Discovering the B Corp movement
I first became aware of the B corp movement in 2017, when I was working as a part time account manager for a business gifting company. I had returned to part time employment after spending many years at home with our young family and I was juggling my own photography business alongside working part time to support our family financially.
I had called an ex employer to ask if they were recruiting to discover that they were looking for someone to take a new product to market within the business gifting world. That product was Memobottle. Memobottle was a B Corp – a business dedicated to creating positive impact for people and planet – a slimline reusable water bottle looking to transform the water bottle market with the #onebottlemovement .
I couldn’t wait to get started.
Working with a B certified corporation
Working with the memobottle team, understanding the purpose of the brand and identifying opportunities for memobottle to create positive impact within the corporate business world was inspiring. It was great to be working with a product that was creating positive societal change. Businesses wanted to partner with memobottle to inspire their employees and empower their audience to join the reusable community, reduce single use plastic and embrace the refill movement.
This was my first experience of working with a B Corp and I was proud to champion Memobottle.
Realignment, inspiration and purpose.
Fast forward two years and I became disillusioned with my part time role. Working with a B Corp product had opened up my eyes to the world of sustainability. (I had always been a natural nature lover but this was my first experience of witnessing a different way of doing business). I felt inspired!
I was working with global businesses in the corporate world that cared about their impact, asked questions about the business gifting industry and wanted a product that was creating a positive change for people and planet. There were few out there though. Memobottle was in the minority as a business gift creating positive impact.
As I felt the pressure to sell other business gifts to the corporate clients I realised that my personal values were being crossed. I didn’t want to work in an industry that created potential waste that would ultimately end up in landfill. I wanted to work for a business that was doing good for people and planet. As I sat there staring at my laptop, I recall asking myself, “but what can I do”?
It was time for change. It was time to realign my priorities, step into my own beliefs and live my passion and purpose.
Creating a business that champions people and planet.
From that moment, I knew I had no choice. I had to follow my heart, live aligned to my values and create a business that represented the societal change that I wanted for my children, grandchildren, people and planet.
A business that would bring my innate strengths together – my passion for our natural world, my creativity and love of natural photography and my passion for health and wellbeing. This devotion to a business that encompasses all of this led to my dedication to champion other sustainability professionals, ethical businesses and work towards achieving B corp certification.
Committing to the B Corp movement.
In August 2020, I embraced my photography business full time and made the commitment to fully embrace my passion for sustainability and commit to becoming a B certified corporation.
It is important to know that in the work that I do, I am positively impacting others and inspiring people to reconnect with our natural world. Through connecting with nature every single day, we can inspire a societal change to put nature at the core of our life and business. When we value nature, we care, nurture and restore our planet which ultimately has a positive benefit on the health and wellbeing of people and planet.
Through working with other sustainability professionals and businesses we can reframe the business imagery that is shared to showcase true, honest stories of people reconnecting with nature, living sustainably and valuing our world. We can positively impact the marketing industry and empower sustainable lifestyle choices.
The work that I do with families and communities is equally as important.
As a mum to four young boys, I have witnessed the power of being immersed in nature for my personal wellbeing and the wellbeing of our children. It it vital that we all reconnect to our natural selves and the natural world for our mental health. There has been a huge disconnect with nature on a global scale but I am here to champion the power of spending time in nature for children, adults and our planet.
The ultimate aim is to inspire as many people as possible to reconnect with nature, care for our world and celebrate their true natural selves.
The B Impact Assessment
In January 2021, I began working on the B Impact Assessment and towards B corp certification. The BIA is a free tool for all businesses to use to measure their impact and look into their business to fully understand the full impact of their business. It was a very detailed and eye opening experience and will continue to be a learning objective to ensure that the business – Rewild the Frame is positively impacting all stakeholders at all levels.
Initially, it was a little daunting, embarking on the process as a sole entrepreneur. However, I knew it was the right decision for me and the business and I also had the wonderful support from Nancy, founder of True Horizon. Nancy helped to guide me through the process. If you are ready to take on the challenge and embark on the B Corp journey, then get in touch with Nancy. She will help you get there.
A personal journey or a necessity in business?
The Journey to becoming a B certified business was for me a personal one. Lead from my innate connection with nature, a passion for creating a healthier world and feeling inspired along the way by other businesses within the B Corp movement. It was an important step to ensure that as a business owner I am doing all I can to create a positive impact.
Five years ago, I had not even heard of the B Corp movement, now I look to work, support and champion other B Corp businesses. In the UK, there are currently only 600 B certified corporations and this number continues to grow and grow.
People want to work with, support and buy from B corp businesses for the reassurance that they can trust the business and champion the purpose that they stand for.
This is a movement that is set to change the world. This is a new and better way of doing business – championing people and planet.
Want to find out more?
If you’re interested to hear more or have any questions, please get in touch.
If you’re looking to work with a B certified photographer dedicated to nurturing people and planet I would love to hear from you.
