From the very beginning, we were clear on two things:

• We wanted to make culturally aware, relevant, exciting creative work.
• And we wanted to build a place where we actually wanted to work - somewhere that people in our industry, locally and nationally, could look at and think, “that’s a good place to be.”

Some of that came naturally. Like most people in the creative industries, we’d had our fair share of experiences we didn’t want to repeat - late nights, burnout, unfair pay, and no clear paths to progression. So we built Edna in the opposite direction, shaping every decision around what we wished we’d had in past roles.

As we grew - from our first hire to a team of 15 - we found ourselves balancing the business around three simple pillars: Creative, Commercial, and Culture. Those three pillars keep us honest. They remind us that creative work is only ever as good as the people and structures supporting it. Without people, we’re nothing. But we can’t invest in people without profit, and there’s no profit without great creative.

About two years in, we decided to rebrand - saying goodbye to Us Studio, and hello to Edna.

That rebrand forced us to dig deep: What were our values? What made us different? What would we never compromise on?

At the same time, I (as Head of Culture) was doing a lot of work on what life at Edna looked like day-to-day, and the wider impact of our business. The more I researched B Corp, the more it clicked.

We were already asking ourselves many of the same questions in the criteria and, honestly, we weren’t asking some of them at all. That was exciting. B Corp offered two things:

• Recognition for what we were already doing.
• A push into areas we hadn’t considered, helping us grow beyond our own perspective.

We started thinking seriously about B Corp three years ago. But as anyone who’s been through it will tell you, it’s not a quick process.

Between an internal rebrand, a busy studio, and the reality that small businesses are constantly evolving, we didn’t officially start measuring until last year.

And we’re okay with that. The work is rarely neat. The timelines shift, the questions change - but that’s where the learning is. For us, this has never been about racing to the finish line. The last thing we want is to commit to things we can’t sustain, just to tick a box.

Right now, we’re in the thick of the evidencing stage - gathering the proof behind what we already do and identifying where we need to push further. Being small and ever-evolving makes it challenging, but that same adaptability keeps us sharp.

Here’s what we’ve learned in these early stages:

1. Timing matters

Starting this process as a young agency was a gift. We’ve been able to weave B Corp principles into decisions from day one. For older, more established businesses, making these changes can be more complex - but starting somewhere is still better than not starting at all.

2. Leadership buy-in is key

At Edna, we lead as five equal partners, with clear heads of our Culture, Creative, and Commercial pillars. Getting everyone on board early - and making sure the team understands why B Corp matters - has been critical.

3. Focus on the journey, not the badge

Even without certification, B Corp has nudged us to ask better questions - about how we pay people, who we work with, and how we show up for our team and community. A few of the changes it’s shaped already:

• Internal 360 reviews aligned to Edna’s three pillars
• Transparent pay banding
• Benefits that actually feel like benefits
• A 4.5-day working week
• Steering towards a values-aligned client base
• Partnerships with local universities to create opportunities for new creative talent

4. Keep it simple

We spent too much time trying to build complex systems for tracking points. What’s worked best for us is diving straight into the assessment, gathering evidence as we go, and letting the blanks highlight our next priorities.

If you’re further along in the process and have found smart ways to track your objectives outside of the platform - share them. We’d love to hear what’s worked for you.

We’re not certified yet, but the process is already reshaping us in ways that matter. It’s slower than we thought it might be, but slower feels right.

The next step is to keep evidencing, keep refining, and - most importantly - keep sharing what we learn.

If you’re on the same journey, or just starting to explore it, we’d love to swap notes.

That’s it for now — more to come as we keep learning.

Until next time,

C x