brick Row
Address: 19725 Oak St #9, Cornelius, NC 28031
- Inclusive of all women, regardless of industry or work status.
- No membership fee.
- No contracts or commitments are required.
- No category exclusivity.
Charlotte Business Group is a private business group founded by Robert Hackney, a Charlotte-based financial advisor. The CBG-Lake Norman chapter meets once per month at a coffee shop, along with the occasional lunch and learn meeting. There is a nominal fee and registration required for attendance.
1st Thursday monthly at 8 AM.
Summit Coffee – Birkdale Landing
Address: 16639 Birkdale Commons Pkwy # 100, Huntersville, NC 28078
- Experienced business networking group with a large membership in Charlotte.
- Annual and seasonal events in Charlotte draw big attendance.
- Demographics skew younger than average.
Wednesdays at 6 PM.
North Harbor Club
Address: 100 N Harbor Pl, Davidson, NC 28036
- Category exclusivity – no competition within the group.
- Familiar “BNI” structure.
- Open to men and women.
NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) Charlotte has a meetup on Wednesdays in Huntersville.
This is another local professional networking organization that is exclusive to women only. The Lake Norman chapter is part of the larger NAWBO Charlotte chapter whose mission it is to promote the success of over 115,000 women-owned businesses in the Charlotte metro area.
1st Wednesday at 8:30 AM.
Waterbean Coffee – Huntersville
Address: 9705 Sam Furr Rd ste a, Huntersville, NC 28078
- No cost to attend a meeting as a guest.
- Members have access to a large Charlotte network.
- Members are required to apply and are subsequently vetted.
- By-laws are 21 pages long.
2nd Wednesdays at 8 AM.
Lake Norman Chamber
Address: 19900 W Catawba Ave, Cornelius, NC 28031
- The organization allows up to three members per business category.
- Guests can attend up to two meetings before applying for membership.
- No category exclusivity.
BNI is the “granddaddy” of professional networking organizations. It is the oldest and largest organization, setting the standard for many local professional networking and referral marketing organizations that would follow. With over 10,000 chapters globally, you can bet there’s a BNI chapter near you. Lake Norman has three.
- The “OG” business networking organization.
- Member businesses enjoy category exclusivity.
- Members have access to meetings in other cities.
- Highly structured with numerous by-laws.
Sponsors of this platform automatically become members of our network of highly successful local entrepreneurs and professionals.
2nd and 4th Thursdays.
New venues every month! Our private meetings are 80% social and 20% business, always at the coolest spots around LKN.
- Brand Partners are vetted and only the very best are accepted.
- Category exclusivity – no competition within our network.
- Includes strategic digital marketing and advertising campaigns that reach over 100,000 local consumers each month.
- Sponsors receive spotlights in a popular weekly email newsletter, website articles that rank high in Google searches, a highly successful local podcast, and a YouTube channel.
- No long-term contracts, no bylaws to worry about, and no “homework.”
- We believe in professional networking that saves you time and performs at scale.
No matter where you are in your small business or professional journey, there’s most likely a networking group around Lake Norman that’s perfect for you. We hope this list helps you in that search.
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