We got a chance to interview LeTip of La Jolla through chapter president, Aaron Sibley:
What unique things has your chapter done to rebuild since Covid?
LeTip of La Jolla’s board and members did an amazing job maintaining relationships with our existing members and inviting new guests while we held virtual meetings. Restarting in-person meetings has attracted even more guests to attend our meetings each week—it is not uncommon for us to have six to eight guests each meeting. We expect 2022 to be a prosperous year for our members given the influx of new guests and a recharged focus on success by existing members.
How does your chapter overcome obstacles?
Our chapter is fortunate to have a strong board and core long-term members built over its last 40+ years. Our board looks for solutions to obstacles through their business experience and by tapping into the group’s historical experience through our long-term members (many of which have served on the board themselves multiple times). Obstacles are inevitable, but our board and members have built strong relationships to overcome them.
Do you do any chapter events (Virtual or in-person) other than the weekly meetings?
YES! We regularly organize business mixers, summer socials, as well as an annual end-of-year holiday event. We believe attending weekly meetings is a great start, but we see stronger relationships and more business tips being passed when members connect outside of our weekly meetings.
Would you like to share any member success stories?
While it can take time to build relationships and begin receiving consistent business tips, we love seeing new members join the group that watch their business grow exponentially soon after joining. One of our newest members, Natalie May, owner of The Mopping Duck, is in the cleaning services business. She joined our chapter in November 2021. By January 2022, she had to hire more staff and search for a new commercial office space to support her business’ sudden growth.
In general, do you feel your chapter emphasizes the value of a seat within the chapter?
Great question. We report the value of each seat/category our guests when we meet with them after our meetings and to our members during the Tip Master’s report. Our members report business tip values using LeTip Wired so that we can show new members and remind existing members what their seats are worth. Last year we recorded $1,855,000 in business tip values, which averages to about $35,000 per seat. Some seats take home several hundred thousand dollars each year. Our money value per seat is striking.