DOING BETTER BUSINESS W I L D W E S T ’ S G E O R G I E U P TO N F L I E S T H E F L AG F O R B CO R P iscovering B Corp was a eureka moment for Georgie Upton, MD of consumer PR and communications specialist Wild West. “It was late 2019, I was about to become MD and I wanted to bring something new to the business as we moved into the new decade, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it should be.” In a case of right place, right time Georgie recalls how everything fell into place upon meeting Matt Hocking of LEAP, a change-maker in the design industry who kick started her journey to the triple bottom line.
APPROXIMATELY 4,000 CERTIFIED B CORPORATION BUSINESSES GLOBALLY, WITH AROUND 500 IN THE UK AND 13 IN CORNWALL
“Matt’s passionate about making a living whilst making a difference,” explains Georgie. “While I’m hugely proud to have spent most of my career making money for big brands, I knew there was a better way to do business and with Matt’s help discovering that you can absolutely put people and planet alongside profit was a huge turning point.”
6 | FIND THE BALANCE
It’s a journey that with the support and commitment from Wild West founders, Kate Wild and Simon Holborow, Georgie has taken her whole team in Bristol and Truro on. She is now starting afresh with London-based Wild Card having recently merged the two agencies. Described as ‘businesses that balance purpose and profit’, certified B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community and the environment. They must demonstrate a genuine and continuous commitment to meaningful purpose and use business as a force for good. And there are many businesspeople like Georgie that are embracing the phenomenon. Any business in the world can strive to become a certified B Corporation; there are approximately 4,000 businesses globally, and now around 500 certified in the UK with 13 in Cornwall including Finisterre, Made for Life Organics, Solve Web Media and Origin Coffee. Together they are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. “The B Corp journey offers a moment to celebrate what you do but also challenge yourself as an individual, as a business and as a business community. Using the BIA (an online B Impact Assessment tool which is completely free to all businesses) you can delve into all areas of your business and see where there’s room for improvement. It is a 360-degree review,” explains Georgie.
