We’re incredibly proud to share that Starfish Accounting is now a certified B Corporation. Becoming a B Corp is more than a badge, it’s a public declaration of who we are, how we do business, and the kind of impact we want to have.
For us, this certification marks the start of something bigger: increased focus on purpose-led business and a commitment to our clients, our team, and our wider community.
But what does being a B Corp really mean, and why did we choose to go through the certification process?
Why we decided to certify
The idea of becoming a B Corp wasn’t a marketing exercise for us, it was a natural next step. We’ve always really cared about our clients and our team. We believe that good accounting isn’t just about numbers, it’s about people, purpose, and helping business owners cope with the pressures that owning a business create.
Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of working with many businesses that are doing amazing things: female-led ventures, creative entrepreneurs, and founders with exciting plans. Their missions inspired us to revisit our own, and how we could better support what they do.
B Corp certification gave us a clear, structured way to measure our impact. Not just on profit, but the people we look after and the environment. It pushed us to look inward and ask important questions:
- Are we treating our team as well as we treat our clients?
- Do our policies and internal practices reflect the values we talk about externally?
- Can we operate more sustainably, and help others do the same?
It wasn’t always easy, and it required a lot of reflection and adjustment, but it was absolutely worth it!
What it means to be a B Corp
B Corps are businesses that balance purpose and profit. Certified by the non-profit B Lab, B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment.
The certification process is rigorous, and it took us a long time – not something to enter into lightly! It evaluates every part of how we run Starfish, from governance and employee engagement, to environmental impact and community contribution. It’s not about perfection. It’s about transparency, accountability, and a commitment to ongoing improvement.
For us, the path to certification has already had a real impact. It’s helped us:
- Formalise and strengthen policies that support team wellbeing and flexibility
- Review our supply chain and work with partners that fit with our values
- Start tracking and reducing our own carbon footprint
- Better understand how we can support our clients with sustainable decision-making
Supporting our clients’ sustainability mission
One of the things we’re most excited about is how this certification enables us to better support our clients to understand and improve on their own sustainability.
Whether you’re already a certified B Corp, working toward it, or just curious about building a more responsible business, we’re here to help.
In particular, we can support you with:
Carbon Accounting
Understanding and measuring your carbon footprint is a vital first step in reducing your environmental impact. We can help you track emissions (especially Scope 3 – the tricky stuff), align your numbers with recognised standards, and make sense of the data in a business-friendly way. By utilising tools that integrate with your Xero account we can also do this in a cost effective way, so you don’t have to spend thousands on specialists to start to make a difference.
Impact Reporting
More and more clients, investors and team members want to know the story behind your numbers. We can help you track and report on the metrics that matter. Not just financial performance, but impact and purpose indicators too. Plugging “non financial KPIs” into your monthly or quarterly reporting isn’t as hard as it sounds.
Strategic Advice
Whether you’re looking to reduce your energy usage, rethink your supplier relationships, or explore becoming a B Corp yourself, we can offer practical guidance based on both our accounting knowledge and real life experience.
It’s about making genuine change, not just ticking a box
One of the things we’ve learnt along the way is that B Corp isn’t a one-off project. It’s a mindset. It’s about continuously asking: how can we do better?
Certification is renewed every three years, and the standards are always evolving. That’s a good thing. It keeps us accountable, and pushes us to keep improving.
And just like our clients, we’re still learning. Still growing. Still challenging ourselves to run a business that’s not only successful, but meaningful.
Want to talk about it?
If you’re a current client who wants to explore carbon tracking, social impact metrics or B Corp certification for your own business, we’d love to hear from you.
And if you’re not yet a client, but you’re a purpose-led business looking for an accountant who gets it, we’d love to chat!
Becoming a B Corp isn’t the end goal. It’s a way of working. And we’re proud to be a part of it.
