#WhoWhatWhy - Harriet from Nice and Serious

Recently, x+why have had the pleasure of working with our members, Nice and Serious, as we prepare for an end of B Corp Month panel and networking event.

A certified B Corp themselves since 2020 and currently going through the process of re-certifying, we asked whether they’d be up for featuring as part of our #WhoWhatWhy series with a B Corp Month twist. Nice and Serious are committed to making work the world needs, they do this by only partnering with purpose driven brands, organisations and charities. All briefs they receive are passed through their own Moral Compass, a decision making platform where the entire team votes if the project will have a positive impact. Isn’t that awesome!

We’re so grateful to Harriet, their Senior Strategist, for taking the time to share her insights.

Harriet, What is your 'Why’?

I’ve always believed that creativity can help to create positive change. So I love being part of a company where I know that our work is helping to amplify some of the most important social and environmental causes that the world faces.

Tell us something you find helpful in your working day.

I’m hugely motivated by the causes that we work on and inspired by the incredible work of the brands and organisations making a positive difference in the world. Seeing the impact creative work can have – from furthering a cause to helping to create behavioural change – makes me feel energised every day. On a practical level, when it comes to planning my working day I find timeboxing my calendar really helpful for working through my to-do list. Although creative thinking often doesn’t fit into neat boxes. So when I’m trying to work through a creative problem I also find it helpful to go analogue. To start with pen and paper and explore thoughts that come to mind. Then step away from the desk and go for a lunchtime walk when I can. It’s something I got into the ritual of doing while working from home and I find that it is often when ideas come to mind. The notes app on my phone is full of random ideas from these walks!

When it comes to the past, present and future of your B Corp Journey, do you have any key insights from each stage?

In 2016, we went into the process confident that we’d pass with flying colours, but only scored 50/200 (you need at least 80 to pass). It revealed lots of blind spots, and we realised that many of the progressive initiatives we ran weren’t documented or incorporated into management processes. We took the time needed to get everything into place before reapplying in 2019, where we were then awarded our certification in 2020.Becoming a B Corp is by no means an easy process. But ultimately the difficulty of the process is a good thing as it forces you to engage with so many different perspectives on how your business could be having a more positive impact.We are currently going through the process of recertifying, which is a a huge opportunity for us to reflect on our policies and discover new ways to progress the way we operate

Shoutout time. Name a company you think are doing great things.

I’m incredibly inspired by the work of the Global B Corp community. Which includes global brands like Tony's Chocolonely, Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, Innocent and WeTransfer, to challenger brands like Dame, Lucky Saint and Wild. It’s really exciting to see that there’s a growing movement of businesses that are creating the change they want to see in the world.

Reading recommendation?

Picking one book is tricky! But I’ve recently started reading ‘The Story of Art Without Men’ by Katy Hessel. It’s a beautiful book which champions and spotlights women artists from the Renaissance to today. I’m only part way through it but it's really insightful and inspiring so far. It’s one of those books I can’t put down.Something I’ve also been trying to do this year is read magazines on topics I wouldn’t normally choose. It’s a pretty fun and simple way of learning about new themes, cultures and communities. Which is useful for my role as a Brand Strategist too.

Thank you, Harriet, for taking the time to share your insights with us! If you are reading this before the 29th March 2023, please do check out tickets to our upcoming B Corp Month event by clicking below.

RSVP - Going Beyond Business as Usual: Brave Leaps into the Unknown