Responsible Business Essentials for SMEs

Today’s business owners are expected to do more than generate profit. They face growing expectations from customers, clients, investors, employees and communities to demonstrate a clear purpose, act responsibly and contribute positively to society. From sustainability and social impact to ethical decision making, stakeholder engagement and good governance, responsible business practices are becoming essential foundations for long-term success: responsible businesses are better placed to attract and retain customers, strengthen their brand, engage talent and build lasting value.

Cohort running November 2026 – May 2027
£670 + VAT | Apply by Friday 30 October

Apply now

Why join

Designed for SMEs at every stage of their responsible business journey, the Responsible Business Essentials programme equips you with the knowledge, tools, networks and confidence to turn your business ambition into action.

Benefits to your business

Gain knowledge, skills, and confidence to transform your business
Strengthen your leadership, workplace culture and approach to sustainability
Create a positive impact for your people, community and environment
Enhance your credibility and be better placed for future work
Identify opportunities to enhance resilience and manage risk
Develop an Action Plan tailored to your SME
Join Heart of the City’s network of responsible SMEs

Your Journey to Responsible Business

Learn from expert practitioners and successful SMEs
Receive tailored guidance
Embark on in-person workshops and online workshops and surgeries
Access practical tools, resources and online learning materials
Enjoy self-paced learning though our online learning platform
Celebrate your achievement with a Responsible Business Certificate (subject to meeting attendance and engagement requirements)

Programme overview

Spanning six months, with 20+ hours of expert and peer-led sessions, practical tools and resources, and a combination of in-person sessions in central London and online learning.

Our hybrid programme combines learning and practical application across five areas:

Module 1: The Essentials: Governance, Strategy and Risk
Build strong foundations through purpose-led decision-making, risk management and business resilience.

Module 2: Your People, Skills and Growth
Strengthen your approach to recruitment, inclusion and workplace culture.

Module 3: Creating Community Impact
Explore how your business can build meaningful relationships and create positive social value.

Module 4: Green Growth and Climate Resilience
Understand your environmental impact and identify practical opportunities for improvement.

Module 5: Turning Ambition into Action
Bring everything together by developing a tailored Responsible Business Action Plan and identifying your next steps.

We encourage participants to engage fully with the programme to gain the greatest benefit for themselves and their business.

To be recognised as a programme graduate, participants must attend at least 70% of programme sessions and submit a completed Responsible Business Action Plan.

If you are interested in taking part but are unable to attend the in-person sessions, please provide further details within the registration form.

Who is the programme for?

This programme is designed for SMEs at every stage of their responsible business journey that:

Are registered in the UK
We encourage all SMEs to apply; however, those with 5+ employees are likely to benefit the most
Actively looking for ways to strengthen their approach to responsible business
Have the capacity to engage throughout the six-month programme
Are looking for practical expert-led support, tools and peer learning to help drive action

Programme fees

£670 + VAT. Applications will close on Friday 30 October 2026 for the November cohort.

A limited number of fully funded places are available through partner sponsorship, by invitation only.

Further details, including payment instructions, will be provided to successful applicants.

Why Heart of the City?

Over 25 years supporting SMEs to become a force for good

For more than two decades, we’ve helped 1700+ SMEs take practical action on responsible business, supporting them to strengthen their organisations while creating positive impact.

Our approach is:

Designed specifically for SMEs
Practical, action-focused and achievable
Built around peer learning and collaboration
Supported by a trusted UK-wide business network

“
“You have all been fantastic, great platform, great events, thank you.”
CILSFoundations for Responsible Business - Siemens sponsored SME

“
“I learnt a huge amount in a short space of time. Really useful sessions and information from credible sources.”
Inner CirclesResponsible Business Essentials SME

“
“I felt very comfortable and part of a warm group.”
M for Menopause LtdResponsible Business Essentials SME

“
“I found the support invaluable. The knowledge sharing from the Heart of the City team was superb and enabled me to move from a very low level of base knowledge to being able to measure our baseline and put together a net zero action plan”
QBE sponsored SMENet Zero Accelerator participant

If you’d like to know more, have a look at our case studies

With thanks to our corporate partners

This programme is kindly supported by organisations across the responsible business community, who generously contribute venues, expertise and other resources to support our participants.

Ready to strengthen your business?

Apply now for Responsible Business Essentials for SMEs.

The application form takes approximately 5 minutes to complete.

Once submitted, our team will review your application and be in touch shortly with the outcome.

Applications close on Friday 30 October 2026.

Apply now

For any queries, please contact us at info@theheartofthecity.com.

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