top of page

Apply today to receive SBCC Ethical Business Certification

Become one of the thousands of companies that are  committing to ethical business practices. Apply for your certification to get started.

ANNUAL CERTIFICATION FEE: $1,297

Certification is open to any company or individual interested in openly acknowledging their support and commitment to high ethical business standards. Current certified companies include a broad cross-section of commercial industry, professional services, and government agencies.

 

Benefits Include:

  • SBCC news and industry updates (email communication)

  • SBCC digital certificate (updated annually)

  • SBCC digital verification badge

  • Job Seeker ability to verify your status  

  • Seen as Gold Ethical Standard Company

  • List your company in our verified SBCC directory. 

  • FREE Social Listening and Monitoring of your companies ethical practices (Any red flags will be addressed immediately)

  • Data driven quarterly reports showing areas for improvement to keep company in compliance (As needed)

  • Training and coaching opportunities

  • Discount on Conference sponsorship

  • Accessible tools for marketing and communications

  • Networking opportunities with like-minded professionals

  • Provide resources for certification and learning, including workshops and access to our certified trainers 

​

All SBCC Certifications are based on the calendar year, expiring on December 31st of each year.

Applications received after September 30th will have their payment counted towards the following year’s annual certification fees.

All fees are non-refundable.​

Business Character Education - In The Know

The essential component of business character involves the ability to be honest, sincere, and trustworthy in your dealings with others. More than merely telling the truth or keeping your word, business character refers to the ability to do what you say you are going to do in a timely manner. Business character also requires that you maintain high ethical standards while executing your duties as a leader in your organization, industry, or community.

In order to have a successful business, it’s important to understand your own personal character and how it might affect your business dealings. There are three main traits that define your business character: legitimacy, responsiveness and ethics. Legitimacy refers to the trust of your customers in you; if they don’t believe you are telling them the truth, or if they think that you might be pulling one over on them, then they won’t buy from you or will choose to go somewhere else next time.

Business character must be developed on many levels, but one key to developing your business character is to always follow through with your commitments, whatever they may be. By doing so, you will not only develop the trust of others that you work with, but you’ll also gain respect and the trust of potential future partners or clients who are evaluating whether to work with you. Without these two things - trust and respect - your business may never get off the ground or grow as far as it could. 

​

​

What is Business Character?

A company’s business character is often defined as its reputation, its leadership, and whether it consistently delivers on what it promises. Business character has three primary characteristics: legitimacy, responsiveness, and ethics. A legitimate business is one that delivers its goods or services to customers effectively and reliably; a responsive business takes care of customer complaints promptly and thoroughly; an ethical business follows applicable laws and regulations to prevent unethical practices. In short: A company’s business character is how that company conducts itself with respect to competitors, customers, partners and investors alike. A strong reputation for ethics will not only earn your trust but also give you credibility among potential clients. Now that you know what business character means, you can develop it in your own organization.

The first step toward building your business’ character is to figure out where it currently stands. The second step is determining what kind of reputation you want—and then getting there by being honest, open and proactive about meeting needs, solving problems and addressing concerns. Developing your company’s character will take time, energy and commitment—but it's worth it if you want to stand out from competitors and win over new customers. When done well, building your business' character helps build a better future for both you and those who work with you every day.

As a business person, you’re bound to encounter challenges along your path to success. These issues may cause internal and external conflict as you try to reconcile your professional responsibilities with personal beliefs. In order to create a successful business character, it is crucial that you act in accordance with what you know is right and not allow outside influences or peer pressure compromise your integrity. A business character based on ethics and values will help lead your business to success. Your core values should be able to keep your character true regardless of how others may respond, keeping them on track towards their end goal.

​

​

Benefits of Business Character

Developing a distinct persona for your company will help you differentiate yourself from other competitors. If you have good character as a businessperson, it will be easier for potential customers, employees, and investors to view you as credible and legitimate. Because your reputation will be at risk, it is critical to establish a company that adheres to standard procedures for conducting business. Leadership, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, and integrity are among the most important aspects of a person of good character. Building a successful brand requires active participation not only within your organization but also within your community. When possible, supporting local initiatives can help generate goodwill for your brand and improve the public's perception of your business as a whole (this is one reason why companies choose to engage in corporate social responsibility initiatives). 

By having focus groups or conducting surveys, you should make it a point to monitor how the actions of your company are perceived by customers. This will allow you to make any necessary adjustments when they are required. Being open to criticism and feedback, even if they're negative comments, shows that you have strong ethics. You should respond quickly to customer complaints and resolve issues professionally. Asking for honest opinions about your products or services is another way to show good business character. You might learn something valuable about what people like or dislike about your company's offerings.

​

​

Business Character Development

The development of business character and ethical values within a firm is directly linked to it's continued legitimacy and performance. Good business character is important because it creates an environment where employees feel comfortable taking risks, which in turn boosts productivity. A company with good business ethics also has less employee turnover, which helps keep valuable knowledge and skills within a firm. It's also important to note that different employees have different perceptions of what constitutes good or bad behavior in a company. Where one person may view taking advantage of interns as acceptable, another may not consider such activities to be legal at all. By building up your staff through training programs that develop their understanding of corporate standards, you can create an organizational culture that encourages ethical behavior from its members.

It's important to remember that there are many ways for companies to instill good business practices in their employees, but there are some basic tenets that should always be upheld. For example, any successful business will value honesty and transparency above all else. There are many reasons why these traits are considered so crucial: they encourage people to work together towards common goals; they help build trust between individuals; they allow people to see each other as human beings rather than simply coworkers or bosses; they encourage people to take responsibility for their actions; and finally, honesty allows for open communication between individuals. Transparency on a larger scale serves similar purposes by providing information about how a company operates and how resources are allocated.

SBCC

Application for SBCC Ethical Business Certification

Thank You For Applying!

bottom of page