Why Become a Benefit Corporation Now

Hope.

Hope for the environment.

Hope for social justice.

Hope for business.

And hope for the world.

You see, we believe we are at that proverbial crossroad where there is no more time. Either we stay on the road we’ve been on or we choose to travel the path less followed.

We’ve seen the writing on the wall. Global warming. Hate crimes accelerating. Corporate greed spiraling upward.

The good news is that a new generation of enlightened humans are saying 'enough is enough.' And they are making their beliefs and opinions about the environment and social justice known to businesses with the most potent tool of capitalism: their pocketbooks.

Here's what we write in the introduction of "Putting Soul Into Business: How the Benefit Corporation is Transforming American Business for Good"...

A 2015 research study by Nielsen reports nearly 66 percent of global online consumers across 60 countries said they are willing to pay more for products and services by companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact. These are convincing numbers all by themselves. But when you consider that the report also stated that the willingness to pay more is consistent across all income brackets, you have data that simply can't be ignored.

In another 2015 report, this one conducted by Cone Communications which focused on Millennials in the U.S., research found that 70% are willing to pay more for products and services of companies with corporate social responsibility programs (CSR). 70%! The study also suggests that female Millennials appear to be the most loyal supporters of those companies with a willingness to:

• Buy a product with a social and/or environmental benefit, given the opportunity (90% versus  83% adult average)
• Tell their friends and family about a company's CSR efforts (86% versus the 72% adult average); and,
• Be more loyal to a company that supports a social or environmental issue (91% versus 87% adult average)

All of which brings us back to hope and why we believe there is plenty of room for it in today's world.

It should do the same for you if you see the revelation in such data. Because we believe the Benefit Corporation is going to be a strong catalyst for growth by the companies who adopt and practice such contemporary thinking today and in the months and years ahead.

It's been said that "hope shines brightest in the darkest moments." Care to join us in leaving the darkness behind?

If you'd like to see if your business is ready to become a benefit corporation, just take our free 12-question "sniff" test and find out right now.

Lesson in Leadership: Is Business Today a Blood Sport?

Ruthless.

If you watched nothing but “Billions” and “House of Lies” on cable, you would believe the business world can only be described that way.

Win the day at any cost just makes up the DNA of these colorful casts. Do what it takes to knock the other guy out. Leave nothing for them. Conquer and divide.

But I’m here to tell you that in the real world, I see a different picture.

Let me explain…

Last weekend my business partner and I attended the Oregon Small Business Fair at Warner Pacific College as one of over 50 exhibitors. We met all kinds of entrepreneurs, from web design firms to nutritionists, Six Sigma consultants to machine works engineers, and just about everything in between.

Not only did we find these small business folks friendly to us, but we witnessed them being respectful to each other. Even when a pair working the same niche would cross paths.

In our soon-to-be-released book about the rise of Benefit Corporations, we discuss the Triple ‘P’ Bottom Line. Where business is no longer just about profit, but also focused on people and planet.

At least that’s the way enlightened leaders of such companies as Nossa Familia Coffee in Portland, Soapbox in Virginia and New Seasons Market in Oregon see it.

Doing good with people means respecting all stakeholders in a business. From employees to customers, vendors to, drum roll please, competitors.

No longer do these small progressive companies see their niche peers as “the hated enemy.”

This is all a far cry from my early days in the ad agency business when the battle cry for new accounts went along the lines of “get tough or die.” When all that mattered was winning the piece of business, period. If the ‘enemy’s blood’ needed to be spilled, so be it.

And so it went.

Today, I see a different way business is approached. Sure, it’s still competitive. Sure, we want to win that account. But I will say that at least as small business goes, we wholeheartedly respect the peers in our niche. We applaud their efforts when they earn a win and we didn’t.

And from what I witnessed on Saturday, I’m convinced we are not the only ones who view business that way. Who says competitors can’t respect and even admire each other for brilliant efforts and outstanding work?

So to all who cast a wary eye on the business world, we humbly suggest there is room for a lot of optimism. Because as B Corps, Benefit Corporations and Benefit Companies become more common, a new standard is being set for companies in the 21st century.

And it’s a standard I saw up close and personal on a small college campus last Saturday.

~hcollaborative.com~