EVERY Friday morning before most businesses have awakened, 40 people are already busy selling.

The Canterbury Chapter of Business Network International is a hive of activity from 6am every week. At every BNI meeting members are given one minute in which to stand up and sell his or her services to those present and at the end of breakfast members exchange leads.

The BNI is an American concept with 2,200 chapters across the world and 330 in Britain.

The Canterbury chapter was the south east's first and is arguably BNI's most successful in the UK, having twice won the organisation's Founders' Award for generating more business referrals than any chapter worldwide.

"We are the flagship chapter in this region," said chairman and landscape gardener, Andrew Wiggins. "We are so successful because of the attitude of the members. They really embrace the ethos of BNI."

The chapter meets from 6.45am every Friday, although some members begin arriving from 6am to start networking, at the Ames Levett Sports Centre at the Kent County Cricket Ground.