In 1998, Rainer Schmoll envisioned a different kind of organization for local business professionals. The idea was distinctly West Coast: relaxed, welcoming and relationship-focused, without the pressure and rigid expectations commonly associated with traditional business networking and referral groups. That vision became the Thinkreferrals Business Network, now known as TRBN™.

From the beginning, TRBN™ was created with solopreneurs, entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized businesses in mind, providing a place where professionals could build genuine relationships, exchange ideas, support one another and create opportunities without mandatory weekly referral quotas.

With a background in computer electronics and web development, Rainer also saw considerable potential in the emerging online world. In the late 1990s, TRBN™ developed an extensive online system where members could communicate, exchange ideas and information, and even pass business referrals electronically.

The idea may simply have been a little ahead of its time. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, many business professionals were not yet comfortable incorporating online tools into their everyday business relationships. While the technology was available, members made relatively little use of the online features and overwhelmingly preferred interacting face-to-face.

That experience helped shape an important part of TRBN™. Technology would continue to have a place, but the real strength of the organization was found around the table: people talking, listening, exchanging perspectives and getting to know one another personally. Those relationships became the foundation upon which TRBN™ continued to evolve.

What began as a different approach to business networking would eventually evolve into something much broader: TRBN™ Professional Business Collectives.

Over time, TRBN™ continued to evolve well beyond its beginnings as a business referral network. We've always said, "It's not what you know, or who you know, but who knows you." What we've learned over the years is that once people truly know one another, what each of us knows becomes something we can all benefit from.

The experience, knowledge, perspective and ideas around the table became every bit as valuable as the connections being made.

Business education, brainstorming, strategy and shared problem-solving became increasingly important parts of the TRBN™ experience. Members advise and counsel one another, challenge ideas, share experiences and offer different perspectives. They encourage one another to pursue goals, recognize opportunities and become more effective and valuable within their own professions.

Just as importantly, genuine relationships develop. Members get to know the people behind the businesses and professions represented around the table. Those relationships create an environment where people celebrate each other's successes, provide encouragement during difficult times and, when asked, support one another through challenges that aren't always limited to business.

That evolution helped define the TRBN™ Professional Business Collective: a place where professionals benefit from the combined knowledge, experience, perspective and support of people who genuinely want to see one another succeed.

Giving back to the communities where we live and do business has been part of TRBN™ since the beginning. Our members have always believed that professional success and community involvement can, and should, exist side by side.

Each TRBN™ Collective invites a local non-profit society or charity doing meaningful work within its community to accept a complimentary membership. This gives the organization an opportunity to build relationships with local business professionals, increase awareness of the work it does and become an active part of the Collective. Preference is given to organizations supporting people, animals or the environment.

In 2010, we expanded that commitment by creating the Think Giving Non Profit Society. Entirely volunteer-driven, Think Giving brings together TRBN™ members, their families and others to raise funds and provide direct support to families in need.

Whether we're supporting an organization already doing important work in the community or working together through Think Giving, the philosophy is the same: when people have the ability to help one another, we believe they should.

TRBN™ continues to look for opportunities to bring Professional Business Collectives to more communities throughout British Columbia. Our established presence in the Lower Mainland provides a strong foundation for thoughtful growth into new areas.

For us, growth isn't simply about becoming a larger organization. It's about giving more business professionals the opportunity to become part of a local Collective where they can share knowledge and experience, develop meaningful relationships, support one another and become more effective within their own professions.

As TRBN™ grows, so does the collective knowledge, experience and reach available to our members, while each Collective retains the local relationships and community connection that have been part of TRBN™ since the beginning.

After all, in business, "It's not what you know, or who you know, but who knows you!"