Diversity and inclusion

Our mission is to help small businesses across the UK boost productivity. To do this, we run a series of programmes and interventions to help leaders feel empowered to develop their leadership and management skills and adopt new technologies.

This mission is also a social one. We are here because we know that tackling productivity will improve the lives of people across the UK. We need to ensure that the effects of productivity gains are equally felt. This is why equality underpins all our values.

We know that when people bring their whole self to work, they can be more creative, innovative and productive. We know that our efforts to bolster diversity have to start from within. This is why we are committed to building an inclusive culture which respects every employee for who they are – regardless of gender, gender identity, ethnicity, race, age, religious belief, sexual orientation, socio-economic background and physical or mental ability.

This is an ongoing commitment to change the culture both inside our business and within the wider business community. Through our programmes and partnerships, we are determined to work with and empower underserved business leaders.

We have set up a working group with a 12-month strategy that will focus on establishing practical steps to implement systematic changes for the future. Some of our immediate priorities include:

• Overhauling our recruitment and employee engagement to ensure that our business becomes more reflective of the community we’re serving
• Developing strong relationships with business networks like the Black United Representation Network and Minority Supplier Development UK (MSDUK) who are already operating in this space so we can ensure inclusive delivery of our programmes
• Conducting in-depth interviews with ethnic minority business leaders to understand what we don’t know and how we can help
• Refocusing our research priorities to gain more insight into the barriers faced by minority and female led businesses

Our intention is to deepen experiences of learning and engagement and to encourage collaboration. We hope it will serve as invitation to join in a dialogue with us.

We have more work to do to advance diversity and inclusion, but we are making these efforts part of our long-term mission of helping UK small businesses and the communities they serve. These efforts will help foster a business community that serves everyone.

“The research is very clear – diverse and inclusive businesses are better businesses. But companies of all shapes and sizes should strive to create a culture where everyone can do their best work, because this is absolutely the right thing to do.

“Here at Be the Business, we help small businesses become more productive through management skills and technology adoption. Since we are actively trying to change how businesses lead and manage people – it’s essential that we tackle everything we do through an inclusive lens. We need to make sure that we’re listening to all types of businesses and asking ourselves who is missing from the conversation. If we don’t do this, we simply cannot reach our goals.

“I know that any efforts surrounding diversity and inclusion must start at home. I also know from first-hand experience that different perspectives and backgrounds create innovative environments and deliver results! That’s why we have put huge efforts towards understanding where we currently stand as a business, and what we need to do. We’ve already taken steps like putting together a working group with a 12-month strategy; conducting research and in-depth interviews with ethnic minority business leaders; partnering up with organisations like the Black United Representation Network and Minority Supplier Development UK (MSDUK) to ensure inclusive delivery of our programmes; and reviewing our culture and hiring practices – but we know doing this right will take a lot more – and we are ready to keep trying to do better and be better every day.

“I will make sure that Be the Business builds an inclusive culture where diversity is seen as a key value driver that supports our mission and helps us serve the UK small business landscape. We have a lot more work to do to advance diversity and inclusion – but we’re going to keep investing time and energy to make sure equity underpins everything we do.”