Why good businesses matter more than great ones

Whilst its been hammering down with rain on a Sunday afternoon, I’ve been rewatching Sherlock, with Benedict Cucumberback and Martin Freeman, brilliantly written by Mark Gatiss.

There’s a poetic line in the series that stuck with me in a way I didn’t clock the first time around. 

In the first episode Sherlock’s motivations are questioned as he wrestles against social conformity and his genius.

This theme follows through, the geniuses belittling him for caring about insignificance and the normal folk trying to work out if he really cares.

In the end, when someone declares Sherlock to be a great man, Inspector Lestrade pauses and replies “No… he’s a good one.”

Great is often about performance.

Good is about character.

In business we celebrate greatness constantly. Turnover, market share, followers, clever marketing. But how often do we stop and ask whether a business is good? And more importantly, buy from them instead?

The B Corp movement asks businesses to consider success a little differently. Not just profit and growth, but how organisations treat their workers, support their communities, protect the environment and govern themselves responsibly.

The framework behind the label, the B Impact Assessment, is open to anyone.

Its #BCorpMonth, which takes place every March. And that meant I knew there was an adventure around the corner as we returned to the Bristol Beacon for PurposeFest.

Unfavourably, that meant an early start.

Richard and I decided to get the train, which meant leaving the house before 6am. 

I stepped outside expecting the sharp awakening of an early March chill, instead the air was mild. Almost gentle.

Whenever I get on a train I feel like I’m about to have an adventure.

Possibly delayed. Possibly cancelled. But an adventure nonetheless.

When I was younger my gran, called Dizzy (self appointed nickname because she had no intention of sounding old) used to take me on the train. 

Dizzy studied art, was the most creatively encouraging person in my life and someone who, long after she’s gone, still gets asked for advice when I’m making life’s bigger decisions.

Her house was full of paints, materials and half-finished things to become and beautifully ornate pieces of work. She somehow balanced childlike creative chaos with elegant craft (and more importantly) made me believe anything was possible.

She would take me to places on the train, and as I started my latest venture I looked out across the sea mist remembering fondly a similar Bristol bound trip. We explored the Roman Baths, poked our noses into creative shops and collected ideas for the rest of the weekend’s play. What was that coffee shop called where…

…My nostalgia was interrupted by some surprisingly abrupt language.

“The journey will terminate at Bristol Temple Meads.”

Terminate.

A word so final and abrupt for something that, for many people, might be the beginning of a day out, a reunion with family, or a small adventure somewhere new. 

How would we feel differently if the journey was to be complete? Or fulfilled?

Moments like that remind me of the value we bring, not necessarily what clients ask for.

When we start a project with a client, one of the most useful things we can do is speak directly to their customers. Not a survey designed by the business itself, but real conversations with the people who use the service.

And those people are surprisingly honest. 

Occasionally brutally honest.

They tell us what confused them. What delighted them. What nearly made them give up halfway through. Often they share things they would never say directly to the company itself, both devilishly bad and outstandingly positive.

Those insights can transform how a business communicates or how a service is delivered. And small changes can make a BIG difference to how people experience an organisation.

Good businesses listen. And they pay attention to the people affected by their decisions.

Purposefest: Where Purpose meets Practice

PurposeFest is one of those events that feels genuinely human from the moment you walk in.

Around four or five hundred people, many of them working in organisations that care deeply about the impact they have on the world. 

This year the day revolved around the theme of People, Planet and Progress, and the format is refreshingly simple.

There are talks throughout the day, and in between everyone spills out into a shared space to grab a cuppa, a snack and start a chat. 

It’s relaxed, friendly and full of curiosity and connection.

You don’t need to be a B Corp to attend. The community is open to anyone interested in building businesses that do things a little better.

Some of the speakers shared fascinating perspectives.

But the moment that really lifted the room came from somewhere unexpected.

A spoken word artist called Blaise Penny-Kirkwood stepped onto the stage.

He asked the audience for three random words. Then, without hesitation, he launched into a freestyle rap that somehow wove those words into a story on the spot.

The reaction in the room was immediate.

You could hear the shift in energy as people leaned forward, laughed, clapped and cheered. It was one of those moments where creativity takes over and everyone knows they’re witnessing something special.

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. If you read last months article you will know exactly why.

For a few minutes the room was buzzing with that unmistakable feeling of human creativity in action. It was spontaneous, brave and joyful in a way that most corporate conferences rarely are.

He finished by saying that he is terrified at the side of every stage, but this is his talent, his truth, and he should share it with the world to inspire minds and create action. 

In short, he puts his talents and purpose ahead of the anxiety that the platform brings.

If you do events, I’d reach out.

Trying to be one of the goodies

And we return back to the station along the Sherlock line.

Great businesses achieve impressive things. They innovate, scale and create products people love. There’s nothing wrong with celebrating that.

But good businesses ask slightly different questions.

How are we treating the people who work here?

What impact are we having on the communities around us?

Are we making decisions that future generations would thank us for?

These are the kinds of questions the B Corp framework encourages organisations to explore.

Anyone can explore the B Impact Assessment or simply begin conversations within their own team about what responsible business looks like.

At Vu Digital we’re proud to be a B Corp, but the badge itself isn’t the point.

The point is the process of continually asking whether we’re living up to the standards we believe in. 

Are we helping our clients make better decisions? Are we building digital tools that are accessible, sustainable and genuinely useful? Are we contributing something positive to the communities around us?

Those questions don’t always have perfect answers.

But events like PurposeFest are a reminder that many organisations are asking them together. When you step into a room full of people trying to do business differently, the scale of the challenge feels a little less overwhelming.

Community is a powerful thing, you can silently blend into a bad crowd, aggressively raise your voice to stand up for something good, or connect on values and gently go about your business. But you can’t escape it.

Greatness is impressive. It builds remarkable things.

But goodness, the commitment to doing the right thing, might just be the quality that matters most in the long run.

And if we’re lucky, perhaps our businesses can become what Lestrade described Sherlock as.

Not just great ones.

But good ones.