Join the productivity movement

Support small and medium-sized business leaders in building better leadership skills.

What is the role of a Be the Business advisory board volunteer?

The Productivity Programme is a unique support offer for small business leaders, run by Be the Business. Small groups of volunteers form a confidential, impartial advisory board to support and encourage the thinking of small business owners taking part in the programme.

Each board will discuss the goals and challenges that the business leader brings to them, providing constructive questions to unlock thinking and making suggestions for avenues to explore. Goals or challenges will be unique to each business, but could involve things like:

Ensuring clarity on strategic direction
Working through the implications of new plans or ideas
Helping the business leader execute plans for sustainable growth
Suggesting structures to improve accountability

The advisory board does not have any legal obligations or responsibilities.

Join an unparalled group of business leaders

Be the Business advisory board members are experienced professionals drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds. They include leaders within large corporate organisations as well as successful leaders of small and medium-sized businesses. To be a board member with us you must have a minimum of 5 years senior leadership or management experience.

“The rewards are brilliant, quite frankly, and it’s a thoroughly enjoyable activity to be involved in.” Pete Boddy, Head of Engineering, Air Service, at BAE Systems

“I have this desire to help companies be successful, by getting close to the real business problems.” Bhavna Saraf, Head of Trade product at Lloyds Banking Group

“I get a kick out of learning about what these amazing companies are doing, and how innovative they are.” Lori Vokes, Director M&A at Neom

“Everyone works together to try to come up with good solutions. It creates a very positive atmosphere, which I really enjoy." Tobias Knichel, MD of PUNCH Flybrid

What's in it for you?

Experience membership of a non-exec style board

We’ll match you with three other experienced leaders, each with different specialisms and experience. Together you'll form an advisory board to support two businesses taking part in The Productivity Programme. You'll get to know the businesses and serve as a sounding board and trusted source of advice.

Build experience in chairing a board

Each board member takes turns to chair board meetings – giving you the opportunity to experience other people’s style of chairing as well as chairing meetings yourself.

Hone your mentoring skills

In addition to the skills developed in your role as a board member, some volunteers may be nominated to work with the business leaders in hour-long 1:1 mentoring sessions.

Leave us to sort the admin

We'll match businesses to boards, ensuring that there are no conflicts of interest. We then assign a board administrator to handle queries, arrange meetings, share pre-reads and log actions.

Be the Business provides this support so that you can just focus on sharing your expertise.

And your commitment?

Just 12 hours across a year

Each small business that takes part in the programme benefits from four 90 minute online meetings with their assigned board, over a six month period. Once your initial business has completed, we will assign your board a new business for the next six months.

Be open to new challenges

The businesses on our programme come from all different sectors, sizes and stages. You may not know anything about a particular kind of business, but leadership expertise is highly transferable.

Maintain confidentiality

Confidentiality is critical as business leaders will share information that helps you understand their business. As board members you may choose to do the same.

Optional mentoring

If you express interest in being a mentor, you may also provide two separate 60-minute online mentoring sessions in months when there is no other meeting scheduled.

“The easiest, but worst, thing you can do would be to just keep treading water.

“I wanted an advisory board for a sense of upward accountability, objective perspective and to provide a balance of challenge and support.”

Helen Tonks, co-founder of Hydraulics Online, on her Be the Business advisory board

Why volunteer with us?

Help small businesses improve their productivity,
Give you the opportunity to grow your network and gain insights from other business and sectors
Allow you to learn how your own approach to issues differs to that of other leaders
Boost your CV
Provide huge satisfaction from helping others
Give you the type of experience and skills required for non-executive director roles

Be the Business is the trading name of The Productivity Group, a company limited by guarantee and registered in England no. 10754958; registered charity 1173660 (England & Wales).