How a networking club grew to 23,000 strong

Determined to find a way to meet up with fellow entrepreneurs, Daniel Hakim founded his own networking club. Today, his Club of United Business is creating business relationships around Australia.

By Business View

Would meeting scores of fellow entrepreneurs every year help you keep moving your business in the right direction?

Daniel Hakim certainly thought it would, and it proved the impetus for his Club of United Business (CUB).

Established in 2015, CUB is now a national networking powerhouse, with clubhouses in three states, a membership of 23,000 and a team of relationship managers and event organisers whose job it is to bring likeminded business owners together.

The idea for CUB came from personal need, according to Daniel. When he returned to Australia nine years ago after studying and working in Europe, he was keen to strike out on his own and even keener to meet up with others doing the same thing. But finding and connecting with aspiring entrepreneurs and businesspeople proved a hurdle for the then 23-year-old.

“When I got back, I didn’t know that many people and I wanted to grow my network,” he explains.

“Where I’d been living, there were lots of members clubs, especially in London. So I looked up members clubs in Australia for businesspeople, but the only ones I could find were very traditional and that just wasn’t what I wanted.

“I could see there was space for a community that represented the modern and diverse face of Australian business and the new generation of leadership.”

Daniel lost no time filling that space. In October 2015, CUB opened the doors of its first club in Sydney’s Potts Point and began marketing to potential members.

Building a nationwide network

CUB’s entry criteria – a $9,900 membership fee and ownership of a business generating annual revenue of at least $1 million – proved no bar, with sign-ups coming swiftly.

“I knew straight away it had legs,” Daniel says. “I wanted it myself – to be part of a community. And when I would tell other people what I was trying to build, they wanted it as well.”

Nine years later they continue to want it, with CUB today boasting a staff of 30 and thriving upmarket clubhouses in the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane CBDs. A new clubhouse is set to open in Sydney’s booming Parramatta in early 2025, followed by the Gold Coast, Perth and Adelaide.

Meeting with purpose

While CUB offers plenty of opportunities to socialise, business networking is its true purpose and the secret of its success.

CUB hosts up to eight digital and in-person events a day, all meticulously organised by Daniel’s team.

New members first meet with a personal relationship manager who ascertains the types of businesses they’d benefit from connecting with. They’re then introduced to at least 30 compatible owners and entrepreneurs every year.

In addition, members gain access to the CUB app, a platform that’s exclusively for members to connect with each other, exchange referrals and advice on a national basis, view upcoming events, and book meeting spaces and boardrooms across all of CUB’s clubhouses.

“Our members are time-poor people, so if we ask them to come along and meet other people, it has to be a good use of their time,” Daniel says.

They can also make use of the app, Boa, another social media platform that Daniel and his team launched in 2023. Free and available to all business owners, it provides access to powerful networking and advisory sessions and allows businesses to seek help from a national community of business owners. Boa specifically provides early-stage offerings for emerging businesses, while established businesses can turn to CUB for their networking needs.

Finding their tribe

CUB’s formula has found favour with a who’s who of Australian success stories. Members include Showpo founder and Shark Tank judge Jane Lu, WINK Models founder Taryn Williams and Splend founder Chris King. Celebrity businessman Mark Bouris is also a fan – so much so that he bought a share in the company in 2020.

Whatever their business or profile, Daniel is firm in the belief that being a CUB member can help accelerate personal and business growth. Over the years, he’s seen members sell products, services and businesses to one another, join one another’s boards and, most importantly, forge supportive bonds with peers who understand the trials, tribulations and triumphs of running your own show.

“The best thing any business owner can do is surround themselves with the right people,” Daniel says.

“When you do that, everything changes. The theory with networking is that when you like someone and are friends with them, you’ll both go out of your way to help each other, even when you don’t ask for it.

“That’s what a real network is. It’s not transactional, not about walking round the room trying to meet as many people as possible. It’s about forming genuine relationships with other people who are willing and able to support you on your journey.”

Partners from the start

CUB has partnered with NAB since its inception. The bank helped fund the fit-out of its first and subsequent clubhouses and is the major partner for CUB’s annual awards program.

Working with a bank that understands the complexities of operating small and medium-sized businesses has been invaluable, according to Daniel – for CUB and its member community.

“They’ve been a huge supporter,” he says. “A lot of our members need a private or business banker and NAB has always provided the best.

“We’ll continue to build on the relationship as we pursue our expansion plans in 2025.”