Tim Frick on Building Better WordPress Businesses With B Corps

When I asked around in the WordPress community about environmental issues, everyone had the same response: “You should talk with Tim Frick.”

Tim is based in Chicago and runs the Mightybytes agency. He is passionate about helping organizations create a more positive impact on the world. We recently posted a collection of environmental talks and Tim got a lot of shout-outs.

In this interview, I chat with Tim about Benefit Corporations (B Corps). Tim explains how his desire to create a positive influence has led him to use WordPress and support environmental issues.

What are B Corps?

They are businesses that balance purpose and profit.

• A Benefit Corporation is a legal entity, like an S-Corp or a C-Corp. In the US, 37 states have passed Benefit Corp legislation, as have several other countries. 
• A Certified B Corp, on the other hand, undergoes a rigorous certification every three years to ensure they adhere to the highest verified standards in social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. There are over 3,500 Certified B Corps worldwide, over 50% of which exist outside the United States. 

This page briefly and concisely explains the difference between the two

In our interview, Tim tells us that B Corps help us put values where they should be: right at the very heart of our businesses.

If you want to do one thing to improve your impact on the world, Tim recommends you use this B Corps assessment tool.

Video interview with Tim

Here's a timeline of the interview:

• Start: Introducing Tim and Mightybytes.
• 2 mins: Using BImpactAssessment.net
• 4 mins: Tim's interest in environmental work and his book, “Designing for Sustainability“.
• 6 mins: How B Corps helped Tim see the bigger picture.
• 8 mins: How Tim's values affect his agency.
• 10 mins: What WordPress agencies can do right now to start living their values including OnePercentForThePlanet.org.
• 12 mins: Steps we can take towards greener web design.
• 14 mins: SustainableWebDesign.org and Ecograder.com.
• 16 mins: The practical features of B Corps.

More WordPress Interviews

• Johannes Benz on hosting that’s good for the Environment and Society.
• Phil Sturgeon on being a developer and planting 1000's of trees.
• Tim Frick on building better WordPress businesses with B Corps.
• Tom Greenwood on sustainable WordPress sites and businesses.
• Zack Katz on values-drive WordPress businesses.
• Hannah Smith on the environmental impact of WordPress.
• Steve Beatty on the Newspack project.
• The Tag1 Consulting team on YJS and collaborative editing in Gutenberg.