So, let's say you have decided to go public. What do you say about it? Here are some tips.
Spelling
First, the spelling of the movement itself, which is as follows: "B Corp". A lot of alternative iterations go around: "B-Corp" and "BCorp" being the most common. But, if you're going to go public, best to write it correctly: B Corp. If you've been spelling it incorrectly until now, don't panic, you're in good company: most people don't seem to start off spelling it as it should be... :-)
Your Bigger Journey
The most important thing to do first (spelling aside), is outline is the bigger picture of what you are trying to achieve as a company. If you have chosen to become a B Corp then you are choosing to become a particular type of business: it is the idea of the potential (and imperative) of business as a force for good that you are in pursuit of, not simply the certification itself.
So, mention B Corp in the context of some commentary on your intention to do what is right and good by all your stakeholders and have fun and success as you determine it on the journey.
Mention that the B Corp framework and the accountability and innovation that comes with being part of the community is just one of a number of things you are using to be a better business every day.
Your Intent
Are you applying the B Impact Assessment framework simply as a tool to think and challenge yourself or do you also plan to pursue certification? If you have no intention of certifying, it might be worth wording it in such a way as to illustrate that point otherwise you risk misleading your stakeholders: people will default to assuming that certification is your intent.
A Caution on Commercials
If you have chosen to go B Corp then you will have some reasons why: outline them. Use stories, sources of inspiration, make it personal.
One word of caution on this front, by all means use statistics and commercial reasoning to demonstrate why you believe going B Corp is a good idea, just be careful not for the tone of the messaging to feel dominated by commercial benefit. You should want to become a B Corp partly because you feel like it's the right thing to do. The people who will be interested in you becoming a B Corp will feel like that too. The movement was born into a time when being seen to be a force for good was not seen as the commercially expedient to do and the movement continues to be dominated by companies with a strong moral and ethical motivation.
Your Language
Wherever possible, try to avoid too much corporate-ese. People want to connect with brands that feel more accessible and being a B Corp is, in part, about building a more human organisation. So, use human language.
Be Humble
Avoid forms of communication that only seek to say how amazing you are. It is important for the messaging to include a sense that you recognise that you need to become a better business all round and that you want to do so. That there are gaps between where you ar now and where you want to be.
Quotes from B Lab
B Lab doesn't provide quotes for companies who are embarking on the journey, they reserve that for your announcement of certification.
However, John Featherby (as an Ambassador for B Lab) can provide a personal quote on request. Email: jfeatherby@shoremount.com
Examples
Here are a few examples of organisations making a public commitment to the B Corp journey:
Mirabeau
Website announcement and Sky News interview
Bonduelle
Givaudan
Website and video announcement
Magalu
Kin & Carter
Gerdau
Investors
Investor List - lots of these investors are talking about how they're using the resources.
Pending Bs
Every B Corp Pending - Every B Corp Pending is a start-up company that has made a commitment to becoming a B Corp within the next 12 months. In the UK, there are over 80 of these:
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