The unexpected upsides to being a B Corp-certified business

This year, we became a B Corp. Float.com is now part of a growing movement of nearly 9,000 organisations worldwide, including Aesop, Who Gives a Crap, and Keep Cup, committed to practices and policies that benefit our team’s wellbeing, the community, and the environment. And I learned, as a CEO and co-founder, that B Corp is not only about being a force for good, it is also just good for business. Here are three unexpected things about how a B Corp can improve your business:

A powerful purpose is a shared purpose

I’ve often struggled to answer the question, what is our organisation’s purpose? Why do we exist beyond making a profit? To answer that question, organisations turn to crafting a ‘mission statement’. Our mission is to help growing professional organisations plan better.

Having spent a good part of my career working at advertising agencies that lacked good planning, I have experienced firsthand, the chaos, late nights, and long hours that ensue. I believe in our mission. I also believe there’s something noble in helping other organisations, so they can live better lives. But I’m also not naive to believe that every Float team member shares my belief in our mission. Most have never lived the same challenges our customers face due to poor planning. Thankfully, most can’t empathise with those late nights jammed into a ‘war room’ for another all-nighter with the funky smell of takeaway dinners.

Mission statements help focus your organisation’s attention on a customer purpose, but that’s not always a shared internal purpose. Being a B Corp is a unifying purpose every single person at Float supports, a powerful purpose for why we exist.

High performers value great leadership

Great leadership is defined by what you do, not what you say. Investing in becoming a B Corp shows, not tells, your organisation that their wellbeing is important. In our journey to becoming a B Corp, a year in the making, we invested countless hours of our fabulous operations team’s time, responded to dozens of audits, and even updated our founding operational agreement to meet the necessary requirements. Being a B Corp is not just about meeting a benchmark and checking a box, it’s a commitment to remain accountable to uphold and improve our standards over time. High performers recognise this and what it represents.

In April, we completed an org-wide engagement survey to assess how we’re doing. I was proud to see us score an 81% in engagement, and an NPS of 67, with no detractors. One of the leading themes behind the positive scores was ‘transparency and leadership’. Our high-performers expect leadership to lead by example. They seek clarity behind our decision-making, a why behind every what. Our investment in B Corp was symbolic of that. In that same survey, 97% of team members agreed they see themselves working at Float in two years. In essence, by demonstrating transparency and leadership, you improve the engagement of your team. And by reducing attrition, you stand a better chance of building a better business.

The B Corp badge is a shortcut for seeking values-aligned candidates

For years, we’ve invested in material that helps potential candidates understand if Float is the right fit for their next career move. We publicly share our employee handbook, communicate our values and regularly publish our points of view in our Best Work Life blog. We encourage future candidates to read all of this before opting for an interview with us. We take immense care and pride in the work that goes into making all of this information available. However, today, when I interview candidates and ask them why they chose Float, one of the top answers I receive is “Because you’re a B Corp!”. The B Corp logo on your website is shorthand for what you believe in and a journey they can be a part of.

One of our values is “Seek continuous improvement,” and by committing to being a B Corp, we’re committed to doing just that. Every three years, we are measured against the B Corp framework to demonstrate improvement, a signal to candidates that we walk the walk and uphold our values in our business practices. Think of the B Corp logo as a ‘Bat-Signal’ that helps attract your next values-aligned high performers.

Bonus learning: B Corps choose to work with other B Corps

Not only do we serve customers, but we’re also a customer for the more than 70 vendors we rely on to run Float. Today, when selecting a new vendor, whether it be an accounting service, video edit, or swag production for an upcoming meetup, we prioritise B Corp vendors. As a B Corp, you’ve made the shortlist of every other B Corp seeking your services. By being a B Corp, you give yourselves a competitive advantage over your non-B Corp counterparts.

Becoming a B Corp has been a transformative milestone that strengthens our commitment to being a force for good and a more sustainable business. In an industry marked by inflated valuations, and growth at any cost (cue layoffs), B Corp certification solidifies our position as a for-profit, for-purpose company. Thirteen years on, we continue to be proudly independent, customer-funded, and profitable, with over 50 team members across 20 countries. If you aspire to lead a values-driven business and align with the B Corp ethos, I highly recommend starting this journey.

Glenn Rogers is the CEO and co-founder of Float.

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