When we first embarked on our B Corp certification journey back in January of 2016, Ad Victoriam Solutions (AdVic) was less than two-years-old, employed eight employees and was still operating out of a combination of shared workspaces and our founder’s basement. Fast forward to February of 2022 and we’re now over 150 employees strong located in 18 states across six time zones, and we’ve re-certified as a B Corp in 2021 and continue to scale both fast and responsibly. 

Of all the things we did as we pursued our certification, one of the most valuable was to commit to publishing an annual Impact Report. This annual exercise holds us accountable to ourselves and the commitments we’ve made. It keeps us honest throughout the year and requires a laser focus on the non-monetary business metrics and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) we value. 

In this version of the Impact Report, covering the fiscal year 2021, we share our performance against the 2021 goals we set for ourselves 12 months ago, including our community impact in terms of money, time, and product. There is also an overview of how we did with regards to diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in terms of our own hiring and in supporting upstream solutions that are working towards long-term solutions for increased representation of both women and people of color in the tech industry. 

As a B Corp, we understand fully well that we, like all businesses, are on a journey to becoming better versions of ourselves every single day. But we also believe that reflecting on goals, commitments, and progress is a valuable exercise that affirms we are doing business the right way and positively impacting our team members, communities, and the environment. 

We hope you will take a few minutes to look through our 2021 Impact Report (click the image below) and will join us in celebrating our accomplishments, acknowledging where there is still work to be done, and committing to continuing the journey to being a company that uses business as a force for good. And if you have any questions about AdVic, B Corps, or the 2021 Impact Report, reach us here.

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A big part of our vision centered around certifying as a B Corp (a for-profit business certified by a third-party nonprofit organization) and joining the elite ranks of Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, and Warby Parker as companies using business as a force for good.

Our hard work paid off in 2018 when we earned our B Corp certification. And now, almost three years later, we’re recertifying as a B Corp, which allows us to evaluate our commitment and reflect on the big picture impact this journey has had on our business.

Becoming a B Corp Helped Us Scale

In four short years, we went from eight employees to ninety. Going through the initial process of certification did two things for us. First, it exposed gaps and the next steps. These were steps included in the handbook, which would include travel policies, a code of conduct, and other HR-related items. But it also exposed opportunities and offered us insights into what type of policies were included by the best companies. So we added benefits such as 40 annual hours of paid volunteer time off, a matched 401k, and a travel policy that prioritized virtual meetings, or when necessary, renting the most fuel-efficient vehicle rather than the cheapest.

Becoming a B Corp Gave Us Mission Lock

If you’ve done as much as work for a company that experienced rapid growth as we have, you’re familiar with the wild swings of scaling a business. Every milestone you pass brings incredible trials and tribulations amongst the lingering questions. Should we hire more employees? Do we have the business to justify the payroll expenses? What does our pipeline look like? Succinctly put, it’s easy to take the first step in forming a socially responsible company. It’s another thing to remain true to that mission when you’re in the middle of it. But through everything, we remembered our commitments. We remembered our annual goals for volunteer and pro bono hours. We remembered our promise to strive towards a more diverse and inclusive workforce. And every day we remember that the B on our door means that we stand for something that we wanted, and continue to want to be.

Being a B Corp Made us Better

Our founder and fearless leader is a great guy, with a great family, that truly wanted to build a better version of the companies he had worked for. But there is no denying that being a B Corp made us better. We became more transparent, we added benefits, we welcomed feedback and made improvements based on it. And we quickly became a place where employees enjoyed working, and candidates wanted to work with.

Why We’re Recertifying

We became a better version of ourselves these past three years. Well, five if you include the original certification process. We’ve gone from 73 percent white male to 48 percent. We’ve expanded our community outreach efforts, and promoted an employee to serve as Director of Culture. The process and this certification have encouraged us to be more intentional in everything we do, and it has indeed made us better.

Our annual evaluation to develop our impact report has been instrumental in keeping us honest. We’ve developed tracking methods and built reports using Salesforce® of course, which gives us insights to set annual goals and track outcomes. Our first run at the assessment took two years. Our second run-through took us 13 hours. And the best part, our score has improved, which proves B Corp has made us better.

The bottom line on this recertification journey is, we’re stoked! We believe strongly that business should serve as a force for good in the world. We also believe that capitalism, if it’s to be sustainable, must work to serve all of its stakeholders and not just shareholders. And we are grateful to be at the front of this wave, building an amazing (and profitable) business, and encouraging others to dip their toes in the water to develop a better version of themselves.

B Corps are the bridge connecting 20th-century capitalism to 21st-century values, an opportunity to lift all stakeholders and prove that profit can be made in a manner beneficial to all. If your company is contemplating a path toward B Corp certification, Ad Victoriam is happy to answer any of your questions – we’ve been there! Reach out to us here.

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If you would like to learn more about how your company can become a Certified B Corp, AdVic’s three-part blog series has all the information you need to succeed: Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3. You may also find this recent AdVic B Corp/Corporate Social Responsibility webinar helpful, too.

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For the following two years, the UGA MBA students worked with the AVS team to formalize our social impact goals. On January 11, 2018 B Lab, the B Corp accrediting body, officially declared us the 10th Certified B Corp in Georgia. As a B Corp, we joined 3,000 companies around the world who have made a commitment to make money responsibly, in a way that prioritizes their employees, their community, and the environment.

Our first year as a B Corp got off to a roaring start. We set aggressive goals for volunteering and pro bono consulting work. When the year closed, we evaluated our work, and produced our first Annual Social Impact Report.  We exceeded our social impact targets. Our team donated more than 530 hours of consulting work and spent more than 500 hours volunteering in the communities we serve.

Download our Annual Social Impact report for the details of our first year as a Certified B Corporation.

Related: Combining career success with a passion for social impact – one woman’s journey.

In addition to doing good for the world, our Ad Victoriam Solutions Salesforce Consultants work as a dedicated, innovative team of problem solvers, taking on your technology challenges. We are Salesforce cloud and data consultants who customize our approach to suit your processes for increased efficiency, accelerated productivity and scalability. Contact us to learn how we can help your business flourish. 

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