In the case of IT entrepreneur Edwin Wong, he can even achieve this, and without spending any money on advertising.

His secret?

The 37-year-old owner of eWerkz, which provides computer hardware and networking maintenance services, is a member of Business Network International (BNI).

Founded by American Ivan Misner in 1985 to promote a culture of referrals among business owners, it now has 300 local members since the concept took root here in 1999.

While it may seem like yet another networking group, the setup in BNI is more targeted and structured.

The members are divided into 16 chapters.

Each chapter holds weekly meetings in places like cafes or eateries.

The chapters have names like Pinnacle, Excellence and Prosperity.

All the groups meet at 7.30am on a weekday. Most sessions end by 9am though those held by larger groups may take longer.

Read the full report in The Sunday Times.