From next Tuesday, Junxion will be running specialist B Corp certification workshops here at the Hub (with the opportunity to catch up on the first workshop at the later date of Friday the 9th of June).
We as an organisation are dedicated to becoming a BCorp and will also be attending each session. Here’s why:
“We were looking for something that’s a clear message to potential investors and other stakeholders that we are a bonafide good business. We believe that becoming a certified BCorp does exactly that. To gain the certification you need to get a lot of things right for a lot of different stakeholders. Plus, the comprehensive nature of completing the BCorp certification has the additional benefit of serving as an extra prompt to do the things we know need doing, but haven’t yet.” – Richard Evans – Chairman of Impact Hub King’s Cross
Here’s what Adam has to say about B Corp’s and the course:
Adam Garfunkel, Founder of Junxion
There is lots to recommend becoming a Certified B Corp.
It’s three things in one: a certification scheme, a movement and a management tool.
First of all, it’s a great way to express your commitment to using business as a force for good in the world: a badge of trust.
It is also the only certification scheme out there that looks at all the key social and environmental impacts of a business: governance, workers, community, environment and customers.
It is also wonderful to be part of a growing movement across the world – from South America to Australia, from Canada to Europe. There are now more than 2,100 certified B Corps and we learn from each other, buy from each other and create new business opportunities with each other. We love being a B Corp!
And the 180-200 questions you get asked in the B Impact Assessment (BIA) are a great management tool. As Fortune magazine said in 2015: “Smart leaders should turn B Corp guidelines into a checklist to drive their business in 2016 and beyond.”
So what are the three greatest challenges to becoming a B Corp?
Despite all these benefits, we know from our research that companies face three key challenges in getting through the assessment:
1: Scope: there’s a lot of questions to answer and some are tricky so it’s demanding to go through
2: Time: finding the time to keep at it and get through it all alongside the day job is tough
3: Cost: many small businesses cannot afford the 1:1 support of specialists (like us!) to get to grips with it all.
That’s why we have constructed our special five-workshop series.
Meeting the first challenge: scope
The Challenge: Some questions are straightforward. Others are not. You may well be faced with questions such as:
‘What percentage of Scopes 1 and 2 GHG emissions has been saved due to efficiency improvements implemented by your company?’
Our solution: we look at each of the pillars in its own, dedicated 3-hour workshop. You have us on hand to explain, clarify and help you answer the questions. And by working in a group, you get to share suggestions and learning with each other.
Meeting the second challenge: time
The Challenge: We know how it is. You have the best intentions to tackle the important but you somehow wind up only doing the urgent. You promise yourself you’ll make time to go through the B Impact Assessment but somehow you never seem to get round to it.
Our Solution: That’s why we have deliberately structured a workshop every two weeks for two months. It provides some discipline and rigour so you WILL get through to the end of the BIA. And we’ve made it efficient too. You’re committing only around 5% of your time for a couple of months. But it’s an efficient use of your time because you don’t have to wonder what something means when you look at the question, you just ask us!
Meeting the third challenge: cost
The Challenge: One solution to not having enough time is to throw money at a problem. But you also might not have the budget to buy in our time to help you on a 1:1 basis.
Our Solution: By creating a cohort of aspiring B Corps we can keep our costs way down and essentially offer you a huge discount.
And we are not only talking about five workshops. You get a briefing in advance of each workshop to help you prepare and you get an hour of phone support after each workshop to help you however you need it. Research and writing up a new policy to fill a gap, wondering what data is needed for a particular question. Whatever it is, we support you between the workshops too.
Plus, to help any latecomers catch up with the course that started on 30 May, we are running a repeat of workshop one on Friday 9 June. From 2-5 at the wonderful Impact Hub Kings Cross so you can get caught up before workshop 2. And anyone who signs up by Thursday 8th of June can get this for a special discounted price. Just ask me [email protected] for your ‘latebird special’, if you will. Click here for more information and to sign up.
See you there!
