With support from Mastercard, Be the Business is empowering ethnic minority business owners from micro and small businesses around the country

We aim to succeed in the digital economy through free guidance, helpful tools, and personalised one-to-one mentoring.

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Our mission

Working together to help ethnic minority business owners grow in the digital economy

Our mission at Be the Business is to get the UK economy back on its feet by supporting the key people that make this happen – small business owners.

Whilst we have had some success working with small business owners overall in the last four years, our challenge has been to effectively reach some of the most entrepreneurial minds in the country – business owners from black, Asian and other minority backgrounds.

Research consistently shows that outcomes for ethnic minority business owners and entrepreneurs are worse than those for the general business population in the areas of productivity, turnover and non-financial goals, despite higher than average levels of entrepreneurialism and innovation. We want to help change this.

As a partner of Mastercard’s Strive UK initiative, our programme aims to transform the performance of black, Asian and other minority businesses in the UK by connecting leaders from this community to the resources they need to succeed in the digital economy.

Striving Forward is the fortnightly newsletter of our Strive programme. Each edition contains a spotlight on an inspirational business owner from an ethnic minority background, one actionable business idea you can use, and details of events and other resources you can take advantage of. Have a look at our newsletter archive if you'd like to get a better idea of what each one contains.

About Strive UK

Empowering small businesses for a digital future

Strive UK, an initiative of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, is supporting the resilience of Britain’s entrepreneurs, connecting them with the right digital technology and skills tailored to their business.

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Support programmes

Our programmes

There are three main ways we can help you grow and improve your business

Mentoring

Access a free business mentor – Benefit from the expertise and experience of a senior leader.
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Boards

Facing big decisions? With our free Boards programme, you don’t have to go it alone.
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Tech adoption

Free advice for business leaders looking to get the most out of technology
Find out more
Our partners
Learn more about Strive UK partners

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Each edition contains a spotlight on an inspirational business, one actionable business idea and details of resources you can take advantage of.
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Still got questions?

If you'd still like more detail about our programmes, resources and support then we're on hand to provide you with whatever information required. Pick a time that works for you and we'll give you a call to discuss your query.

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