Today we’d like to introduce you to Ann Brennan.
Hi Ann, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have what I believe is the best job in the world. I’m the owner of BNI Central Maryland, a networking organization that helps small business owners grow their businesses through referrals. Every day I’m surrounded by people who believe in the miracle of entrepreneurship and in helping one another succeed.
But I didn’t start out in business.
For sixteen years I was a stay-at-home mom raising my three kids. During that time I fell in love with endurance sports, completing sixteen marathons, multiple triathlons, and an Ironman. I wrote about those experiences on a blog called Ann’s Running Commentary. Because I had a marketing background, I promoted it on social media and it eventually grew an international following. At one point the New York Times even listed my podcast as one to listen to.
My path back to work started when one of my children was struggling with depression. I needed something flexible, so I took a job at a running store just to be around positive people. The owner knew about my blog and asked me to handle the marketing for his two stores. That experience helped me realize I was good at bringing people together and building excitement around a brand.
That realization led me to start my marketing agency, No Bullsh!t Marketing. Around the same time I joined a BNI chapter and my business grew quickly through referrals. I also started Burgers and Bands for Suicide Prevention to honor my child winning his battle with depression.
Eventually I purchased BNI Central Maryland because it aligns with my purpose: helping people realize they are not alone. Whether someone is building a business or facing personal challenges, there is always someone willing to stand beside them and help them grow.
And every day, I get to see that happen.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has actually been smoother than I ever imagined—but I’m convinced that’s because I’ve had the right people beside me.
Soon after starting my agency, I hired an incredible woman named Anastassia Vangraefschepe. I didn’t know how to be a boss yet, but she had grown up helping her family run a fish and chip shop in Australia. She understood entrepreneurship. On her first day she told me, “You probably shouldn’t give passwords to new employees that quickly.” It was the first of many lessons.
For the next six months she kept asking me the same question: “Is that a task you should be doing, or should you assign it to me?” She helped lift me up so I could learn how to lead.
Today she’s my COO and an Area Director for BNI Central Maryland.
Of course we’ve had challenges along the way, but having someone who believed in me—even when things got hard—made all the difference.
There are two stories I always tell about Anastassia. Two years into owning my business I had sudden appendicitis and was out of work for two weeks. Oddly enough, it was one of the best things that ever happened to me because it proved the business could run without me. It might have taken me years to learn that lesson otherwise.
The other story is about how quickly I make decisions. Anastassia will often say, “Can we just live with this for a few days and make sure you still want to do it?”
But when I told her that BNI Central Maryland was for sale, she didn’t hesitate. She said, “You have to buy it.”
My husband said the same thing.
Now they both tell me they don’t think a better job could have been designed for me. And honestly, I think they’re right.
As you know, we’re big fans of BNI Central Maryland . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
BNI’s mission is simple: to help members grow their businesses through a structured, positive, and professional referral marketing program built on meaningful relationships. It’s a global organization, and I own the Central Maryland franchise—which, despite the name, covers a surprisingly large region. Our territory includes nine counties from Montgomery and Frederick all the way to Garrett County in Western Maryland.
When I bought the region, I knew it was big. What I didn’t realize at first was just how much opportunity it held. About six months in, it hit me—I essentially own what could be considered three mega-regions, and we’re only about 2% saturated. The potential for growth is enormous, and I have big plans for what this region can become.
One thing I’ve focused on is bringing members together beyond their individual chapters. We host happy hours, coffees, lunches, galas, and large “mega meetings” where members from different chapters can meet each other. It creates connections that wouldn’t normally happen and opens the door for even more referrals and collaboration.
What really sets BNI apart, though, is the system. Every meeting around the world follows the same structure—whether you’re in Bethesda or Nepal. Members meet weekly, have one-to-one referral strategy sessions, and learn how to actively help each other grow.
Everything we do is rooted in the core value Givers Gain®—the idea that helping others succeed ultimately helps you succeed as well.
You see it most clearly when someone gives a referral and is just as excited about giving it as they would be about receiving one.
BNI works for all kinds of businesses—from realtors and financial planners to pest control companies, bakeries, even a mobile cigar lounge or a smoking cessation coach. But the key is understanding that it’s not a casual networking group—it’s a system.
And like any system, it works if you work it.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
This question feels a little like a softball considering I own a networking organization—but the truth is, most people don’t come to BNI looking for mentors. They come because they want more referrals and more revenue.
They stay for the relationships.
When you surround yourself with people who are equally driven to grow their businesses, mentorship tends to happen naturally.
I remember visiting my first BNI meeting and meeting another visitor who joined the same day. He asked if I could help with his marketing. At the time I had just started my business and was only offering social media services. In our meeting he asked if I could manage his reviews. I said yes and threw out a price. Then he asked about blogs. I said yes again and threw out another price. Then email marketing. Same answer.
When we finished and he signed the contract, he asked me to have breakfast with him.
He pulled out a piece of paper and drew three marketing packages—basic, middle, and premium. Then he asked, “My price is locked in, right?” I said yes. He wrote down what he would have paid for the premium package.
It was three times what I had just charged him.
Then he said, “These are the prices you should start asking for.”
That was just the beginning. Over the years I’ve asked BNI members for advice on hiring my first employee, letting someone go, and becoming a better leader. And now I find myself giving that same kind of guidance to others.
That’s how mentorship really works. You put yourself in a room with the right people—and it grows from there.
Pricing:
- New Members $250 application fee and $939 a year after that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bnicentralmaryland.com/en-US/index
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bnicentralmd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bnicentralmaryland
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bni-central-maryland/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BNICentralMaryland
