exceptional™’s B Corp journey: Aligning our policies, profit and purpose

In June 2024, exceptional™ was awarded B Corp status, with a B Impact Assessment score of 89. Fantastic!

But at the end of the day, that certification is an acknowledgement – a piece of paper, a plaque, a new entry in the B Corp directory. It doesn’t make us a different agency to the one we were the day before. 

The journey towards certification was transformative, however. We didn’t just implement new policies and pledges, we learned a huge amount about the B Corp process as well. 

I want to share with you the reasons why we decided to pursue B Corp certification, what we learned along the way, its impact on our business, and our ambitions for how our certification can be used to positively impact our clients, our society, and our planet. 

That might sound like a lot to get through, so I’ll hook you in with something juicy: I don’t think businesses can have morals at all. That’s what made pursuing institutional change essential from the outset. 

Why we wanted to become a B Corp

We founded exceptional™ to help businesses that have a positive impact on the world to cut through the noise and amplify the good they’re doing, whether it’s in energy, technology, biotech or any other sector. 

However, the primary goal of most businesses is to generate profit. If a business wants to have a positive impact, its mission to do so can’t be solely dependent on the personal morals of the people within the company. 

There have been pushes in recent years for businesses to take greater environmental and social responsibility, like the focus on ESG (environmental, social, and governance) as a factor considered by clients, investors and other stakeholders. People often view businesses improving their ESG practices from two perspectives. 

On one hand, there’s the cynical view that it’s just a box-ticking exercise to boost a company’s image without affecting its bottom line. On the other hand, there’s a more idealistic view that it reflects genuine efforts by people within the business to ensure their operations positively impact the world.

For a business to have a positive impact, it needs to institutionalise the values of the people in it, ensuring they are embedded in its practices and not just its intentions. It’s all well and good considering ESG – what matters is making it a priority. 

Otherwise, a business might do good incidentally, but when it comes to the crunch, profits will always trump an individual’s moral compass within a corporation – our inability to start seriously addressing the climate crisis being just one example. A different approach is necessary.

For exceptional™, the drive to become a B Corp was multifaceted. For a start, we realised that many of the B Corp requirements aligned with our existing personal values and ongoing discussions about the future of our business. 

Achieving B Corp certification would not only reinforce these values but also allow them to flourish across all aspects of our operations. It would enable us to publicly display our ethical standards, attracting clients who share our commitment to positive change.

However, the underlying reason why any business pursues B Corp certification may not matter to the broader world. What truly matters is the impact – ensuring fair wages, eradicating unethical supply chains, and protecting the planet. 

By making doing good profitable, B Corp certification helps normalise and incentivise better business practices. As long as businesses need money to exist, aligning profitability with ethical practices is the most effective way to drive meaningful change. 

This is the essence of why we wanted exceptional™ to become a B Corp – to be part of a global movement towards better business that wasn’t focused on our individual morals, but on fundamentally connecting our policies, practices and profit to positive change. 

The B Corp process

Beginning the B Corp application process is more than a little intimidating. 

The first step is completing the B Impact Assessment (BIA), a comprehensive survey evaluating our performance in five key areas: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, and Customers. 

Initially, our score was around 40, but with determination and guidance, we managed to elevate it to 89, well above the 80-point threshold required for certification. 

In the BIA, there are different paths that can lead to achieving the required points. If you lose points in one area, you can make up for them in others (although this is currently subject to reform to ensure that some businesses with terrible environmental records but greater worker benefits are less likely to become B Corps). 

Not all questions were relevant to our business model, which is focused on B2B services. Instead, we concentrated on areas where we could make meaningful improvements that would increase our score.

Formalising our values

It didn’t take long for us to realise that much progress could be made by formalising practices we already followed informally. 

For example, drafting a formal Code of Ethics and having our board sign it immediately increased our score. This process helped us realise the importance of documentation and evidence in proving our commitment to ethical practices.

Formalisation might not seem like a huge amount of progress – but it is. After all, it’s that formalisation that ensures that the environment, our workers and our communities aren’t just prioritised when the going is good. Once again, it’s about taking our individual morals and turning them into institutionalised ethics within the business going forward. 

Embracing ambition

We learned to be ambitious in our answers, committing to actions like conducting an environmental audit and sending out diversity and satisfaction questionnaires – with targets for future years. 

The B Corp assessors valued our efforts and intentions, recognising the unique challenges faced by smaller businesses. Our ability to conduct an environmental audit, for example, is not the same as a massive corporation – but that didn’t mean we couldn’t contact our landlord for information about our energy suppliers and have our team conduct personal audits at home. Demonstrating effort and a willingness to improve our impact score significantly.

Getting guidance 

Our journey was greatly supported by Business on Purpose, experts in guiding organisations through the B Corp certification process. Their policy templates and advice throughout were invaluable. If you’re considering starting the B Corp journey, I strongly recommend seeking help to streamline the process and help navigate the complexities of certification.

Now we’re certified… so what?

Achieving B Corp certification is brilliant. It helps formalise our individual values for years to come, it helps show those values to our existing and prospective clients, and it has pushed us to be more ambitious with our environmental auditing and policies for the future. 

But now that we’re certified, how do we use that certification to have a greater positive impact? Here’s what I’m looking forward to, now that exceptional™ is a B Corp. 

Connecting with other B Corps

Joining the B Corp community connects us with like-minded businesses dedicated to using business as a force for good. The network offers incredible opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and shared learning. We look forward to forming partnerships that amplify our impact and help us achieve even greater results for our clients.

Finding new clients that have a positive impact

Our B Corp status enhances our credibility, demonstrating our commitment to ethical practices and sustainability. This trust extends to our existing – and prospective – clients who can be confident that their marketing efforts align with values of social responsibility. It also helps attract purpose-driven clients looking to work with agencies that reflect their values.

We believe in the power of strategic digital marketing to amplify the positive impact of our clients’ organisations. Our B Corp certification reinforces this belief, ensuring that every campaign we run contributes to making the world a better place.

Sustainable growth

Being part of the B Corp community means a commitment to continuous improvement in social and environmental performance. This dedication not only benefits the planet but also drives long-term business success. We aim to support our clients in achieving sustainable growth, ensuring their brands remain resilient and relevant in a rapidly changing world.

Ongoing improvement

Our journey doesn’t stop here. We are committed to ongoing improvement, constantly seeking ways to enhance our practices and impact. This commitment ensures that we continue to provide the best possible service to our clients while making a meaningful difference in the world. 

Fortunately, B Corp requires recertification every three years. Extra work for us? Maybe – but that’s what will ensure that we’re always meeting and aspiring to exceed new and improved standards.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about our B Corp journey, feel free to reach out to me at g.mileham@exceptional.marketing