Q: What is a Social Impact Business?
A: A business that seeks to facilitate (or promote) social change through its operations
Q: Are Social Impact Businesses Bad?
A: No. Social impact businesses are an important part of our community. They provide people the opportunity to support some important causes.
Q: What is a B4BS business?
A: A B4BS business is a business that exists for the sole purpose of providing goods or services to all customers; and it does not participate in open promotion of any specific social impact cause or event.
Q: What’s the point of supporting a social impact cause if our business doesn’t get recognition?
A: This question reveals the true intent of the businesses. If a financial contribution is presented in public, or in private, the value of the money does not change. In some cases, the open support from the business is intended to influence or broaden their customer base. In other cases, businesses are not as concerned with the cause, as they are concerned with gaining business by APEARING to support the cause.
Q: What’s wrong with a company showing support for a social impact “movement”?
A: When a company throws support behind the “movement d’jour” they actually risk seeding division with employees and customers alike. Unless they have by in from every employee, they are indirectly forcing that social support on their employees regardless of their personal perspective. They also risk ostracizing customers that may not support that particular cause. This forces the customer to choose between indirectly supporting a cause they disagree with, or choosing to stand behind their personal convictions and not to patron that organization (boycott). Social impact movements aren’t right or wrong, but we believe that no business should feel compelled to participate when they just want to be in Business for Business Sake.
Q: Does the B4BS acronym have an alternative meaning?
A: Depending on your age…you might remember a time when special interest groups didn’t hold businesses hostage for not supporting their cause. We affectionately refer to that time period as being B4BS. If you change the words…that’s on you ;o)
Q: How do we benefit from joining B4BS?
A: Stickers!