Changemaker Series with Jessica Friesen

Welcome to episode 12 of the Fairware Changemaker Series, where we highlight entrepreneurs and thought leaders that continuously inspire us through their passion for using business to better the world.

For this episode we’re featuring Jessica Friesen, Director of Strategy and Operations at B Lab, focusing on the US and Canadian markets. Watch the episode below to learn more about Jessica’s work, and how B Lab is working to redefine the role of business in our society.

What is B Lab?

B Lab is a global non-profit organization that supports a global movement of people using business as a force for good.

How does B Lab support entrepreneurs in using their business as a force for good?

B Lab supports entrepreneurs in a variety of ways, but a primary way we do that is through Benefit Corporation (B Corp) certification, so we’re the non-profit behind the B Corp movement.

How are B Corporations redefining the role of business in our society?

B Corps are doing phenomenal work driving change as leaders in accountability, performance and transparency. They are doing this through being at the cutting edge of leading best practices around how they impact their stakeholders, workers, community, and environment.

What does being a changemaker mean to you?

I think there’s a gap between the status quo and the vision that we know we can have for the world that we want to live in, and the world we want to leave to our children. A changemaker is a person who sees that gap between how things are, and how things could be. And whether it’s in a small way or a big way, or whether it’s in an individual way or a systemic way, a changemaker makes an effort to bridge that gap.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of our changemaker series with Jessica! We’d like to extend a huge thank you to Jessica for showing us around Impact Hub, and for setting a such great example in the business community. Stay tuned for our next episode by signing up for our newsletter.