This month, we are excited to share the result of our latest B Corp collaboration – a brand new website for Standing on Giants, who were so happy with their new website that they created a lovely video to share with their clients to celebrate!
Founded in 2012, Standing on Giants was the brainchild of Robbie Hearn and Vincent Boon, who met on the startup team of giffgaff. Through necessity, giffgaff had an entirely online business model and the online community was at the heart of that.
As giffgaff grew, Robbie and Vincent soon realised the power of what they had created. The members were helping the business do all sorts of things, from suggesting ideas, to testing new products, to helping the company out, all purely because they wanted to, to support the business. Robbie and Vincent thought this would be a brilliant model to bring to other businesses, so they started Standing on Giants!
What’s in a name?
The name, ‘Standing on Giants,’ comes from the Isaac Newton quote: “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”. Robbie and Vincent felt that this was a great metaphor for their business, which was built on the ‘giant’ success of giffgaff. It also summed up how businesses could be lifted up by their customer community. As the whole quote would have been a bit long for a brand name, they shortened it.
A B Corp community collaboration
Having certified as a B Corp in 2017 and watched the growth of this community, we can testify to the strength of people coming together with a like-minded approach to business.
The B Corporation itself has grown dramatically over recent years, with the UK now officially home to the second largest B Corp community in the world, with over 400 B Corps representing 48 industries and more companies certifying as we speak, the B Corp community is a ‘giant’ that we stood on the shoulders of for this collaboration.
I was really looking for people I knew I could work with, have an honest relationship with and shared the same values as our company. Wholegrain, as the first B Corp web agency in London, felt like a great fit! A further chat with Vineeta and a look at your existing work, it was an easy choice to make!
Rob Fawkes, Head of Brand & Communications
The magic of matching values
We had been getting to know Standing on Giants for a while, and had been excited to follow their journey to becoming a certified B Corporation in August 2020, so we already knew that they had similar values to us, around using business as a force for good. When we started the conversation about creating their new website, we couldn’t wait to begin work on this project together!
Of course, as a community company themselves, the team at Standing on Giants really believe in the power of collective understanding, collective problem solving and collective action. Working closely with them, it was a real pleasure to see these collaborative community values in action.
Working with other companies in the B Corp movement not only creates mutual benefit for like-minded companies but strengthens the movement as a whole as we all grow together.
– Rob Fawkes, Head of Brand & Communications
To check out the magic of the mini community created when our two teams came together, do take a look at our case study for this project.
B Corp ripples create waves
Since certifying as a B Corporation, Standing on Giants have lost count of the number of conversations they have started within the community. We too have found that what starts as a ripple can become a wave, having worked with several B Corporations since we certified, and starting many new conversations all the time.
If you’re thinking about certifying as a B Corporation, we highly recommend taking this step and would love to welcome you to this amazing community. To learn more, check out the B Impact assessment, and maybe go and create your own waves. If we can help in any way, we’d love to hear from you!