Nathan Stuck: What it Takes to Become a ‘B Corp’

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Nathan Stuck, an award-winning leader in the B Corp community and the Founder & CEO of Profitable Purpose Consulting, a culture and impact consultancy that helps companies certify as B Corporations. He also founded and chairs B Local Georgia, a non-profit dedicated to growing the number of purpose-driven businesses in the Peach State. Nathan teaches an experiential MBA course on B Corps at the University of Georgia and serves on the board of B Academics, a nonprofit committed to research and experiential B Corp learning opportunities worldwide. As of March 2023, the latest available data indicates that there are over 6,435 B Corporations in over 159 industries and 88 countries worldwide. The number of certified B Corps is steadily increasing, with the largest growth in the US. 48% of all B Corps are publicly traded companies, and B Corps employ half a million workers worldwide. On this episode, the pair discusses: Why Nathan decided to focus his attention on B Corps, what B Corps mean, why the B Corp movement matters, and what it takes to become a B Corp. KEY TAKEAWAYS I always knew I wanted to work in business since high school, and later I got an international business degree. By 2012, my career was going pretty well, but I went through two lay-offs in six months in 2013. Then I tried to figure out what to do next in my early 30s. I was working gig jobs while waiting to start an MBa and saw a lot of other people doing the same while trying to raise families, and there was no hope. It was eye-opening to see what capitalism had become. I discovered B Corps in the second year of my MBA, and the sky opened, the angels started singing, and I realised I’d found my business community of people who believed in using business as a force for good in society. I’d invested so much in myself: late nights, early mornings, things that I didn’t get paid for, but I paid in time, equity, tears, sweat. I was finally starting to see the reward, and I decided it would make a good book. It had to sound like me, I make fun of myself and talk about the stupid things I’ve done in my life, jobs that I took, times when I failed miserably, stretching outside of my comfort zone not well. I didn’t want it to be like every other business book where “I’m the most successful human being ever born”, this is more: “I’m just like you, I’ve had a bunch of jobs that I didn’t like, and here’s how to hopefully come out of all of that prepared for opportunities.” B Corps are for-profit businesses with a certification that is a lot like LEAN for a building – an outside non-profit comes in and looks at the business holistically: How transparent you are, your corporate governance, your workers, what kinds of benefits you offer, your pay multiplier from top to bottom paid employee, what leave you offer for parents and caregivers, your community impact, your environmental footprint, and your policies for your customers. It scores you out of 80 and validates that. As soon as Gen Z and Millennials found their voices, they got together to say business as usual isn’t working for everybody.  They’re fed up with why things aren’t more equitable, why we’ve allowed the status quo to continue when the status quo doesn’t work, and how we can leverage the business community to solve some of society’s biggest problems.  BEST MOMENTS ‘It isn’t necessarily capitalism that’s evil, it’s what we’ve let it become. There’s a whole community of business leaders, owners, and changemakers who are trying to change the world through business.’ ‘It’s fun to see where you’ve come from, and what you’ve faced, and how you overcame it. A lot of times it’s those moments that unlock the opportunity to find happiness and your purpose in life.’ ‘Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job.’ ‘I like Mondays so much that I start working on Sunday.’ ABOUT THE GUEST Nathan is an award-winning leader in the B Corp community and the Founder & CEO of Profitable Purpose Consulting, a culture and impact consultancy that helps companies certify as B Corporations. He also founded and chairs B Local Georgia, a non-profit dedicated to growing the number of purpose-driven businesses in the Peach State.  He has appeared on multiple podcasts, spoken at events across the country, and hosts the Be the Change Georgia podcast.  His first book, Happy Monday: Designing Your Career with Purpose, came out earlier this year. ABOUT THE HOST Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet. If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights. And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at [email protected]