Lessons we learned from becoming a B Corp

March was B Corp Month and as we started work on our latest Impact Report, it felt like a timely opportunity to reflect on what B Corp Certification means to us as a company and for the business ecosystem as a whole.

What’s certain is that B Corp has never been under greater scrutiny. In recent weeks and months, the organisation and certification itself has been criticised, with a small number of people even labelling it as a ‘greenwashing’ exercise. 

So as the B Corp community reaches over 1,100 here in the UK, I wanted to be clear on our position. At Catch, we don’t believe B Corp to be perfect, but we do believe in its mission – that business can be a force for good.

For us, and many other companies, B Corp doesn’t mean ‘job done’ – it's simply one small part of a bigger puzzle, and a valuable tool to stay accountable.

We don’t believe in locking companies out, we believe in raising the bar, and being inclusive to businesses using their power for good. The B Corp movement, and the world, needs both the innovation of social-impact challenger brands and the clout of global conglomerates to fix its existential problems. 

So, we need to encourage every business that’s motivated to go through the process of certification. Instead of focusing energy on passing judgement and taking aim at those willing to open their books and commit to better business, instead we need to direct it towards fixing problems and challenging those who are doing the most damage.

Whichever way we look at it, becoming a B Corp has been a massively positive step for us – and might be for you, too. So, on reflection, here’s what we have learned from the process, that we hope might help others in their own journey. 

1. Get help

It’s totally possible to complete the assessment process on your own – but it’s a whole lot easier to work with someone who knows what they’re doing. The B Impact Assessment can feel like a bit of a maze, and getting help from someone who knows their way around can take away the overwhelm. It can also avoid tricky mis-categorisations. For example, before we got help, our business was categorised as having more employees than we actually do because we work with a lot of freelancers. A bit of knowhow goes a long way. 

We hired an independent consultant over the course of a year, who we highly recommend. You can also speak to your local team to find out options for extra help and support.

2. Be patient

B Corp certification is many things, none of them quick. Catch is about as simple as a business can get – small, with next to no supply chain – and the process took a full year for us, plus the time needed to wait for approval. 

You’ll need input from across your business – from accounts and HR through to leadership and operations – all of which takes time. Being prepared for a lengthy timeline can minimise frustration, and help with setting expectations with colleagues.

You can help yourself - you’ll need every shred of evidence you can muster. Proof points of your D&I work, employee handbooks, supplier contracts, carbon accounting, receipts for charity donations. This is particularly true if you’re a big organisation where the paperwork will be more detailed and cumbersome. Scrabbling around for documents right at the end of the process is no fun.

3. Play to your strengths

There will be certain sections of the assessment where you flop. Scoring can be a disheartening process and coming up short in some areas can feel like a ‘fail’. Firstly, take this as an opportunity for growth and to improve in the areas you’ve scored down. But also understand that the system isn’t fit for all business types. We lost a lot of points because, as a fully remote business, the questions relating to our support of the local community simply didn’t apply in the way they were intended. This is the understandable result of a tool that is designed to work for businesses of every shape and size – but can never quite cater to everyone. It’s frustrating, but it’s not a reason to lose hope.

There are five categories in the assessment, and a low score in one can be made up for in others. Remember your strengths and aim to improve elsewhere.

4. Know that certification is just the beginning

Getting the B Corp stamp of approval is an amazing achievement in itself, so it’s easy to forget how many more benefits there are to being certified. Namely, the B Lab community – a brilliantly strong, welcoming and engaged network of businesses who really care about doing things differently. It took us a little while to start making the most of being part of the community, so we’d recommend getting stuck in as soon as you can. It’s brimming with good will, support and positivity – which can make all the difference when dealing with the ever-mounting challenges businesses are facing today.

I hope this helps. The more B Corps we have in the world of business, the better our chances of creating the change needed for a fairer and healthier society. Certification is as difficult as it should be. But if you’re considering pursuing it, my best advice is to go for it – to, as B Lab would put it, ‘B the change’. 

Nicole Green is co-founder of Catch Communications. This an edited version of a longer post published on its website. Read the original post.