Is becoming a B Corp the best way to make an impact with your business?
COVID-19 and the global pandemic ripped the cover off the world’s problems - exposing a deep, seeping wound that we’ve all known was there, but tried to deny. The time for Band-Aid solutions has passed.
You know it. We know it. Something has to be done.
But how can you help? How can you use your leadership skills, your company culture, your business, to make an impact on these astronomical problems? Isn’t business usually the villain in these stories?
Well, we have good news for you. There’s no one better than business for getting people to change their behavior. So you’re in the perfect place to steer those behaviors towards the greater good.
What is a B Corp?
B Corps are a collective of thought leaders who are committed to challenging the world’s problems and using business as a force for good on all levels. The government, nonprofits and individuals cannot solve the world’s issues alone and B Corps acknowledge this.
Achieving a B Corp Certification isn’t just a promise to do better for your workers, customers, community and environment - it’s a public vow that comes with third-party validation, public transparency and legal accountability. Certification is a way to show the world that your impact extends beyond words and into real action.
Your journey to B Corp Certification begins with the B (Corp) Impact Assessment, a scored assessment that measures value across five key areas; government, workers, community, environment, and customers. You need a minimum score of 80 to achieve B Corp Certification (which Decade Impact can help you with).
What lies beyond B Corp certification?
Getting certified is often the first objective for many companies. The B (Corp) Impact Assessment will open your eyes to the good you are already doing and the opportunities you have to improve. And that’s when you realize that certification is just the basecamp - becoming a leading changemaker is Everest.
You could start your climb to the summit by creating policies that will allow your amazing company culture to flourish. Many of our clients find that “impact-mindedness” is contagious - spreading through their workforce and igniting never-before-seen passion and engagement.
Or you could see your score as a personal challenge and work towards exceeding that number each time you apply for recertification. Using strategic planning to write your theory of change, you can set your sights on that mountain peak where people, planet and profit are balanced harmoniously.
Can a business make a real impact?
Yes.
(...Oh, you want more? Fine…)
Every company can leave the world better than they found it. When you harness the power of corporate imagination, anything is possible - and the world knows it! Across the globe, companies are being called to action to create a new standard for operating. The question is not can a business make an impact but when will businesses realize how much impact they can make!
How can Decade Impact support your impact strategy?
Decade Impact has been working in the impact space since before it was cool - we’re the impact business OGs! We have supported over 100 businesses through the B Corp Impact Assessment, including 26 certified B Corps! At Decade Impact, we can take you beyond making operational changes to building an all-encompassing strategy that builds measurable impact into every layer of your 10 year vision.
Decade Impact can also help you communicate the work you are doing to the rest of the world, using metrics to back up your claims and help you stand out in a sea of green-washers. We believe that if the economy is going to shift for the better, we need stories of purposeful brands showing the way forward.
The world of B Corps comes with a language of it’s own and we’re your translators and travel guides. After working with us, not only do our clients have policies that embed this language in their companies, but they have a fluency that allows them to spot endless more opportunities for good.
Are you ready to make an impact? Let’s talk.