1. TruckeeChamber.com TTCTV.org
NewLeaders.com TheLiftCoworking.com
HollandHart.com
UsePayIt.com
Sponsors
Community Partners
TahoeDonner.com/
pizza-on-the-hill
TruckeeRound
House.org

2. What is a B Corp?
(And why should you care?)

3. Agenda 1 Overview of B Lab
2 About Certified B Corporations
3 Why Certify as a B Corporation
4 How to Get Started

4. B Lab serves a global movement of
people using business as a force for good.

5. B Lab’s vision is that one day all companies will compete to
be best for the world, and as a result society will enjoy a
more shared and durable prosperity.

6. The Evolution of Business
20th Century 21st Century
Shareholder Corporation Stakeholder Corporation
Maximizes
Shareholder Value
Creates Social Value and
Shareholder Value
was about is about
Today there are:
60 Million
Conscious Consumers
$2.7 Trillion in Socially
Responsible Investments
100,000 Social Entrepreneurs &
Responsible Businesses

7. People are Demanding Better
Last 20 Years
Good Products
“
21st Century
Good Companies
90% of Americans say that companies must not
only say a product or service is beneficial, but they
need to prove it.”
– Cone Communications
73% of consumers care about the company, not just
the product when making a purchasing decision.”“ – BBMG

8. B Corporation certification is to
business what Fair Trade is to coffee
or USDA Organic is to milk.

9. vs.• A certification conferred by the nonprofit B Lab
• A company that meets a high level of social and
environmental performance AND makes a legal
commitment to consider all stakeholders
• Any for-profit company in any country can pursue
certification (LLC’s included)
• A corporate form (taxed like a C-corp or an S-corp)
that has a higher level of transparency,
accountability and purpose
• A legal entity that has protection and permission to
consider its impact on all stakeholders, not just
shareholders
• Available in 31 states in the U.S.
Certified
B Corporation
Benefit
Corporation

10. Certified B Corporations are leaders
of a global movement of people using
business as a force for good.
They meet verified higher levels of
1. Social and environmental performance
2. Transparency
3. Accountability

11. Holistic assessment of stakeholder impacts
Governance
WorkersCommunity
Environment
Customers

12. 2000+
CERTIFIED B CORPS
40+
COUNTRIES
140+
INDUSTRIES
1
UNIFYING GOAL
The B Corp
community is good
company to keep.

13. “The B Corp movement is one of the most
important of our lifetime, built on the simple
fact that business impacts and serves more
than just shareholders – it has an equal
responsibility to the community and to the
planet. Patagonia has been a 40-year
experiment in what it means to be a
responsible company, and becoming a B Corp
has ensured that our experiment will keep
pushing forward.”
Rose Marcario, Patagonia CEO

16. Why Certify &
How to Get Started

17. Why Certify?
B Corp Certification helps companies:
1. Maintain Mission
2. Differentiate from Pretenders
3. Benchmark and Improve Performance
4. Attract and Engage Talent
5. Collaborate with Peers
6. Save Money and Access Services
7. Generate press
8. Raise Capital

18. Maintain Mission1
Adopting the B Corp legal standards:
1. Bakes the values of the company into
its legal DNA
2. Gives protection and permission to
consider non-financial stakeholders
(community, employees, suppliers,
environment)
3. Ensures that mission can survive
through new management, succession,
or ownership
“Benefit corporation legislation creates
the legal framework to enable
mission-driven companies like
Patagonia to stay mission-driven
through succession, capital raises, and
even changes in ownership, by
institutionalizing the values, culture,
processes, and high standards put in
place by founding entrepreneurs.”
Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia
First to register as a benefit corporation
in California on January, 2011

19. Differentiate from Pretenders2

20. Benchmark & Improve Performance3
“The biggest surprise
to me was realizing
that our employees
deeply cared about
the things the B
Impact Assessment
measured.”
Jennifer McKaig, Etsy

21. Attract & Engage Talent4
B Corp certification provides a platform to
engage current staff and give employees
more meaning in their work.
B Work:
In partnership with Fitzii, a hiring platform
to help B Corps win the war on talent.
Free
B Corp Leadership Development (BLD):
1 day conference for B Corps, by B Corps for
thought leadership development for
employees of all levels of the company.
SF, NYC, Boulder, BC, Australia, New England.

