Friends of Parisleaf,
As we move through March’s B Corp Month celebrations, I’ve been reminded of what this season really means to our team.
For us, the B Corp Badge is so much more than an aesthetic stamp in our email signatures. It’s really a representation of our commitment to conduct every facet of our business—creative, operational, administrative—in a way that considers and prioritizes people and the planet over mere profit.
More Than a Badge
Now, don’t get me wrong: we are, and always will be, a for-profit organization. But when we received our certification in 2022, we formalized our decision to view that profit through a wider lens, and we’re so glad we did.
The B Corp process asked us to take a long look in the mirror and be honest about what we saw, encouraging us to examine how we treat our employees, partner with other companies, show up in our industry, and make decisions that ultimately impact the world around us. It further pressed us to push past surface-level questions like, “Is this good for the sales pipeline?” and into self-reflection—“Is this good for humanity, the earth, and the future?”
One of the differentiators of this certification from other “good company” labels is its intensity and rigor as a moving target beyond the “feel-good pledge,” and we respect it. As I sifted through our recertification evaluation (which is based on governance, workers, community, environment, and customers), I found myself back in 2011, reflecting on the first moments we started working towards this goal.
Since the initial assessment is an 80-point benchmark, most companies don’t make it through their first few years. Knowing the level of detail required, I wanted to get started as soon as possible because—from Parisleaf’s inception in 2010—we knew we wanted accountability baked into our processes as a given, not an addition. Filling out forms over breakfast and late into the night, I began to feel a subtle affirmation growing in me: “This is meticulous, and it is beautiful.”
A data analyst at heart, I was overwhelmed by the story these touchpoints told. Every hard but ethical decision we made as founders, every choice to elevate our people instead of our profit margin, every standard we tried to set and model as young leaders was worth it. They mattered. They added up to something greater. After endless moments of second-guessing and hoping we’d done the right thing, I was looking at hard evidence that we had. An emotional moment by any metric—but we didn’t do it alone.
Incremental Growth
Our journey into this community was shaped by years of relationship-building and mentorship from people like Kristen Joys at the University of Florida’s School of Business, who recognized the power of our business model and empowered us to pursue certification, even allowing her student groups to observe and assist as we prepared our assessment. That experience served as a poignant illustration that this movement—the B Corp movement—exists because people believe that business can be better, can do better, even if it’s just 1% a day. That concept of incremental growth, known in Japanese culture as kaizen, is a cornerstone of Parisleaf’s ethos. For us, it’s not about arriving. It’s about improving. Standards evolve, expectations rise, and so must we. So we’re investing in a parent organization that kaizens right alongside us.
Opting into this level of accountability is incredibly important to us because there are no shortcuts. And in an era when personal responsibility and transparency are often being relegated to the sidelines, we want to offer an alternative way forward. We have no desire to greenwash or perform our way into being better. If that were the goal, this process would be much easier. Instead, B Corp certification is a moving target by design, providing us with better “fodder for good” and a practical framework for growing responsibly and keeping our focus where it belongs—on our people.
The “Why” Behind Certification
So why does this matter right now, in the spring of 2026? Because taking care of people is always the right thing to do, and healthy business practices are one of the clearest ways we can celebrate caring for each other. When we invest in our team by creating a holistic office culture, offering meaningful opportunities to give back, and being conscientious about who we partner with, the ripple effects extend exponentially. Though it starts with attracting and retaining the right people, it continues to echo through everything they build, touch, and transform.
To other agencies considering this path, I’d ask you to first consider “your why.” If certification is just about hitting a price point for a product, then this probably isn’t your path. But if your motivation feels resonant with everything you’re reading and seeing throughout B Corp Month, then you’ve found your people. So commit the resources. Ask for help applying. Join a community of like-minded peers. And be ready to get challenged. We can’t wait for you to join us.
Thank you all for supporting our promise to keep getting better—with gratitude,
Ali Paris
COO, Parisleaf
