B Corp Month – Inspiring Continuous Improvement
March 2024, by Catherine Gordon
March has been a busy month for those of us in the B Corp community, especially so for us here at MM-Eye with this being our first ‘B Corp month’ since we achieved our certification in September 2023.
B Corp month – held annually each March – is a time to celebrate and promote the benefits of being part of this inspiring community of businesses, meet other B Corps, reflect on what B Corp means to us here at MM-Eye and share ideas for how we can be a better business.
We have enjoyed attending events this month organised and hosted by other B Corps including Joelson Law, Seismic and Purposefest organised by Business on Purpose. At these events it has been encouraging to see so much enthusiasm from within the B Corp community to collaborate, share experiences and come together to learn from each other. It has been inspiring to be reminded of the diversity of sectors which B Corps operate in, from international manufacturers and professional services to community bakers and craft breweries.
One theme coming out of the events we have attended is embedding a culture of continuous improvement within a business, picking up on the theme of this year’s B Corp month, ‘This Way Forward’ and reminding us that becoming a B Corp is not so much about arriving at a destination as it is about embarking on a journey of continual change and improvement.
B Corps need to re-certify every 3 years, and this process requires a company to have improved upon the score they achieved to become certified. This focus on continual improvement is good timing for us here at MM-Eye as we roll our sleeves up after basking in the afterglow of certification last September and embark on the process of embedding continuous improvement into our day-to-day culture going forward.
Becoming 100% employee-owned in January 2023 initiated changes to our governance structure here at MM-Eye, which included setting up an employee council. Our employee council is developing an influential role in identifying and seeing through multiple improvements in how we work day to day and embedding a culture of continuous improvement within MM-Eye. Alongside our employee council, our positive change working groups are also striving to find and promote ways our team can all make a positive impact inside and outside work, covering personal well-being and development, the environment and our community.
We have a challenge ahead to improve on our B Corp score – we are incredibly proud to have achieved a score of 125 – but the enthusiasm and support of others in the B Corp community is inspiring us to keep improving. All of us here at MM-Eye would like to thank the other B Corps who organised the events we attended in celebration of B Corp month and for the inspiration they have given to us. We are always happy to talk to others about our B Corp experience – please book a slot in the form below if you would like a chat.