Phil Nevin, Co-founder of x+why on B Corp Month and Why B.

As part of B Corp month this March, we’ve been exploring some of the faces behind the B. Phil Nevin is the co-founder of our own B Corp certified x+why space. Our network of purpose-driven co-working spaces are on a mission to unite, inspire and amplify the need to change the way the world works for good. With a background in business, property and having set up the Big Change Charitable Trust, Phil has an interest in the grey space where charity and social impact meet better business.

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What does it mean to be a B Corp?

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It’s a Kitemark that is increasingly being recognised as standing for what it means to be a responsible business. However, it’s much more than just a ‘badge of honour’ – it’s a practical tool and set of guidelines for running a business; One that sets the standards for benchmarking and improving business behaviours across the board.

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Why is being a B Corp so important to us at x+why?

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It’s like our North Star – I know this is a metaphor that’s used a lot, but it does serve as our guiding light, given that we are a mission-driven business.

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It’s important to have a North Star because the environment is not static. We know that we’ll never be perfect, but it’s crucial to have something to aim for. The first score you get is something that’s improved over the years, so it’s the framework for a continuous process that benefits your people, the planet and the success of your business.

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Do you think it’s a possibility that one day all businesses might be run this way and what is stopping governments from making it mandatory?

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We are part of the Better Business Act, which is an offshoot of the B Corp movement in that several people that are involved with B Lab are also involved with lobbying government, but it is a separate entity in and of itself.

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This Act is seeking to make the major brushstrokes of B Corp mandatory. The absolute knub of B Corp is a shift in the articles of association at Companies House – to be held accountable to people and planet, as well as just the bottom line. In that sense it’s a shift towards stakeholder primacy, and not just shareholder profitability.

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I absolutely believe that it will be possible for all business to be run this way one day, and it’s becoming increasingly vital that this movement becomes more mainstream. What’s stopping the government from making this happen is a tough one, others are better qualified to answer that than me! There are though encouraging signs of B style behaviour being made policy – such as Rishi Sunak’s move to require listed companies to release net zero plans by 2023.

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This month is also International Women’s Day – how does being a B Corp affect women at the company?

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The B Impact tool is thorough and well rounded – it prompts a lot of thoughts around diversity and inclusion generally. When it comes to women directly within the organisation, it’s made us consider our policies more carefully, especially from a governance and employee perspective.

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For example, making sure we have a more equitable board, as well as catering to practical needs such as breast feeding in the workplace, maternity leave, and generally giving better weight to balancing both work and home life.

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

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We first filled out our BIA in December 2018, and ended up becoming a B Corp in early 2021. So it’s been a long journey, we were pending for a full year, then covid hit which delayed us for while before receiving accreditation. But when I reflect on the process, it was reassuringly tough.

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When you first go through the assessment, it’s normal to find yourself being knocked back on your initial score. B Corp are very thorough in that respect, and it’s great to see them doing their thing.

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In terms of where we’re at now – we’re celebrating B Corp month company wide, with lots of exciting get-togethers and events post-COVID. As a company, it’s great to spend time together again, and we’re already beginning to target goals for our re-certification in 2024. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved during such a turbulent time as the past couple of years, and part of that resilience has been thanks to really embedding strong B Corp values within our business model.

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When it comes to focusing on the future, it feels promising to have a clearly lit pathway as to how we can continue to improve our business. It’s important not to be limited by the tool, but it does help to have clear signposting, as well as a great network of people that are all looking to push the barriers and go beyond baseline requirements.

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How have you tackled a certain challenge or area of the BIA?

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We’re on an impact creation track, in that as a mission-lead flexible working community, we have the potential to positively impact the numerous wonderful enterprises that we house. We ‘unite, inspire and amplify’ the message of these businesses, not just our own. So as well as being for our business part of our model is to spread the movement, spreading awareness and improving business behaviours amongst the wider business community.

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We’re in a period of history where there’s no time for ‘special sauce’, it’s about open sourcing brilliant solutions, to the pressing problems that we face as a society and planet.

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What are some key insights when it comes to the way x+why handle each of the 5 main pillars of certification?

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Governance: We’ve changed the articles of association to be beholden to people and planet as well as profit. This dictates our business behaviour and has taken great discipline when it comes to continuously measuring and benchmarking our impact. We produce an annual impact report that ensures that we’re sticking to our promise of continually improving across the board.

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Workers: Some highlights would be our ESOP scheme, which enables all employees to own a small part of the business, so that the entire community really is embedded in the greater mission. We also run focused sessions that allow people to put down their tools and have the time and space to connect with this greater vision, which fosters cohesion, resilience and motivation.

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Community: We’re more than just a space that operates within a building, and we make sure that we extend an arm to the local community. For example, at the People’s Mission Hall in Whitechapel, we have a brilliant charity called Switchback, which seeks to improve prison reform by helping ex-prisoners successfully reintegrate back into society.  

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Environment: We’re part of the property sector and ensure that we have green practices in all of our buildings. This is impactful because it’s an industry that’s responsible for 40% of UK Carbon emissions, and we make it our aim to up our game every time – with each new fit being better than the last.

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We’re opening up in Birmingham this year and are working towards a SKA accreditation from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. This is a challenging process that requires considering every aspect of the value chain. For example, instead of buying new furniture, we managed to take 550 chairs out of a disused office in Manchester and sent them to a plant to be up-cycled – refurbished, recovered, resprayed and warrantied.

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This is a process where everyone wins: we’ve got better quality furniture as a result, and we’ve also managed to divert unnecessary waste from its landfill fate. Signs of the circular economy maturing in such an exciting way.  

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Customers: We’re incredibly proud of our WhyB programme which continues to go strong – with over 100+ people and business on the waiting list this year. This is hugely encouraging, both in terms of the shift we are seeing in society, and the value that we are able to provide in aiding that transition.

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The WhyB programme consists of 4 different sessions where we go through elements of the BIA and offer 1-1 help on what it takes to become a B Leader and demystify the more complex elements of the process. It’s designed to leave you set to apply for full accreditation.

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What are your sources of inspiration and what motivates you?

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With my background in business, property and having set up Big Change Charitable Trust, I’m really interested in the space between charity and business. I feel like we are living in a time where the two are moving closer together and borrowing from one another, and that excites me.

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How has what you do changed you as a person?

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I have 3 daughters so thinking about the type of world they’re going to grow up in, and what type of world we’ll be handing over to them as parents has changed my outlook on many different levels.

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