This week I had the privilege of attending the B Corp Leadership Development Conference (“BLD”) at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, CA. The conference was put on by the team at B Labs with the intent of sharing best practices, key performance indicators, and other developments that are occurring within the community.
B Corps are certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Today there are over 1,000 certified B Corps (75 in SF alone, including Bend Law Group), all who strive to redefine what it means to be a successful business.
For those who were unable to attend, here are my thoughts and takeaways from the B Corp Leadership Development Conference:
The “Why” of Your Work
People care a lot more about why you do something, as opposed to simply what you do. This is the heart of good marketing. Informing your audience why you act a certain way helps humanize the business process and creates potential lasting connections with clients.
We were challenged to answer “why do you exist as a business”? Here’s my response for BLG: To bridge the gap between entrepreneurship and legal services. Too often we look to our service providers as exterior help that perform a specialized task separate from the core factors that make a business successful. We exist to show a different path as a firm that pivots and innovates as much as its clientele. We exist to move the needle in legal services in such a way that it’s easier for our clients to feel a part of the process and not experience a break in the business strategy that got them to where they are.
B Corp Certification
We heard an inspiring story from Fireclay Tile around their journey to become a B Corp. It reminded all of us how rigorous and rewarding it can be to pass the assessment. Ryan Honeyman, the author of the The B Corp Handbook, shared a list of helpful tips including which areas of the B Corp assessment test were the most impactful. For anyone considering the certification I highly recommend his consulting services.
Blending Purpose and Profit
After an inspiring talk from Plum, and One World Play Project, I was reminded that if your number one focus is your purpose, you’re probably best suited to be a non-profit. Similarly, if your number one goal is profit, a traditional business structure such as an LLC or corporation is a great fit. However, for those looking to blend purpose with profit, a benefit corporation is a great vehicle.
Financial Benefits
This conference reiterated the financial value that comes from being part of the community. I’ve been able to save 10% on tuition for the LLM I’m seeking in tax at Golden Gate University School of Law (close to $1,000 since we joined a year ago). Other great vendors such as A to Z wines provide awesome discounts on their products. I could write a short novella on the other vendors involved, but it was a helpful reminder that there are perks that have made our wallet a little fuller over the past year.
Work/Life Balance
Every business is a family business. The work we do bleeds into our personal lives and impacts how healthy our relationships are at home. Finding an environment that supports your personal values can pay huge dividends for enhancing your work life balance.
Obtaining the B Corp certification isn’t right for everyone, but for those interested in rethinking the ways we use business to impact our community and workplace, a B Corp just may be the perfect fit.
#BtheChange
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