LIFT Economy

Overview

People often ask "how do I become a B Corp consultant?" Ryan Honeyman (Partner at LIFT Economy and author of The B Corp Handbook) and Matt Mayer (Sustainability Sherpa at Conscious Brands) created this online course to provide a succinct, step-by-step overview of the tools, resources, and best practices we have learned about B Corp consulting.

Benefits

The benefits of participating in the self-study course include, but are not limited to:

• World-Class Expertise: Learn from two of the world’s top experts on B Corporations
• Evergreen Content: Participants will retain access to the content in case you want to watch a session again
• Ongoing Access: After the course is finished, participants will have the option of joining a larger community of practice for B Corp consultants (i.e., folks who have completed earlier courses).

After participating in our courses, participants will be able to:

• Inspire prospects by communicating the value of joining a global movement to redefine success in business
• Confidently respond to both high-level and detailed questions about the B Impact Assessment
• Pitch, propose, and deliver a B Corp consulting contract
• Build their thought leadership by publishing and speaking about B Corps
• Network and engage with the existing B Corp community
• Use the B Impact Assessment as a lens to identify other client needs (e.g., helping motivate and engage employees, helping clients create their mission, vision, and core values

Press

Julie Fahnestock, Founder at B Storytelling and graduate of this course, wrote the following articles about her experiences as a participant in the Secrets of B Corp Consulting:

• JustMeans: "The Secret's Out: B Corp Consulting is the Coolest Gig"
• TriplePundit: "5 Tips to Becoming a B Corp Consultant"
• JustMeans: "The Business Case for B Corps: The Secret's Out, Part 2"

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long will it take me to complete this course? How many hours will it take?

The Secrets of B Corp Consulting is self-directed, so you can go as quickly or as slowly as you need. We have found that it should take around 10-20 hours to complete the course. The difference in times is based on whether you decide to complete the recommended reading and activities.

Q: Is this course “accredited”? 

Currently, there is no official and/or accredited course that can teach you how to become B Corp consultants. We have been in conversations with B Lab (the non-profit behind the B Corp movement) for roughly 10 years about the possibility of creating an accredited course for B Corp consultants. The difficulty has always been dedicating the time and energy that would be needed to create a new accreditation scheme for consultants. B Lab is already struggling to meet the demand for new companies wanting to become B Corps. 

As a proxy, we recommend that any B Corp consultant also certify their own company as a B Corporation. This will give you valuable experience going through the certification process for your own company, and will give you an important level of credibility when speaking to prospective B Corps in your consulting practice.

Q: What does this course entitle me to do?

You do not need to take this course in order to begin helping companies through the B Corp certification process. However, we think this course will make you a more effective and successful B Corp consultant overall. For example, as we mentioned above, this course will help you with:

• Proposing, pitching, and delivering your services
• Confidently responding to questions related to the process
• Identifying new prospective clients
• Networking with other B Corps
• Using the B Corp process as a lens to identify other client needs
• Growing your business over time

Q: Does anyone review the exercises we are assigned?

The exercises are meant to be a self-directed learning opportunity for participants. While we strongly encourage all participants to complete the assignments, we do not have capacity to review and/or provide feedback on what is submitted.

Q: How do you ensure quality?

Ideally, this is what a formal B Corp consultant accreditation would provide. As illustrated above, however, an accreditation program has been on the table for 10+ years with little progress. The best way to ensure quality is for Certified B Corp consultants to become B Corporations themselves. Indeed, there are very few successful B Corp consultants who have not certified their own companies.

Q: Are the videos and materials still relevant? Are there any updates that we should be aware of?

We originally recorded the Secrets of B Corp consulting with the intention of creating evergreen content. We focused on key principles that would stay relevant (such as the proposal process, pitches, finding clients, using B Corp as a gateway to other services, etc). In addition, we have continually updated the course to keep it current / up to date.

Q: What am I allowed to claim after completing this course?

Past participants in the course can claim that they have “completed B Corp consulting training with Ryan Honeyman, B Corp expert and coauthor of The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good.” Unfortunately we cannot say we are “accredited” B Corp consultants because that designation does not exist. We always recommend that participants in our courses certify their own companies as B Corps to gain insight and credibility.

Q: Are you planning on offering this as a live online course in the future?

We do not plan on offering the Secrets of B Corp consulting as a live online course in the near future.

Q: Is there a community of B Corp consultants that we would have access to?

Yes! However, this community is not specific to this Secrets of B Corp Consulting course. There is a community of 100+ B Corp Certification Consultants on the B Hive, which is an online community of Certified B Corp peers and leaders. You would have to become a Certified B Corporation to be able to access the B Hive.

Q: Who can I contact if I have more questions?

Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Testimonials

"I had been watching the B Corp movement from a distance for several years. When I wanted to take a deeper dive I turned to the pioneers of B Corp consulting, and all around B Corp experts, Ryan Honeyman and Matt Mayer. After a highly positive experience as part of a virtual learning group, I decided to continue on with their advisory services in order to build out an in-depth specialization in helping companies on their B Corp journey. Matt and Ryan have both proven to be exceptional strategic advisors and coaches. They are generous with their extensive knowledge and unique experience and constantly seek new ways to add value for their clients. I would enthusiastically recommend Ryan or Matt to anyone looking for specific expertise related to B Corps or sustainability consulting more widely."

- Andy Schmidt, Pearl Consulting Services

"Ryan has been a valuable and effective consultant for Ben & Jerry's in helping us to benchmark key aspects of our supply chain. Ryan is great to work with; he is personable, professional, and responsive. We look forward to continuing our work with Ryan in the future--not only because he provides value in the space of "measuring what matters," but because Ryan's work supports the growing movement of businesses that are aspiring to be better for the world."

- Cheryl Pinto, Ben & Jerry's

"Ryan’s guidance through B Corp certification was incredibly worthwhile and valuable. Going through the B Corp certification process helped us identify gaps in items like our employee handbook, our local community engagement efforts, and how we communicate our environmental programs to our stakeholders. We are now the first B Corp-certified olive oil company in the United States, and the first B Corp-certified wine business in California. I highly recommend using his services."

- Samantha Dorsey, McEvoy Ranch

"Conscious Brands assisted with Genuine Health’s B Corp certification, making it a pleasurable and quick process. From their excellent kick-off meeting and planning tools to the weekly check-in calls, Conscious Brands was clear, helpful, supportive and great to work with. Their quick turnaround, willingness to go the extra mile, enthusiasm and expertise was very much appreciated and made the hard work a lot of fun. In fact Conscious Brands was so helpful that we were one of the fastest B Corp certifications! Thank you Conscious Brands for being truly conscious of what matters most, both in the universe and in business.”

- Tara Stubensey, Genuine Health

"In working with Conscious Brands on our B Corp certification we were not only provided with attentive and genuine service, but truly felt as if we had a partner through the entire process. They are outstanding communicators that worked diligently with us to ensure we understood every step of the process. Their energy, organization and sincere commitment to sustainable business practices helped motivate and guide us along as we worked together to achieve our goal. So impressed by that to this day we continue to work together on various initiatives - these guys really are the very best at what they do.”

- Shaun Daniels, Nature's Fare Markets

Meet the Instructors: