Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.

This quote comes from Robert F. Kennedy’s renowned Day of Affirmation speech at the University of Cape Town in 1966 — a speech that influenced many, from President Barack Obama to myself and the other co-founders of B Lab. While some of RFK’s language wouldn’t resonate today, his overall message and the imagery of an individual’s actions creating ripples has served as a personal inspiration and a strong basis for B Lab’s theory of systems change. This theory proposes that perhaps the most important ripples a company can make are those that lead to change outside of the business, and that each change, each ripple can grow outward to drive the culture shift and behavior change that will harness the latent power of business to address our greatest challenges. Companies of any size, including those with only a handful of employees, can dip a toe in the water and send forth the first ripple.

Several small-to-midsize businesses in the B Corp community are leading with some of the most innovative and transformative business practices. These thought leaders are applying their values to their business practices, walking the talk and starting a ripple that affects their entire business ecosystem. Let’s look at a few examples of smaller B Corps that have taken on huge challenges and built a current of ripples as a result.

Read the full article about companies creating ripple effects that make a difference by Jay Coen Gilbert at B the Change.