Using business as a force for good? Interested in exploring B Corp Certification? Learn about B Corps in North Carolina - why they exist and how they are leading a movement to redefine success in business. This presentation was given by B Lab's Andy Fyfe, Bull City Burger & Brewery's Seth Gross, and R+M's Greg Norton on March 31st, 2016. Why North Carolina? North Carolina has become a hub of social innovation with a growing community of leaders certifying as B Corporations. If you're considering certifying your business as a B Corporation, now is the time!

1. Andy Fyfe, B Lab
Hosted by:
Jessica Friesen, B Lab
Featuring:
Seth Gross Greg Norton
Bull City Burger & Brewery R+M Agency
North Carolina!
The Case for
B Corp Certification

2. 1. Overview of B Lab & Vision
2. Certified B Corporation
– Spotlight:
3. Why certify as a B Corporation
4. How to Get Started
Agenda

3. B Lab is serving a global movement of
People Using Business as a Force for Good
So that one day all companies compete to be
Best for the World
And society enjoys a
shared and durable prosperity.

4. Evolution of Business

5. • A certification conferred by the non-
profit 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 Corp vs. Benefit Corporation

6. People are Demanding Better

7. 7

8. 33

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You can find this Durham City Print and other great art from designer Karen Young, for sale in her shop on fellow B Corp Etsy.com
October 18 - 21, 2016

15. Poll:
How interested are you in B Corp Certification?
• I’m doing it
• Interested, but something is standing in the way
• I’m curious, but need to be convinced
• Not interested
• N/A

16. B Corporations
The B Corporation certification
is to business what
Fair Trade is to coffee or
USDA Organic is to milk.

17. 1. Social & Environmental
Performance
2. Transparency 3. Accountability
Companies using business as a force for good.
They meet verified higher levels of:
“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.”
What is a B Corporation?

18. B Corp Community = Good Company to Keep

19. • Durham, North Carolina
Restaurant
✓ Highest paid worker is paid 1-5x
that of the lowest
✓ >40% of management from
underrepresented populations.
✓ >60% of goods sold come from
independent suppliers <200 miles
away.
✓ Company’s buildings are built to
green standards.
B Corp Community = Good Company to Keep

20. 20

21. • Cary, North Carolina
Brand Management & Marketing
✓ Work with clients who positively
impact the way we live through
health, well-being, and social
responsibility.
B Corp Community = Good Company to Keep

22. 22
Packing lunches
with Raleigh
Rescue Mission
#GivingGoodness

24. Storytelling and Retail Success

25. B2B & Consumer Awareness

26. Collaboration

27. “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
Lead a Movement

28. The Case for Certification

29. 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
Learn more here: http://www.bcorporation.net/become-a-b-corp/why-become-a-b-corp
Why Certify?

30. Why are you interested in becoming a B Corp?
• Maintain Mission
• Differentiate from Pretenders
• Benchmark and Improve Performance
• Attract and Engage Talent
• Other
Poll:

31. 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 through
new management, succession, or ownership
Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia
First to register as a benefit corporation in CA
January, 2011
“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
1. Maintain Mission

32. 2. Differentiate from Pretenders

33. Jennifer McKaig
“The biggest surprise to me was realizing that our employees deeply
cared about the things the B Impact Assessment measured.”
3. Benchmark & Improve Performance

34. 3. R+M and Bull City Burger & Brewery

35. • B Corp certification provides a platform to engage current staff and give
employees more meaning in their work
4. Attract & Engage Talent

36. 5. Collaborate with Peers: The Hive

37. Access to a suite of partnerships and discounts
• NetSuite – ERP software discount
• Salesforce – Software discount
• TrustLaw – Legal advice
• Intuit – Software discount
• B Corp Jobs Board – Free postings
Tuition Discounts / Forgiveness
• Yale School of Management
• NYU Stern School of Business
• Presidio Graduate School
• Golden Gate University
6. Save Money & Access Services

38. 7. Generate Press: Examples

39. 8. Raise Capital

40. The Path to Certification

41. • 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*
Who Can Certify?

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

43. Governance
• Transparency
• Ownership
Workers
• Job Growth
• Compensation & Benefits
• Employment Practices
• Work Environment
• Employee Ownership
Community
• Suppliers
• Local
• Diversity
• Charity /
Volunteerism
Environment
• Energy Use
• Facilities
• Supply Chain
• Manufacturing
+ Impact Business
Models
• Direct Impact Products
/Services
• Targeting Underserved
Communities
• High Impact Supply
Chain
Step 1: Meet Performance Requirement

44. 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
Step 2: Meet Legal Requirement

45. Legal RequirementsTerm Sheet & Certification
Fees
❑ 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
Step 3: Term Sheet & Fee

46. What’s your next step for moving forward?
• Start or complete the B Impact Assessment
• Improve my score to be over 80
• Preserve my mission
• Complete documentation
• Other
Poll:

47. Explore the Handbook

48. ▪ 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_directors4.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
Resources
Jessica Friesen
B Lab: Community Team
jessica@bcorporation.net

49. 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.