Let’s set the record straight.

We absolutely love the Millennial and Gen Z generations.

In our minds, their passion, their belief in doing what’s right and their commitment to a better planet and community is without question.

Yet something troubles us when we chat with them either one-on-one over coffee or in one of our “why” workshops.

Ultimately someone always seems to ask: If the Triple Bottom Line is so good for people, planet and profit, why isn’t every business a benefit corporation?

And damned if we can’t answer that.

In fact, we’ve asked ourselves the same question every day for the past 15 months since we launched.

You’ve got mega business people like Larry Fink of BlackRock and the largest investment firm in the world saying they won’t do business with a business lacking a raison d’etre besides “making a profit.”

You find persuasive data about consumer buying habits that suggest a person will “pay more for a product with a positive social impact on society” than a comparable product without one.

And you see hard-to-ignore numbers about the best-and-the-brightest employees choosing to work only for employers providing meaningful, purposeful work.

Those compelling reasons alone would seem to present an irrefutable case for becoming a business that is in business for the greater good. And while today they are many good companies living and breathing the Triple Bottom Line way of doing business, the vast majority are not.

Which begs these questions:

Is capitalism the way it is too entrenched in our business world?

Are business leaders and managers too fearful of going out of business to make a change for the better?

Does staying the status quo suggest the majority in business sees no challenges in the environment, the community, the world?

Hmmm…

Perplexing, don’t you think?

We’d love to hear from you so we can do a better job of answering that "why" question. Let us know your thoughts.

—>Learn more about the 6 simple steps to becoming a certified Oregon Benefit Company or benefit corporation.

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