As a business owner, you understand the value of relationships and the power of a strong network. The broader your connections, the more opportunities arise—not just for you, but for those you refer business to as well. That’s why it’s surprising when some traditional networking organizations require exclusivity, forbidding you from joining other industry-specific groups or even discouraging you from expanding your network beyond their groups.

This restrictive approach raises an important question: Is this rule in place to help your business, or to benefit the organization dictating the terms?