Putting Purpose into Perspective
Once a humble gathering of 32 people back in 2008, this year’s B Corp Champions Retreat in Boulder, Colorado has grown to over 300 attendees. Including institute B’s own “sensei” Sean Jimenez.
We asked Sean to share his experience at the retreat and were reminded again of how a powerful collective purpose can drive the change we want to be in the world and how it can mitigate the challenges and daily struggles of running a socially conscious business.
iB: This retreat was a gathering of B Corp leaders and champions. How would you define a B Corp leader?
Sean Jimenez: To me, a B Corp leader is somebody who’s gone through the process of getting a team together to take a stand in making their business a change for the world.
What do you think was the purpose of the retreat?
It was about getting everybody together and reminding ourselves of why we are B Corps. When you go back to the everyday operations of your business, you get distracted. There may not necessarily be any short-term financial gain in being a B Corp and in terms of your business, that’s kind of what you’re worried about day to day. It’s nice to be reminded of why we’re doing our thing, what we’ve done about it so far, and what we’re doing for our future.
What was your most memorable experience there?
One of the companies, Namaste Solar, was actually based in Boulder, Colorado and was hit by the floods that came in just prior to the retreat. I was able to help them out, which was really exciting.
We went over to their office and warehouse, in a bus with 25 other people. There was about three feet of mud in 20,000 square feet of warehouse space. We had to take everything out of the office. What the volunteers did in three hours would have taken Namaste about a full week.
I think it worked because the B Corp event is by nature, a gathering of people who want to help and do good. No one had to be asked to help. In fact, we had to tame down the volunteers! Everybody wanted to help.
What else did you get to do?
We had this exercise where we had to go over a letter that Martin Luther King Jr. wrote from a Birmingham jail in the 1960s. It wasn’t about being arrogant and comparing what we’re doing to his civil rights movement. But what King was able to do with that letter resulted in one of the greatest movements that mankind has ever made. If he was able to write a 14-page letter from a jail cell and make a change then, what’s stopping us from joining together to make a global change too?
What was the key takeaway that you brought back as an entrepreneur?
Events are a great way to network. Face to face interaction is good. Also, that being a business owner and being an entrepreneur, if your stance at the core is to do good for the world then we really can make a change. One person on their own can’t, but when you have thousands and thousands of people running in the same direction, it’s a powerful force. So it was cool to see that everyone was on the same page.
Would you recommend this event to other entrepreneurs?
If you’re not thinking to include social impact on your business radar then, no. But if you’re in business for more than the money and you see that you can be a leader and make a change then you should definitely go.
If you could make a T-Shirt that summed up the weekend, what would it say?
B The Change.