I doubt that the junk salesman in the souvenir store needs much of a purposeful, actionable strategic plan, nor the seller who changes his product or service every time the market shifts. These are not necessarily businesses that are keen to have a long-term positive impact on the world.

But if you run or are launching a natural or organic product brand, especially if you are sustainability-minded, it is essential to think about strategic planning from the get-go (and determine how you will integrate strategic alignment and planning into your day-to-day work).

In fact, it’s essential to do more than think about it—you must take action and work with all your stakeholders to craft a strong, actionable plan (both verbally and in writing) to serve as your foundation for all decision-making and next steps.

Cosmetics company? You need a strategic plan. Chocolate maker? You need a plan. And, critically—if you are sustainability minded and you intend to become a B Corp by seeking B Corp certification, a solid business plan that governs your strategy and purpose will be core to all of your operations.

Strategic planning is crucial for a mission-driven company, especially one aiming for B Corp certification. Most articles you will find about crafting a strong strategic or business plan will focus on the need to prove to investors that you are worthy of their time and capable of achieving sufficient revenue to justify their monetary investment.

BUT this is by far not the only reason to create a truly actionable strategic plan. The reasons that follow are only a smattering of the worthwhile reasons for putting the time and energy into creating a strategy (and working with a consultant to address all pain points and directions of the process).

How Do I Align My Mission with Operations

Your strong strategic planning process helps ensure that every action your company takes is aligned with your mission and core values. For a mission-driven company, the strategic plan acts as a roadmap that connects the company’s purpose—such as sustainability, social justice, or environmental impact—with practical steps for daily operations, growth, and decision-making.

Non-mission-based companies can get away without planning because they often chase profits, feel free to exploit along the way, change when the market shifts, and sign on vendors, suppliers and employees without regard to core values or purpose.

But a strategy that looks forward and includes mission and vision is vital for B Corp certification and other sustainable-minded companies. The stakes are too high to “just roll with it,” and according to B-Lab, the company’s operations must reflect a commitment to positive social and environmental impacts​. In the future, the commitment required will grow to include showing proof of the actionable steps a brand has taken.

How Can I Meet B Corp Standards?

B Corp certification requires companies to meet rigorous standards across multiple areas such as governance, worker treatment, community engagement, and environmental impact. This is why B-Corp certification is so well-regarded and such a prize to achieve for a sustainability-minded brand. This is also why a well-thought-out strategic plan ensures that your company is ready to (and plans to) continuously improve in these areas, demonstrating accountability and progress in both the short and (especially) the long term​.

Without a plan, you and your team will get lost, forget what’s important, feel overwhelmed, lose sight of core values, and fail to meet objectives in a way that aligns with your intended purpose. You don’t want that. Instead, you want to PLAN.

Can I Plan for Sustainability and Scalability?

Without strategic planning, it’s difficult for mission-driven companies to grow. Strategic planning helps set clear financial and social impact goals so that growth is achieved without compromising on ethical standards and by maintaining a clear sense of core values. You want to grow (as all businesses do) AND serve a worthwhile purpose or mission within your community or in the world.

A solid strategy supports you as you scale while maintaining your social, environmental, and governance commitments​ to B-Lab or whatever other certifications you pursue (such as Fair Trade, cruelty-free, 1% for the Planet, and many others).

How Can I Engage Stakeholders?

Your suppliers matter. Whom you hire matters. A strategic plan helps guide your team’s efforts to engage with everyone important to you: employees, customers, investors, communities, AND the earth (all of these are stakeholders, not shareholders) and this helps to ensure that each group’s interests are considered and aligned with your company’s mission.

Stakeholders can come and go (and you may fire some vendors and suppliers, lose customers, and disengage with employees) but your INTENTION in working with them, at every stage, must be driven by your strategy and purpose.

How Can I Measure and Improve Impact?

With a strategic or business plan.

With such a plan, you set measurable goals and track progress in social equity, sustainability, and environmental impact. Then, regular assessments and adjustments will keep your business on track to not only maintain certification but also improve your positive impact over time​.

A strategic planner or purpose consultant can help you decide what to measure, when to measure it, and what to do with your data in a way that supports your long-term mission.

Natural & Organic Brand Coaching

Herbal entrepreneur, author, speaker, and coach Holly Bellebuono provides powerful 1:1 coaching for natural brand leaders. Her work with natural and organic product brands, including herbal, aroma, clean beauty, cosmetics, skincare, chocolate, tea & coffee, and organic food & beverage brands, can help you:

• formulate strategy
• develop vision
• expand leadership skills
• bounce ideas
• assess your plans
• review concerns and challenges
• implement innovative and profitable next steps for success.

Holly's strong business services are especially for small to medium organic brands, including strategy and business planning, business coaching, customized course design and build, and speaking services for events. Holly also supports aspiring authors with book proposal development, 

With 30 years’ experience in entrepreneurship, finance, project management, strategy, and planning in both for-profits and non-profits, Holly is known as a discreet and powerful coach.

Holly’s business courses move a business forward with practical and "tactical" skills. Holly’s Product Maker’s Business Bundle combines three essential courses for natural & organic brands.