We asked Charlotte Mann, Graduate Account Manager at Brave & Heart, to break down their B Corp journey, and explain why all businesses who want to balance profit and purpose should consider joining the B Corp movement.
What does it mean to become a B Corp?
B Corporations are companies that value purpose and profit in equal measure. From empowering women in our company to shine in technology roles to helping companies reduce their digital waste through our digital decarbonisation project, we’ve always been an agency with a purpose.
This year, we committed to focusing on this positive impact by joining a global community of B Corps that believe business can be used as a force for good.
For us, this B Corp certification is more than a badge; it’s a long-term commitment to operate in ways that benefit not only shareholders but workers, communities, customers, and the environment. It’s a reminder of the importance of taking an ethical approach to business.
We are now one of 8,000 B Corps globally, and only 2,000 in the UK, working together to make a better world a reality, and ensuring that long-term value is a priority, and profits are balanced with a positive impact on all people and the planet.
Why did you decide to become a B Corp?
Getting our B Corp status hasn’t been an easy process, but it has been incredibly rewarding, and being a B Corp means a few different things to us:
First of all, never being complacent. The certification and re-certification process pushes us to continuously improve our social and environmental impact.
Plus, as a growing company, the structure of B Corp gave us a framework to make business decisions that ensure our growth is positive and ethical. In a way, it’s helped us to start as we mean to go on.
And, simply, B Corp aligns with our values.
How does B Corp Align with your values and why is that important?
As a values-driven company, it’s important to us that everything we do represents those values – Be Modern, Be Collaborative, Be Supportive and Be Focused.
Be Modern: By harnessing the power of business, B Corps take collective action to shift our current economic system from profiting only the few to benefiting all. At Brave & Heart, we wanted to participate in the shared vision to create an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy that works for everyone.
Be Collaborative: B Corps work together as a community of leaders who use business as a force for good, and our B Corp status means we collaborate with clients with the certitude that we’re bringing purpose and positive value to the table.
Be Supportive: It’s a real point of pride for us that we scored exceptionally highly on the “workers” section of our B Corp verification process. As well as supporting our clients, being supportive also means being there for our employees, from our commitment to being a Living Wage business to our focus on employee training and our enhanced benefits package.
Be Focused: B Corps keep their social and environmental impact at the forefront of their decisionmaking, and the re-certification process means that B Corps are always held to a high standard of governance.
How did you find the certification process?
B Corp is the only global certification that measures impact over five key areas of business: governance, workers, community, customers, and the environment.
The certification process was rigorous, but thanks to numerous initiatives and processes put in place since we began back in 2014, we were able to achieve a high score in our verification process.
For example, we commit to giving back to our community through our partnership with NESF, a North East based charity close to our hearts which aims to break down barriers for young people to enter careers in STEM.
As a remote company, we are also conscious of our impact on the environment and have insured our carbon footprint is kept to a minimum through partnering with an ethical e-waste disposal company and incentivising our employees to make greener travel choices.
We have always strived to serve as a partner for our clients and bring purpose to our employees, and we’re beyond proud to have achieved B Corp status, because we feel like it’s a tangible representation of how we have achieved this.
Why should other companies join the B Corp Movement?
We believe that B Corp is the future, and we’d love for you to join us there.
While most B Corp consultancy services are designed primarily to meet the needs of large and multinational companies seeking certification, as a small business, we’re perfectly placed to help other small businesses improve their impact.
And if you’re already part of the community, Brave & Heart now offer other B Corps a complimentary consultation and an ongoing 8% discount on their standard rates.
As the world around us continues to change at a rapid pace, we need B Corps now more than ever.
www.braveandheart.com