Networking with `Successful Thinkers"

On the surface, Successful Thinkers has all the traits of a local chamber of commerce mixer: elbows bump, business cards exchange hands, and savvy ideas shared.

But one look under the hood, and the differences are clear, says founder Jim Bellacera. Anyone can qualify to host them, anyone can attend, and it's always free.

"There's nothing wrong with chamber mixers, but after a while, you see the same faces over and over again," said Bellacera, who started Successful Thinkers this year. "And if you have to pay monthly dues, it can become quite expensive."

Successful Thinkers originated in May from the Sacramento area where Bellacera lives, but already groups have been formed in the Bay Area. Weekly events have already been held in South San Francisco, San Ramon and Pleasanton. The group has signed up some 10,000 people nationwide, according to Bellacera.

The events are led by ambassadors, which any entrepreneur can request to be upon sign-up. Successful Thinkers will guide them on how to pick sites and run meetings.

"As a business owner, I'm always looking for new networking groups to increase interest in my business and help the local community," said Liane Britt, owner of Bodylines Day Spa in San Ramon. "It's a different feel than a lot of the events out there, because there's no restrictions on who can attend."

On Friday, Successful Thinkers is holding a free event that begins at 6:30 p.m. in Roseville. Bellacera expects

Those who want to sign-up for the Webcast can sign up at www.successfulthinkers.com.

Although thousands are expected to attend the event either in person or online, the main focus of Successful Thinkers is community.

Bellacera comes from a network marketing background where for him, his success always boiled down to how many people he could meet and sell his vision too.

He realizes that online social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have revolutionized how people cross paths, but he says nothing is better for fostering business relationships then face-to-face encounters.

This "bringing people offline into local communities" is what Bellacera describes as the first of three pillars.

"I've always known how to create relationships, but online, it has always been so frustrating because it is so hard to find out if the people you meet are credible," said Bellacera, who lives in Roseville. "If people can get out there and shake hands more, others will be able to better buy into who they are."

After each event, everyone who comes leaves with the name, phone number and e-mail address of each attendee.

The Internet aspect of Successful Thinkers is its "second pillar." This online social networking aspect of the site is 100 percent entrepreneurs.

And the "third pillar" is Successful Thinkers University where various lessons are taught to business owners and entrepreneurs. Everything from online branding to how to use referrals and how to make telephone calls are expected to eventually be covered.

"We created a one-of-a-kind 'hub' that covers every aspect of success development in you and in your business," Bellacera said.

Currently, Successful Thinkers is in the infant stage, but already it's spreading across the country.

"It's brilliant because we have access to so many opportunities, and we can host mixers as much as we want," said Barry Picaso, owner of the restaurant Intramuros in South San Francisco. "Being able to connect to other business owners on a personal level is very important."

For those who want to get their face, or business, on a national stage, Bellacera came up with a referral system that will entice people to invite more to Successful Thinkers.

"Just like `American Idol' gives a person a chance to sing their heart out on a world stage, we give business owners a chance to expose themselves to a national audience," Bellacera said. "It's an opportunity of a lifetime to get your name in front of thousands of people."

Before each major event, the top 10 people to refer others to the site will be invited to come on stage and speak for a couple of minutes. Additionally, their company logo will be placed on the Web site. The winners for Friday's event have already been determined, but site for future events are set toward Texas and Los Angeles.