More than a tick-box: our B Corp blog

What does Pending B Corp actually mean? (and why we’re comfortable saying ‘not yet’).

By Claire Mellon, Co-founder and Chief Client Officer

If you’ve seen us describe Cohesion as a Pending B Corp, you might have paused.

Pending… what exactly? Is it nearly a B Corp? Is it a softer version? Or is it just business-speak for ‘we’ll get round to it one day’?

Fair questions. We asked them ourselves! Rather than letting the term sit there unexplained, we wanted to be clear about what Pending B Corp actually means and why it matters to how we’re building Cohesion.

What is B Corp certification?

B Corp certification recognises businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. It looks beyond profit to assess how a company governs itself, treats people, serves customers, supports communities and considers its environmental impact.

It’s independently assessed, evidence-based, and reviewed over time which brings us neatly to the word Pending.

What does Pending B Corp mean?

Pending B Corp status is designed for early-stage or newer businesses that are committed to B Corp standards but don’t yet have enough historical operating data to be fully verified.

In simple terms, it means:

We’ve done the assessment, we understand the standards, and we’re publicly committing to measuring and improving our impact as we grow.

It’s not a shortcut – it’s a starting point.

Why this matters to us as a financial planning firm

Trust is fundamental in financial services. It’s earned through actions, consistency and accountability, not labels.

When we founded Cohesion, we wanted purpose, governance and responsibility embedded from the outset, not added later once a business is established. Pending B Corp gives us a structured, transparent way to do exactly that.

What happens next

Over the coming months, we’ll be focused on:

• Tracking and reporting our impact
• Learning where we need to improve
• Sharing progress openly, including what’s challenging
• Working towards full B Corp certification.

For us, being a Pending B Corp isn’t about being almost something. It’s about choosing to build Cohesion thoughtfully, responsibly and with intention from the very beginning.

Because doing business with purpose isn’t about getting a label quickly. It’s about earning it properly!