Purpose is a powerful driver in business
It (along with values) brings clarity to strategy, is the lens through which decisions are made, results assessed, and change catalysed. Often businesses share words that describe what they are about. Less often do you get to see if they live those values, and look behind the curtain to know if there is alignment between what people say and what people do. Rarer still is it measured
Being intentional about why we do what we do has been a constant driver for us since the beginning. It's vital to us to be conscious of the impact we have on this world, and to strive to shift things for good. Business for us is about doing good work, for good people, with good people, and doing the best we can to leave this world a better place. Collaboration rather than competition. Purpose over profit
This has meant building an offshore business that is conscious of modern slavery in the wake of historic exploitative practices. We ensure our people are cared for, have agency and equality, and do meaningful work. Values baked into our service design. We've built Digit in a way that is sustainable and people-centric, and allows us to support and foster more local Australian small businesses affordably, at scale
It has meant acknowledging the challenges of running a business in regional Australia, or as a woman, or as a First Nations person - and focusing effort on supporting underserved communities through workshops, discounted services, or pro bono. It's meant engaging our clients (local small businesses) either as our suppliers, or buying their products any chance we get (without them ever knowing it was us)
It is the sum of countless tiny little things that are meaningful to us, are simply a part of who we are, and that we rarely speak of
So in November 2022, we formalised our commitment to business for good. We were certified as a BCorp
If you've never heard of it before, B Corps are a movement of businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. To become a BCorp is to throw open the curtains and be measured against your impact in five areas - workers, customers, governance, environment and community. It is to be seen by your action, not your words
There are over 650 BCorps across Australian and New Zealand, around 20 in WA, and the number is growing. A nascent community of businesses aligned around values
Becoming a BCorp is our formal committment to the world we want to help create, something that has always been who we are. Through it we hope to inspire, shape, and lead others towards better business