We help you reach and engage new small business customers - by building trust and creating measurable impact through product and service placement test pilots, in-depth research, and SME-led communities.
WE COLLABORATE WITH
A list of logo's from the following companies: Amazon, american-express-logo-black-and-white.png, Bae Systems, GSK, KPMG, Lloyds, bt_logo_2019.png, Accenture, Cisco, meta-facebook-rebranding-name-news_dezeen_2364_col_hero2.webp, McKinsey & Company, image.png, Deliveroo, Ey, fronteir-economics.png, image-(1).png, lb_digital_stacked_neg_colour_rgb_png_0000.height-80.png, mace_group.width-630.png, microsoft-logo-png-full-colour.png, and Sage.
What's in it for you?
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Direct access to engaged SME communities. A ready-made, engaged SME audience through an independent and trusted voice - direct access to SMEs without the barriers of traditional sales channels.
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Seamless product and service placement. Showcase your solutions to SMEs in a way that adds value, not a hard sell while building trust with potential customers.
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Demonstrate real social value and impact. As a charitable organisation that genuinely support SMEs with growth, we enhance your brand’s credibility and build long-term customer loyalty.
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High-value content for your PR, marketing and policy activities. Third-party insights and real SME case studies to power your campaigns. Our data-backed storytelling helps you demonstrate industry leadership.
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Research, test and learn what drives SME productivity. Our programmes act as real-world testing grounds, helping you refine your offerings, tailor messaging, and build solutions.

OUR IMPACT BY NUMBERS
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15K
additional jobs created -
£2.1bn
additional turnover -
£915m
additional GVA generated -
44%
SME increasing turnover from programmes
See us in action
Take a look at some of our partner-sponsored projects
BT: Launching a community of business leaders
3-year partnership: tech adoption to unlock SME potential.

The Productivity Institute: AI Catalyst
Customised solutions for SME pain points.
Microsoft: Beyond the Hype
Making AI work for small businesses.
Behavioural Inights Team: App
Change through a habit-forming app.
Deliveroo: Tech Adoption Report
Tech adoption in the hospitality industry.
Slack: The Secret of Productive work
An e-book on the journey to productivty.
Mastercard: Strive
Empowering ethnic minority businesses.
Meta: Rebuild and Recover
Productivity-enhancing support to SMEs.
Innovation Lab
Our approach: a tailored 3-stage SME journey

Data
✓ Region(s) is selected, based on where a pilot programme can be localised. Focus / priority of corporate partner established
✓ We use unique data sets (our Productive Business Index) to assess regional productivity performance against 5 key levers
✓ Benchmark data against national average; understand gaps and inform intervention design

Pilots & workshops
✓ Run pilots and workshops at our partner’s employer facilities.
✓ Themes (innovations that drive productivity) include: tech / AI adoption; investment readiness; leadership & management for growth
✓ Methodology based on academically developed framework in partnership with UCL
✓ SMEs get a specific action plan to take forward: designed for immediate progress

Community of practice
✓ We build this, you message into it: tap into a pre-existing Be the Business community
✓ Maintain SME engagement; drive onward activity and encourage best practice sharing
✓ Strengthens long-term productivity impact
✓ Provides high quality insights into SME experience, through follow up engagement, surveys, focus groups
Schedule your free consultancy call with our team.
What our partners say…
Leone Shaw, Customer Support, BT
"Easiest thing I've had to do at the moment"
Victoria Lawton, Leadership & Talent Management, BT
“This has given us positive oomph during a time of change at BT."
Bart van Ark, Managing Director, The Productivity Institute
“I am delighted by the launch of the partnership – a practical way for leaders of small businesses to learn from their peers and support one another in their drive to increase the productivity of their organisations.”
Premal Patel - Founder (Aveea), SME
“What stood out most was the genuine connection and engagement among the attendees – it was clear the event was designed with people in mind rather than just speakers flexing their knowledge!”
would you like to know more?
Every initiative that we run with corporate partners is tailored to your SME audience and organisation need.
We listen to where you are at with your SME ecosystem, co-designing a bespoke initiative that really gets to the bottom of your social value, marketing, PR and insight goals.
Get in touch - chat to a team member.

Trusted by top corporate partners
Our partnerships: evidence-based solutions to pressing productivity challenges
A list of logo's from the following companies: Amazon, american-express-logo-black-and-white.png, Bae Systems, british_land_hl1gaye.width-630.png, byrden_wood_logo_qoqehbx.width-630.png, GSK, KPMG, Lloyds, bt_logo_2019.png, Accenture, Cisco, Ey, meta-facebook-rebranding-name-news_dezeen_2364_col_hero2.webp, McKinsey & Company, image.png, Deliveroo, fronteir-economics.png, mace_group.width-630.png, mastercard-logo.png, microsoft-logo-png-full-colour.png, and Sage.