Empowering Women-Led B Corps on Their Impact Improvement Journey

WeTheChange Fosters Support and Progress in Impact-Driven Business Community

“Did you know that B Corps are twice as likely to be led by majority-female management teams, and there are over 1,800 women-owned B Corps?”

The Certified B Corporation community is home to thousands of women-led businesses seeking to improve their impact — on workers, customers, suppliers, communities, and other stakeholders. As we celebrate B Corp Month this March, we recognize the unique challenges and opportunities women-owned B Corps face in their business journeys. 

WeTheChange was founded in 2018 to provide a community for women entrepreneurs in the U.S. & Canada B Corp ecosystem, including many who oversee small companies. The group serves as an essential support network and resource to help WeTheChange members move forward on their impact improvement journeys. Together they explore impactful issues like pay equity and the gender pay gap, which are part of the fair wages impact topic in the proposed new standards for B Corp Certification. 

Many organizations provide resources and tools for business leadership. WeTheChange Membership Specialist Rachel Landry Berdan says the group stands out by providing a trusting space for like-minded women entrepreneurs who aspire to make a difference through their work. “The real benefits are the relationships that people hold with each other,” she says. “The work that we do from an organizational perspective is providing a backbone for what is possible when community comes together.”  

WeTheChange provides an open forum for exploring topics relevant to women who continue to face barriers because of their gender, business sector, or other factors — and who are ready to partner and lift others working for a purpose beyond profit. 

“Running a business can feel like such a puzzle much of the time,” Berdan says. “To have a space where there is permission to ask questions — and people answer them from a place of generosity — that’s a really beautiful thing. It unlocks a lot of the hidden secrets of how to be in business.” 

Lindsay LaShell, Founder and Marketing Activist at Open Lines Marketing, has seen the power of connection that lies at the heart of WeTheChange. “We spend time in every single gathering doing straight-up networking, connecting our members with each other, making sure that everybody feels empowered to ask and offer,” LaShell says. “It’s an incredibly generous and kind community.” 

She says WeTheChange is a community tackling important issues together to help create real change. The group’s advocacy and business leads identify action-oriented resources to help purpose-driven businesses improve their impact and partner to drive change. 

Building Meaningful Momentum Among B Corp Entrepreneurs

Since its start, WeTheChange has evolved and grown to best serve its members, says Emily Lonigro, President and Founder of B Corp LimeRed and member of the WeTheChange leadership circle. “Our needs as humans and businesses have changed dramatically since 2018, and WeTheChange has changed with them,” she says. “We know we can be a real, demonstrable force, so we’ve changed our governance, technology, outreach, and membership since to propel that force forward.” The changes include a paid membership program launched in December 2023 designed to keep the group’s momentum moving in a meaningful direction, Lonigro says.

Lonigro is grateful to work alongside other women who have made a clear decision to use their business to create a healthy company culture, advance workers’ rights, create a meaningful impact on their communities, and make progress on climate change and other world-changing ideas. “When you find a group of people who think how you think and can offer constructive feedback, you’ve found your people,” she says.

WeTheChange members are there to provide support on the more challenging days as well, Lonigro says, including a recent period when she had to lay off several staff members. “I had a leadership meeting just after one of my one-to-one meetings and was a huge mess, definitely not meeting-ready. However, I decided to show up just as I was because I knew this group would understand and lend support however they could,” she says. “This isn’t just a referral group; it’s an uplifting, generous community.” 

Sharing Expertise and Advice with Other Entrepreneurs

That generosity extends to sharing expertise and advice with other WeTheChange members, LaShell says. Through the group’s Grow Your B series, WeTheChange members contribute 20 minutes to help others with business skills and practices. “It’s part of what I appreciate about the community: It’s a group of folks who are like-minded and like-valued, but they also bring particular lenses and areas of expertise. I appreciate how that shows up.” 

WeTheChange member Beth Salyers of B Corp Custom Learning Atelier is a solopreneur who appreciates the group’s camaraderie and openness. “Knowing there is a space to engage with other women around topics like governance, pricing, and stewardship is amazing,” Salyers says. “Folks are willing to share lessons of their growth journeys — like the real inside stories — of fostering the kinds of businesses we want to be part of. Specifically, I’ve found suppliers, partners, and clients within this group.”

Jennifer Piette, Founder and CEO of B Corp Narrative Food, finds personal and business value in tapping into the network of impact-minded women leaders. “We have hired various members of WeTheChange for everything from customer service to graphic design, marketing, and recertification consulting,” Piette says. “Equally, we have provided gifts for several of the members as well. We also love the learnings from the presentations on the monthly calls.”

Learn more about WeThe Change and other B Corp community affinity groups.