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The (GNA) was officially launched on Friday, February 11, 2011 during our Interactive Fridays Event at our Bay Area location in Milpitas! We were running this as a standalone event for 6 months prior to starting The (GNA). Since the feedback from our attendees back then was very positive when compared to other events they were attending, we decided to launch The (GNA) Monthly Mixer (A Brainstorming & Masterminding Event), and we also launched several weekly meetup events as well. In spite of this, Elias Melas, who is now The President & Founder, decided to create the Genuine Networking Association (GNA) to place all of our events under one umbrella. That way our members would know they would be welcomed the same at all of our events, regardless of the location or type of event.
Several months later, we re-branded The (GNA) Monthly Mixer to The (GNA) Monthly Mastermind. We did this to distinguish the mastermind event from our weekly events that were more run like a mixer. Additionally, it made more sense to name a brainstorming and masterminding event The (GNA) Monthly Mastermind, rather than The (GNA) Monthly Mixer! After a year and a half of running weekly events, we noticed that most networking events / organizations including ours, were seeing a drop in attendance. In spite of this, we made an executive decision during this time to eliminate all weekly events, and run monthly masterminds and informal mixers instead.
As of 2016, we currently don’t run any (GNA) Monthly Mastermind Chapters. Instead, we have expanded our Monthly Interactive Informal Mixer events all over Northern California. In the future and when feasible, we may bring the mastermind events back. We also plan on running some workshops and vendor fair events. All (GNA) event information and outside (GNA) event information will always be current in the (GNA) Events & Recommended Events section of this website.
At this time, Elias Melas – President & Founder of The Genuine Networking Association (GNA), is running the organization as a Sole Proprietor. In the near future, we plan on creating two branches of The (GNA). One branch will include a for-profit business that will provide the highest quality products and services, at reasonable prices from our most trusted vendors and members of our organization. The other branch will be a non-profit, that will allow us to continue helping entrepreneurs / small business owners, with the best possible resources to grow their businesses. This includes top notch personal development training / coaching, social media training events, public speaking opportunities, radio interview opportunities, vendor table opportunities, and many other aspects that will expose your business or events that you run, in the most affordable, efficient and effective ways!
Most of these aspects will be offered to our members at little or no cost. While many other groups and organizations have similar offerings, most of these platforms charge astronomical rates and place you on a multi-step program for a simple answer. At The (GNA), we have always given our members 100% of the necessary information in one shot, at any of these specialty events we have run in the past. We plan on continuing to be very open, honest and transparent with you, as we transition these aspects once we launch The (GNA) Non-Profit.
On the for-profit side, we plan on either incorporating the organization or making it an LLC (Limited Liability Company). The non-profit side will be run separately as a 501(c)(3) educational and charitable organization. Our (GNA) events that we run today, will fall under the non-profit once it is launched. Additionally, The (GNA) currently has a registered trademark which is available to view on this page. We kindly ask you to not use our name or logo in any way, shape or form without our permission. Please contact Elias Melas for any necessary approval. We also have an FEIN (Federal Employer Identification Number) and a California Seller’s Permit. More information regarding these documents is available by request.
Our Mission Statement Is As Follows:
We are here to help Northern California Business Professionals meet their next power partners or clients at a very affordable cost and with no obligation. What makes us truly genuine is that we have no hidden agendas. We are here to sincerely help you from the heart!
The Genuine Networking Association was created to provide Northern California Business Professionals with an alternative way of meeting other like-minded business professionals. AFFORDABLE NETWORKING!!! 🙂 We understand during these trying times that not everyone can afford to spend a lot of money on networking. Also, while we are not discouraging other groups, we feel that you don’t need to spend a lot of money or waste your time at other events, that are not going to be the most productive use of your time and financial investment.
