Blog Post: 5 things I learned about B Corp

 

Back in March this year Gradient became a B Corp. I’d heard of B Corp’s before but I didn’t really know much about them and so my journey began to find out what a B Corp is and what it means to be one.

Founded in 2006 the B Corporation movement was the brainchild of three friends who left their careers in business and private equity with a vision of helping businesses redefine the way they measure success and improve their positive impact in the world. 15 years later there are currently over 3,500 B Corp businesses worldwide in more than 70 countries. The UK has over 400 and Gradient is one of the first surveying businesses to become a B Corp.

  1. Better business

Essentially, a B Corp business is different from a regular business in that they recognise profit shouldn’t be made at the expense of people or the planet, it’s about balancing purpose with profit. The social and environmental problems the world faces today can’t be fixed by governments and non-profits alone, they need everyone to work together. Using business as a force for good means that customers, workers, community, suppliers and the environment are valued just as much as profit.

  1. B Corp community

B Corp has a brilliant global community of people who want the best for each other and the world. The B Hive is an online hub where B Corps from across the world can come together to ask each other questions, share knowledge and support each other. I’ve been so impressed with how open and generous everyone is. People are sharing their impact reports so you can see what they’re doing in their business to tackle climate change and to support their employees and community. Having trouble writing a policy? Ask and someone will share theirs with you. Want to know how people are navigating post-pandemic work? The community is more than happy to tell you how they’ve pivoted.

  1. Planet pledge

B Corp had their first Global Climate Summit in June 2021, which brought together the entire B Corp global community for a 3-day virtual summit. This summit offered the opportunity to deepen climate knowledge and action with sessions hosted by B Corp businesses who shared their expertise and the work they’re doing. I picked up all sorts of tips as well as making connections with other B Corps. The session on your digital carbon footprint run by Business Declares and Wholegrain Digital was eye-opening: if every adult sent one fewer ‘thank you’ email a day we’d save more than 16,433 tonnes of carbon a year!

  1. Supporting people

Engaging with our community is new for us as a business and it’s been incredibly rewarding. The charity Holding Space is based in our hometown of Eastbourne and they provide a much needed service to the community by supporting the mental health of parents, carers, children and young people and providing a safe space for them to come together. Gradient made a donation to fund a package of counselling sessions for a young person in need of support. Connecting with our local community taught me how many people there are who work tirelessly to help others.

  1. You don’t have to be perfect

One of my big take away’s that I learned about B Corp was an unexpected one: it’s OK if you’re not perfect. There are some big concepts behind being a B Corp and you have to be transparent about your business practices, which makes you feel as though you have to do everything perfectly: this is effectively setting yourself up to fail. Talking with a member of the B Corp community put this into perspective for me: it’s about having a process of pausing to consider the choices you make. Your intention should align with your action and having B Corp values at the centre ensures the way you do business is mindful and respectful of people and the planet.

I feel very proud to be part of a B Corp business. Knowing that the way we do business is a force for good in the world is a great feeling. I also love that this is a journey, there are always ways to improve, areas to review and reassess and going through this as a team means we’re more connected and invested in what we’re putting out into the world.

If you’re interested in becoming a B Corp, you can start your journey here.

Please call for impartial advice on how we can assist and support you. Whether you are planning to spend a few hundred thousand or multi millions on your project, your call to us could set you in the right direction for success.

julia@gradientconsultants.com | Tel. 01323 738761