Disruptive Thinking is now a B Corp! Our journey so far…
When we all sat down last summer to discuss our Wildly Important Goals for the year, one that had been in our minds for a long time came back on the table: to become B Corp certified.
We had always known it was something we wanted to do - our motto is good work with good people. We’d attended webinars, read blogs and knew that we were already living by a lot of the B Corp’s guiding principles, to use business as a force for good.
As many small businesses know, carving out time to work on your business and do something for yourself isn’t always easy, but when it comes to making the B Corp pledge, it’s working on something that’s so much bigger than just for yourself. Having that in your mind allows you to give the process the same time and energy that you would to your most lucrative client, as ultimately, the people around you and the state of the planet you’re on are your most valuable assets.
Many people we’ve spoken to throughout the journey have asked two simple questions: What does it mean to be B Corp and why does it matter?
Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. They pledge to put people and planet before profit, and use business as a force for good. To become B Corp certified you go through a rigorous impact assessment and to have to evidence that you fit the criteria.
The ‘why it matters’ question was one that took different meanings at different parts of the journey. Anyone who’s been through it knows it’s an incredibly scrupulous process, looking in detail at every element of how you do business. As a small business with a team of five, there were certain procedures and policies that were seemingly irrelevant to our operations - and then those that we had verbal agreements about rather than having them written down. The process can be extremely satisfying as a kind of MOT of best business practice, making sure that you have solid foundations in place to be able to grow sustainably.
There were of course parts of the process which were less satisfying - for instance not qualifying for certain questions (such as how we pay hourly workers when we don’t have any hourly workers) and then not being able to gain points in those areas. In those times, we reminded ourselves that whatever the outcome, we were still living the key principles of the movement - so questioned whether that was enough. However, a big part of the B Corp movement is about accountability, transparency and continuous improvement. It’s also about community, and the power of people. As a small business being part of this network gives the support, insight and weight to help create real change, and it’s those elements that explain why it was so important to us.
We’re so honoured to be part of the movement, and know that this is only the beginning. Whilst we are thrilled to have become B Corp certified, we’re fully committed to looking for opportunities of how we can do more and be better.
Are you a B Corp or thinking of becoming one? We’d love to hear from you - call us and we'd be happy to chat about our own experience of becoming a B Corp and the journey we're on.
