How 69 Small Businesses are Disrupting their Industries

How 69 Small Businesses are Disrupting their Industries

I co-founded Benefit Corporations for Good on April 1, 2018. No joke.

And it all came together quickly after my business partner and I wrote a book called “Putting Soul Into Business: How the Benefit Corporation is Changing American Business for Good.” Which is all about the benefit corporation movement and how conscientious leaders can live their values through their small businesses.

Which had a lot to do with putting some soul into me.

 During that time, we were asked by the Oregon Secretary of State’s office to create a third-party-standard for the Oregon Benefit Company.

With our certification, we help small businesses activate their values as they meet 8 standards: 1) Conscientious Leadership, 2) Values of Benefit Corporations, 3) Diversity/Equity/Inclusion, 4) Green Practices, 5) Strategic Biz Practices, 6) Customer-Driven, 7) Community Engagement and 8) Work-Life balance

 Four years later, our organization is now known not only for its certification but for on-going education, building community and being advocates with 69 certified businesses in 7 states (Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New York, Connecticut and Virginia) and 1 Canadian province.

They’re in professional services, B2C, retail, legal, financial and tatoo arts.

 All of this became a reality because of my deep desire, my passion to do good in the world. The pullout of the Paris Accord…the immigration crisis…Black Lives Matter…the birth of a grandson…all of these contributed to and supported my wanting, my needing to help bring social and environmental impact to my community. And my work in the branding world was no longer aligned with that mission.

 Most importantly, I’ve witnessed how business can be a change mechanism for good. For proof, you need look no further than Yvon Chouinard, founder of Pantagonia, and his recent decision to turning over his $3 billion company to a Trust to fight climate change.  

 And that’s what my mission, my evangelism for the Benefit Corporation is all about…connecting with small business leaders about the critical reasons for becoming a triple bottom line company…about their needed participation in building an organization that not only makes their business decisions based on the impact those decisions have on people and planet, not just profit. To have a purpose beyond “just making a profit” and how they can be change mechanisms too.

 This paradigm is spelled out in the Oregon Benefit Company statute which defines an OBC as “making a material positive impact on society and the environment, taken as a whole, from the business and operations of the company.”

 Businesses change from thinking “how much profit can I make” to “how much good can I do while still making a profit.”  Now I know it’s a big shift. But the research supports small businesses making this shift as employees and consumer are wanting more, make that demanding more, from businesses.

 These leaders are aware of the pertinent data points. Like a recent Sustainable Brands article cited a 2022 Harris Poll about employees and prospective employees where:

·         88 percent believe companies focused on Purpose will be more successful compared with those that are not.

·         86 percent say having "meaning" in their work is more important than ever before.

·         84 percent will only work at Purpose-driven companies/brands.

And a 2020 purpose study commissioned by Zeno Group that asked 8,000 consumers in 8 global markets about their thoughts on when a brand has a strong purpose:

·         Consumers were 4 times more likely to purchase from that brand

·         They were 4.5 times more likely to recommend that brand to friends and family, and

·         They were 4.1 times more likely to trust that brand

By incorporating as a benefit corporation, you as a small business owner demonstrate to your employees, customers and all of your stakeholders your commitment to doing good as you now have that commitment written into to your governing business documents such as your Articles of Incorporation or Articles of Organization.

The businesses that are now part of our growing community believe in and realize that having a purpose of doing good is also good for their businesses…their employees…their customers…their communities…and their planet.

Most importantly, they see that small business, not just Fortune 500 companies, can be a change mechanism…a disruptor.

In fact, they are bearing witness to the Gandhi quote, “be the change you wish to see in the world.”

~benefitcorporationsforgood.com~