30 / matters magazine / fall 2026 F or as long as people have been t r a d i n g g o o d s and services, business networking has ex isted. Designed to foster professional relationships and generate leads, business owners have many different groups and models to choose from. Close to home, one of the new est networking groups is LeTip of SOMA, formed in May 2025. Reese Little, a financial advi sor with CJE Financial, is president; Dennis Hepworth, a broker/real es tate agent with EXP Realty is vice president and Claudine Baptiste, vice president of business development at BCB Bank, serves as treasurer. LeTip of SOMA is part of LeTip International, founded in 1978 as the first business leads networking group in the United States. LeTip Interna tional has more than 250 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. What makes it distinct from other networking groups is its pur pose: to provide a category-exclusive platform where one representative from each industry passes high-quali ty “warm” referrals to other members. In other words, only one member per business category can be in a chapter. Hepworth claims the category of Re altor in the SOMA chapter. LeTip of SOMA meets Thursday mornings for one hour. Half of the meetings are held remotely to provide flexibility. Rather than have one talk ing head dominating a meeting, Little says, “I came up with the concept of discussion questions. [Each person] rotates through them so that every one has a speaking role in the meet ing of at least three to five minutes.” Little says this enables members to get to know each other professionally and personally. “That’s been a big success, in my opinion,” he says, “in retention, and excitement for the group.” Little also has members set up one-on-one conversations to get to know each other and then give a read-out at a future meeting on what they learned about the other person. For Hepworth, LeTip of SOMA is the only networking group he’s ever joined. He says, “I think Reese has done a really good job in terms of setting extremely interesting meetings, good content and a very welcoming environment.” Because the purpose of LeTip is to pass referrals or “tips” to one an other, the group reviews their weekly tip activity. No one has a tip quota to meet, but each member keeps track of their tips with the LeTip Wired app, which contains all of the chapters, their members, business category and contact information. If a member wants to find a real es tate attorney, for example, they can search for it in the app. As a Real tor, Hepworth’s clients rely on him for solid referrals. He says, “I’ve used the LeTip app and I’ve been on the phone with people where I can quickly find recommendations and give those people to them.” LeTip of SOMA is hosting an open house breakfast on Oct. 29 at 8:30 a.m. at St. James’s Gate for anyone interested in learning more about the group. Contact Reese Lit tle at reese.little@cjefinancial.com for more information. Ellen Donker is a member of LeTip of SOMA who appreciates the close rela tionships she’s made with other members. Get the Tips in a New Networking Group Welcome LeTip of SOMA BY ELLEN DONKER L-R: Reese Little, Claudine Bap tiste and Dennis Hepworth
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