22. Collaborate with Peers5

23. Save Money & Access Services6
A suite of partnerships and discounts Tuition Discounts / Forgiveness
ERP Software Discount Software Discount
Legal Advice Software Discount
Hiring platform &
Free Job Postings

24. Generate Press
“‘B Like a B Corp is one of 5 Business
Trends to Master in 2016”
7
In my work, I often wonder to
what extent business can help
society in its goals to alleviate
poverty, preserve ecosystems,
and build strong communities
and institutions…
B Lab has proven that there is a
way – the B Corp movement
shows us that business, the
driving force of our economy,
can be an agent of change and
live up to society’s standards.”
- Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
“B Corp is one of 20 Moments That
Mattered Over the Last 20 Years”
“Benefit Corps are one of “5
Noteworthy Happenings in 2015”
“

25. Raise Capital7
Find Companies & Funds
Gain Visibility With
Leading Impact Investors
GIIRS rated companies and funds are
highlighted in the search features of B
Analytics as being best in class in terms of
measurement practices.
Getting listed on B Analytics exposes a
company to 100+ impact-focused investors
who have a stated preference for GIIRS Rated
Companies.

26. Who Can Certify?
• For-Profit Companies of Any Size
• Any Industry / Geography
• Customized assessment based on industry, size, geography
• Any Legal Structure (sole proprietors, LLC’s, Corporations, etc.)*
• Companies over 1 year old – special Pending B Corp program for start-ups*

27. How does a company certify?
Meet Performance Requirement
Complete the B Impact Assessment and earn a reviewed minimum score of 80 out of 200
points
Meet Legal Requirement
Determine the path for your corporate structure and state of incorporation
Make it Official
Sign the Declaration of Interdependence, pay certification fees and and
put a profile up on bcorporation.net
1
2
3
To learn more, visit: www.bcorporation.net/become-a-b-corp/how-to-become-a-b-corp

28. Meet the performance requirement
Governance
WorkersCommunity
Environment
Customers

29. Meet the legal requirement
Adopting the B Corp legal standards:
• Bakes the values of the company into its legal DNA
• Gives protection and permission to consider
non-financial stakeholders (community,
employees, suppliers, environment)
• Ensures that mission can survive over time

30. Make it official
❑ Sign B Lab Term Sheet
▪ Certification term is 2-years
▪ Participate in on-site review if randomly
selected (10% of Certified B Corps
randomly selected each year)
❑ Sign the Declaration of Interdependence,
❑ Pay certification fees
▪ Annual certification fees based on the
tiered structure
❑ Put a profile up on bcorporation.net

31. Thank you!
Start the B Impact Assessment

32. Redefine success in business.
Help create the new economy. Build a
better business.
Compete to be not only the best in the
world, but the best for the world.
Join Us

33. Resources
View webinars at www.bcorporation.net/videos/webinars
● Increasing your Impact, Improving your Score
● Maintaining Mission: Meeting the Legal Requirement for B Corp Certification
● How: Steps to B Corp Certification with B Corp Cultivation Center
● B Impact Assessment: http://bimpactassessment.net/
● How to Certify as a B Corp: http://www.bcorporation.net/become-a-b-corp/how-to-become-a-b-corp
● Legal Requirements:
http://www.bcorporation.net/become-a-b-corp/why-become-a-b-corp/protect-your-mission
● FAQ for Investors & Directors:
http://www.bcorporation.net/sites/all/themes/adaptivetheme/bcorp/pdfs/faqs_investors_and_director
s4.pdf
● Pending B Corp Status for Start Ups:
http://www.bcorporation.net/become-a-b-corp/how-to-become-a-b-corp/steps-start-ups
● Case Studies: http://bimpactassessment.net/case-studies
● B Corp Press: http://www.bcorporation.net/news-media