There are a million different ways to define a ‘good’ business, but for Sarah Kingston, Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer of In Good Company, the key factor is that the business has a purpose at its core. Perhaps this is through paying the living wage and hiring vulnerable groups such as those with disabilities or experiencing homelessness. Maybe the company is incredibly focused on its supply chains.
Where are their resources being sourced? How does this impact the planet? These are organisations trying to have a positive impact on people, their community, the planet or all three. A key word here is ‘trying’. In Good Company by no means expects businesses to be perfect, as perfection is unrealistic. Part of their mission is to help businesses on their journey to better practices and showcase all the great work already being done.
Sarah is passionate about small ‘good’ businesses and getting them the recognition they deserve. I had the pleasure of interviewing her to hear about her thoughts on the challenges facing small businesses, In Good Company’s partnerships and her favourite ‘good’ businesses! Read on to find out more.
Small businesses are facing big challenges
Sarah and I spoke about the challenges small, physical, impact-focused businesses are facing today, the businesses In Good Company has been created to support. It’s not an easy time for them. Having only just emerged from the pandemic lockdowns where physical businesses could not operate in their usual manner, the nation has now been hit with a cost-of-living crisis. Consumers are more and more conscious of how much they’re spending and where they are spending it.
Astronomical rents during the current economic crisis threaten the survival of small high-street shops. Chain brands focused on profits over purpose are often the only businesses that can afford rents in prime areas making it incredibly difficult for the little guy to compete.
While popups and market stalls have the benefit of avoiding increasing rents, with constant movement, there is a need to keep customers up-to-date with locations and timings.
It can be a real challenge for physical businesses to connect with consumers.
Due to the often smaller size of these businesses, they often don’t have an in-house marketing team or a particularly sophisticated web presence. Instead, these businesses rely predominantly on foot-traffic and non-curated platforms like Google Maps where it’s extremely difficult to stand out from the crowd. In a digital age, where everyone can order anything online with the click of a button, fewer people are going out to discover new places.
Sarah told me that In Good Company was created to help small, physical businesses meet some of these challenges. They provide the capacity that smaller businesses don’t have to create beautiful, engaging online profiles and help better communicate their impact to consumers. Thousands of small businesses are doing incredible things and not broadcasting them. There is a huge market for impactful businesses - consumers want to know about these businesses and the businesses want consumers who care. But these two groups often can’t find each other. So, In Good Company is simply providing that digital link between consumers and businesses. Their goal is not only to help these businesses survive the complex challenges they face, but grow and expand their impact. It is important, Sarah said, to show all businesses that they can have a purpose and also be really successful.
Ethical accreditation, awards and memberships partners
I also spoke to Sarah about why In Good Company is so focused on building partnerships across the good businesses sector. Consumers are increasingly sceptical of ‘good’ business claims – and understandably so. Amongst accusations of greenwashing, many businesses, especially larger ones, make claims they can’t back up. In Good Company is building partnerships with a selection of third-party accreditation, certification, memberships and award bodies to show how businesses can evidence their claims, building trust.
Different levels of certifications and accreditations mean businesses can be vetted at different stages of their development and good business practices journey. Other marks allow businesses to self-certify or pledge, showing their commitment to practices like paying a living wage. In Good Company works with a variety of different partners so that people can gain a better understanding of different elements that make a business 'good’. They provide information to consumers about what each certification means in relation to how a business operates and what process a business goes through to get that mark. For businesses, they explain the benefits of having certain certifications and awards and how it helps better convey their impact to consumers. They also help businesses understand which accreditations would suit them best, make referrals (often with discounts) and help prepare them for going through the process of achieving each mark.
Sarah's favourite ‘good’ businesses
At the end of her interview, I asked Sarah to name her favourite ‘good’ business and this proved the most challenging question! Unable to narrow it down to one, Sarah recommended two Peckham-based powerhouses. Coal Rooms, where Sarah buys her coffee many mornings, is an incredible restaurant and café that trains and employs people experiencing homelessness. She highly recommends their seasonal menu with delicious small plates.
The second business Sarah swears by is Gather – an plastic free refill shop. Not only do they sell zero-waste organic food, but they have created a community all about promoting sustainability and green practices.
Keep an eye out for the second instalment of this blog post where we get to sit down with Alex Birtles, In Good Company’s Co-Founder and CEO.
And here's our guide to the perfect eco-conscious and ethical day out in Peckham, London - Sarah's local neighbourhood.
