TruckeeChamber.com TTCTV.org

NewLeaders.com TheLiftCoworking.com

HollandHart.com

UsePayIt.com

Sponsors

Community Partners

TahoeDonner.com/pizza-on-the-hill

TruckeeRoundHouse.org

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

Agenda1 Overview of B Lab

2 About Certified B Corporations

3 Why Certify as a B Corporation

4 How to Get Started

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

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.

The Evolution of Business20th Century 21st Century

Shareholder Corporation Stakeholder Corporation

Maximizes Shareholder Value

Creates Social Value andShareholder 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

People are Demanding BetterLast 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

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

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

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

Holistic assessment of stakeholder impacts

Governance

WorkersCommunity

Environment

Customers

2000+CERTIFIED B CORPS

40+COUNTRIES

140+INDUSTRIES

1UNIFYING GOAL

The B Corp community is good company to keep.

“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

Why Certify & How to Get Started

Why Certify?

B Corp Certification helps companies:

1. Maintain Mission2. Differentiate from Pretenders3. Benchmark and Improve Performance4. Attract and Engage Talent5. Collaborate with Peers6. Save Money and Access Services7. Generate press8. Raise Capital

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

Differentiate from Pretenders2

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

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.

Collaborate with Peers5

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

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”

“

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.

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*

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 RequirementDetermine the path for your corporate structure and state of incorporation

Make it OfficialSign the Declaration of Interdependence, pay certification fees and andput 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

Meet the performance requirement

Governance

WorkersCommunity

Environment

Customers

Meet the legal requirementAdopting 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

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

Thank you!Start the B Impact Assessment

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

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_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