What LeTip International does

LeTip International Inc. is a privately held business networking organization founded in 1978 by Ken Peterson in San Diego, California, and currently headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company operates a category-exclusive chapter model across 250+ chapters in the United States and Canada, serving approximately 5,000+ small business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals across 400+ business categories. Under the one-member-per-profession rule, each chapter admits a single representative per industry, eliminating internal competition and converting members into an unpaid salesforce that passes qualified, pre-vetted referrals to one another through structured weekly meetings.

The core product offering is the LeTip chapter membership, supplemented by two proprietary digital platforms. LeTip Wired is a member-only online portal and mobile application that enables real-time referral passing, tracking, national directory access, contact management, and ROI measurement across the member network. LeTip Local Connect is a consumer-facing directory that surfaces vetted local member businesses to end customers. The company generates revenue through recurring annual chapter membership subscriptions and through franchise/licensing fees paid by chapter operators, supported by brand refreshes, virtual and hybrid meeting capabilities introduced during the pandemic, and an annual awards convention.

LeTip maintains a small corporate staff of approximately 10-15 employees led by President Summer Middleton and Vice President Paul Della Valle, with no external investors, parent company, or publicly disclosed financials. The company has remained privately owned for nearly 50 years and competes against larger networking organizations such as BNI through brand heritage, category exclusivity, and the depth of its referral methodology rather than technology differentiation.

Name

LeTip International

Legal name

LeTip International Inc.

Website

https://letip.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LeTip International is a privately held business networking organization founded in 1978, operating 250+ chapters across the US and Canada with 5,000+ members. It serves small business owners through a category-exclusive chapter model, generating revenue via annual membership subscriptions and chapter franchise licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Networking

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA)

Keywords

• Business networking groups
• Referral networking platform
• Business leads exchange
• Professional networking organization
• Chapter-based networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Las Vegas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Chapter Membership Fees: LeTip generates revenue through membership fees charged to business professionals who join local chapters. Members pay for access to the networking platform, weekly meetings, the LeTip Wired technology portal, and the referral network. The model is subscription-based with annual renewal options.
2. Franchise/Chapter Licensing: LeTip franchises new chapters to qualified individuals who want to start their own local business networking groups. Franchisees pay for the LeTip brand, system, training, and ongoing corporate support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

LeTip International operates a category-exclusive business networking organization where business owners join local chapters to exchange qualified leads and referrals through structured weekly meetings. Founded in 1978, it runs 250+ chapters across the US and Canada with 5,000+ members representing 400+ business categories, supported by the proprietary LeTip Wired digital referral platform. The company also licenses new chapters through its franchise program.

Product overview

LeTip International offers a business networking platform centered around its core LeTip chapter networking model, supplemented by two proprietary digital platforms. LeTip Wired serves as the 24/7 member portal for managing referrals, tracking tips, and connecting with members nationwide. LeTip Local Connect is a consumer-facing directory connecting users with vetted local businesses across 400+ categories. The company was founded in 1978 and operates hundreds of chapters throughout the United States and Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LeTip Chapter Membership The core business networking group platform where members exchange qualified leads, build business relationships, and develop presentation skills through weekly chapter meetings. Founded in 1978, it operates with a one-member-per-category model to eliminate competition within chapters.
• LeTip Wired Proprietary member-only digital web portal and mobile app exclusively available to LeTip members. It streamlines the referral process by allowing members to pass, track, and manage leads in real-time, with access to a national directory of trusted professionals across hundreds of chapters.
• LeTip Local Connect Platform connecting users with a vast network of trusted, local business professionals across over 400 business categories. Features a vetting process including on-site inspections, peer vetting, and accountability through the referral-driven system.
• LeTip Franchising Franchise program that licenses new chapters to qualified individuals who want to start their own local business networking groups. Franchisees pay for the LeTip brand, system, training, and ongoing corporate support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 new customers gained by a single member in one year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• BNI (Business Network International): BNI is the largest and best-known competitor in the category-exclusive business referral networking space, operating a near-identical one-member-per-profession chapter model globally. It directly competes with LeTip for SMB members and chapter franchisees in the US and Canada.
• Referral Institute: Referral Institute provides referral-based networking training and chapter formation methodology that overlaps with LeTip's structured weekly meeting and referral-passing system. It serves a similar SMB and solopreneur customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Vistage: Vistage operates paid peer-advisory groups for SME CEOs and executives; while higher-priced and more focused on leadership coaching than referrals, it competes for the same SMB executive member dollars and mindshare.
• Meetup: Meetup provides a broad platform for organizing local professional and business groups, including networking-oriented meetups that can substitute for LeTip's weekly chapter meeting format for SMB members seeking lower-commitment alternatives.
• EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization): EO is a global peer network for entrepreneurs offering member forums, events, and learning programs; it overlaps with LeTip's networking and category-experience value proposition but targets a higher-revenue entrepreneur segment.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a large national business membership organization providing networking, advocacy, and resources to SMBs; while not a category-exclusive referral model, it competes for SMB membership dollars and networking mindshare.

Emerging players

• Alignable: Alignable is a digital-native SMB networking platform that delivers referral and connection value without requiring in-person chapter meetings, directly competing with LeTip Wired for the same small business audience through a different delivery model.
• Founders Network: Founders Network is a paid peer community for startup founders offering vetted membership and moderated peer groups; it competes for a similar SMB/founder audience that LeTip targets but with a digital-first delivery model.

Others

• SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives): SCORE provides free mentorship and business advisory services to SMBs through a national volunteer network; it does not directly compete on referral networking but is a substitute for some of LeTip's relationship- and advice-oriented value for cost-sensitive SMBs.
• Chamber of Commerce (local chapters): Local chambers of commerce deliver in-person business networking events, referrals, and category-exposure to SMBs in each market — a partial functional substitute for LeTip chapters at the local level, often at lower membership cost.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LeTipInternational/featured
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/letip-international
• Instagraminstagram.com/letipintl
• TikToktiktok.com/@letipintl
• Xx.com/letip
• Facebookfacebook.com/letipintl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LeTip International