Episode 201: Building Trust, Leadership & Legacy through BNI with Mary Thompson

Mary Kennedy Thompson's BIO:

Mary Kennedy Thompson has more than 30 years in franchising. She has led businesses and franchises of all sizes. She has extensive experience in global expansion, high-growth organizations, integrations, and leadership. Prior to starting at BNI in 2024, she served as the Chief Operating Officer at Neighborly, the world's largest home services company, where she worked since 2006. Her tenure at Neighborly included roles as the Executive Vice President and the President of Mr. Rooter, their largest brand.

Her career began as a multi-unit franchise owner at Cookies By Design (formerly Cookie Bouquet), where she excelled in market penetration and sales—essentially becoming the brand's corporate president after successfully selling her locations. While a multi-unit franchisee, she joined BNI in 1994, just a few years before Virginia.

Her passion for helping business owners completely aligns with Business Network International's mission to support its members and franchisees, marking her appointment as CEO as a transformational opportunity for BNI—and it has been.

In this episode, Virginia and Mary talked about:

1. Mary's entrepreneurial journey

2. How to create operational excellence

3. The power of trust for generating referrals

4. Keys to pinnacle leadership

5. How to build trust

Takeaways:

• Be operationally excellent!

• Be clear on your customer and put them first

• Deliver consistently

• Building trust builds your business

• Lead yourself first—then others.

• Consistency and discipline drive referrals.

Connect with Mary on her LinkedIn account to learn more about her work and insights into networking effectively:

LinkedIn URL : https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-thompson-cfe-22074410/

Connect with Virginia:

https://www.bbrpodcast.com/