All this month, we’ll be sharing stories related to B Corp’s “Vote Every Day” campaign. The final installment is from Partner & COO, Neill Yelverton.
Our dedicated team has written this month about the ways in which we all vote everyday with our dollars and I couldn’t agree more! At Earth Equity Advisors, we have long been advocates for being conscious consumers and informed investors and we fully believe that where we put our money (and our time) influences the world around us. But there is more to it than just being a B Corps…
As I reflect back several years when we started down the path to become a B Corp, it seemed very logical. We knew that we were a company formed on values. We knew we were a company that wanted to do what was right for our clients and for our team. And based on that, we thought it made sense to formally join the cadre of companies that benefited more than just a few.
Make no mistake, it takes work. It takes work to find and hire like minded team members. It takes work to coordinate living wages & benefits. It takes work (and sometimes costs more) to work with other B Corps and local businesses. But, it’s work to do all of these things whether you lead with your values or not
“In the end operating our company by our values means that our team and our partnerships are built on a foundation of shared values and we have a connection and an intrinsic value that it is difficult to create on its own.”
What we didn’t know from the beginning was all the good that would come from declaring and sharing our values as a B Corp. Showing the world that we operate by our values created a gravitational field that attracted what we wanted to attract. It helped us attract great employees – when you share your values with your team it creates a connection beyond monetary reward alone. It helped us attract great partners – when we work with partners, we find that putting our values on the table encourages them to share their values, and that creates a stronger bond and often leads to further collaborations.
In the end operating our company by our values means that our team and our partnerships are built on a foundation of shared values and we have a connection and an intrinsic value that it is difficult to create on its own.
So, if you are a business owner, we encourage and invite you to join us on this journey of growing a movement and showing the world where your heart is. And if you aren’t a business owner… well you can do it too. Tell the world that you are a passionate conscious consumer. Show the world that the actions of a company are as important as their products or services are.
To summarize: Step 1. Be a Conscious Consumer (or Business Leader). Step 2. Tell the World. Step 3. Watch magical things happen.
