Back in 2018, we certified as a B Corp making us one of Australia’s youngest agencies to do so.
We made impact a priority from the start and jumping into the B Corp BIA early meant that things like transparency and accountability were hardwired into how we built the business.
Fast forward 3 years later, and after many hours rethinking, reworking and reprioritising, we are proud to announce that Compass Studio has re-certified! We are now certified at the BIA score of 134, an improvement of 61% from our last score 3 years ago. This shows our ongoing commitment to doing business better – both internally and externally.
But this is how B Corp works, it’s not something that you just “tick off” or gain, it’s something you have to maintain. It requires a constant focus, and a total shift of all operations – in essence, it’s a commitment to measuring your business against the best business practices in the world. Tough gig, hey? But on the other hand, what an opportunity – or even a cheatsheet, some would say – to benchmarking bigger and better than you are, right?
Even as the founder, I still do our BIA process personally (this time around though, thankfully with the support of my wonderful team!) I do this because I find the whole process fascinating to lean-into and learn how we do better, think better and be better. This curiosity and willingness-to-change must come from our core and be a key priority internally, and this is something which I will always carve out the time and focus to lead. Why? Because for us, it’s not just a certification or score, the concepts that underpin B Corp and what it means to be B Corp are central to our values as a business and also fundamentally, the way we do business.
So in the essence of sharing, what does being a B Corp mean to Compass Studio?
We do what we say
We are a marketing company, it's our job to make brands look good – us included. We have the skills in-house to elevate any efforts externally, but where it counts is how we measure up internally. B Corp ensures that we are on a continuous path forward of doing things better. We put considerable effort, resources and funds towards ensuring this is a key business priority.
We are not a family business
My cofounder and I are husband and wife, yes. But are we a family business? Absolutely not. Family businesses are slightly icky, a bit weird and often unethical. B Corp is a legally-binding, audited, independent process. We measure ourselves against the best businesses in the world as a benchmark, and build our policies, procedures and ways of working from there.
We have nothing to hide
Our efforts are not perfect but perfection is the enemy of progress. We know where we excel, and more importantly, we know exactly how we can be better. Every aspect of our business is visible, measured, reported-on and re-thought – which is fairer, more transparent and ultimately, far more ethical. We share our progress in the hope that we can inspire others and clear the path for more businesses to do the same.
So here’s to our next three years ahead. To creating a more sustainable and socially conscious Compass. To improving our impact on our industry and the lives of our people. To inspiring the movement and our community. And most importantly, to having a whole lot of fun doing it.
Want to talk about what being a B Corp means to your business or need some help articulating this? Drop us a line at hello@compass-studio.com.