B Corps Business as a force for good! Good Morning Truckee, 10/10/17
Our Context • 73% of consumers want to know they are buying a good product from a good company. How do you prove your company is good?
• 9 in 10 Millennials believe that the success of a company should be measured in terms of more than just financial performance. How do you measure success and manage your impact?
What is a B Corp? A Certified B Corp is a for-profit company that is certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.
Who are the B Corps?
2200+ B Corporations
50+ Countries
130 Industries
1 Unifying Goal
Who can become a Certified B Corp?
Who can become a Certified B Corp? Any for-profit business entity type may become a Certified B Corp: • • • • • • •
Sole proprietorship LLC LLP Cooperative ESOP S Corp C Corp
3 reasons to B Corp Certify: • Validate your existing best practices. • Build a legacy. • Strive to improve, always.
Measure What Matters
TM
The B Impact Assessment measures: • Governance: mission, transparency, accountability • Workers: wages & benefits, employee satisfaction • Social Impact: charitable giving, local purchasing • Environmental Impact: renewable energy use, supply chain, organic/non-GMO • Customers (if applicable): selection criteria, impact • Impact Business Models: local economic development, environmental protection
Declaration of Interdependence We are creating a new sector of the economy We must be the change we seek in the world All business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered We aspire to do no harm and to benefit all stakeholders We are responsible for each other and for future generations
Benefits of B Corp Certification • Customer ‘proof’ of goodness • Measure & manage your impacts • Improve performance – financial, social, environmental • Enhance your company culture • Differentiate from pretenders • Marketing – prove you walk the talk • Generate press • Find peers
Your Assignment‌
www.bimpactassessment.net/heatherpaulsenconsulting **Free 60-min. consultation to discuss your Assessment results
Certification Tips… • Use the BIA as a roadmap to build a better business • Do keep moving through the entire B Impact Assessment • Mark questions “revisit this” (bookmark icon) if you don’t know the answer right away • Don’t get hung up on your score – many points come toward the end • Dedicate a resource to this project • Typical timeline: 6 months is realistic • Contact me to learn how to maximize your score and to facilitate the process
Thank you! Heather Paulsen Heather@hpaulsenconsulting.com Tel: (707) 397-0567 www.hpaulsenconsulting.com **Free 60-min. consultation to discuss your Assessment results:
www.bimpactassessment.net/heatherpaulsenconsulting
B Corp vs. benefit corporation (What’s the difference?) B Corp Certification
Legal benefit corporation
• B Lab standards (B Impact Assessment)
• Register with Secretary of State
• Earn >80/200 points
• Build mission into legal documents
• Annual fee • Bi-annual re-certification • IF you are incorporated, fulfill legal requirement
• Annual report
• 3rd party verification required
New B Corp Employee Benefit Case Study: Mendocino County’s HEAL Program • Helping Employees Access Loans • Partnership with B Corps and Savings Bank of Mendocino County • New employee benefit for all employees of all Certified B Corps throughout Mendocino County • Short-term emergency loans to avoid predatory lending; build credit, savings, and financial stability