Soleil Marketing is a certified B Corporation

It’s been a long journey, but I’m so excited to share that Soleil Marketing is finally B Corp Certified, with 82 points.

I’m really pleased to finally be here after making a decision to apply in 2021.

I wrote about the start of the journey back in 2022 and the decision to go for it here, so I thought I’d share some questions I’ve been asked along the way below.

If you’ve got any more questions about the B Impact Assessment, or anything else about becoming a B Corp, please book an intro call with me via the contact page.

• What is B Corp Certification?

  B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials. In order to achieve certification, a company must:

  • Demonstrate high social and environmental performance by achieving a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or above and passing the risk review.

  • Make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders, and achieve benefit corporation status if available in their jurisdiction.

  • Exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance measured against B Lab’s standards to be publicly available on their B Corp profile on B Lab’s website.

• Why did you go through the process?

  In early 2021 I decided I wanted my business to be B Corp Certified, to provide proof of my purpose-driven business model. I believe that every business needs to transition to a model where sustainability sits at the heart of it - maximising positive impact on society and the environmental, while reducing negative impacts. The B Impact Assessment is one of the leading frameworks available to measure this.

• How long did it take?

  In August 2021 I started working towards being a B Corp Certified business by taking the B Impact Assessment. I started working with Andy Hawkins from Business on Purpose in early 2022, applying for certification in June 2022.

• How much did it cost?

  In 2022: around £700, plus the time involved, and in 2023: a £1000 certification fee.

• Is it worth a small business becoming a B Corp?

  I think so! It gives credibility to your commitment to running a purpose-driven business, a framework to follow, and access to a community of likeminded business owners.

  I’ll write more on this question in the coming months.

• Where do I start if I want my business to become B Corp Certified?

  Take the free B Impact Assessment at BImpactAssessment.net to see how your business measures up. However, the framework is changing soon, so it may become more challenging to certify.