2023 Benefit Company Report
Read about how we are doing business better as a
certified Benefit Company
Introduction & History
In 2023, Rational Unicorn Legal Services PC completed its 6th year in business. Rational Unicorn has been certified as a benefit corporation by BCFG since 2018. Our core values were modeled after the values we think should be reflected in our community:
Attainable for people from all backgrounds and walks of life to access affordable business law and intellectual property law services;
Collaborative in our engagement with clients and organizations that share our values and ethics;
Inclusive by our support, advocacy, and hiring of people who represent the diverse nature of our community; and
Connected to our clients through responsive communication using modern technology.
Our Manifesto
We believe that community business law can and should be for everyone in the community.
We feel that being our true, authentic selves is the only way to be.
We know that dreams come true with passion, patience, and perseverance, not just hustle.
We trust that hard work will pay our bills - and pave our future.
These values guide us as we work to fulfill the benefit company promise of putting people and the planet ahead of profits.
2023 Points of Major Significance
For the Community: Education & Outreach
Education has been an integral part of our business since the beginning. In 2023 we continued to offer speaking engagements for local business organizations in addition to our own webinar series. In alignment with our values, we ensure these educational events are affordable and accessible to as many business community members as possible. We have continued our “pay what you can” ticket pricing tiers for our webinars.
In addition to our webinars, our attorneys presented over 50 educational seminars during the year, in partnership and collaboration with community organizations. In 2023, we provided more than 300 business owners and nonprofit leaders with free legal information, because we believe that as the capacity of our community increases, it empowers all of us to do better business!
We continued our long relationships with community organizations such as Business for a Better Portland, Hannah Kullberg’s PNW Food & Beverage group, Music Portland, Prosper Portland, Black American Chamber of Commerce, The Foundry Collective, Latino Built, MESO PDX, Balanced Breakfast Music Summit, Small Business Development Center’s veteran’s group, and the Business Builders program hosted by the Oregon Small Business Development Center at Portland Community College.
About People
We made an effort to increase salaries and wages in 2023, and increased our employee wages by approximately 12%. We also offer all our employees flexible schedules and remote work arrangements, allowing everyone the opportunity to do meaningful work in ways that support their other life commitments. We also offer our employees unlimited time off to pursue health and wellness goals, unplug and relax, and connect with loved ones.
Our network continues to grow as we find new ways of serving our community. Some organizations we connected with for the first time included Adelante Mujeres and the Oregon Festival and Events Association.
In April 2023, we hosted the Small Business Spring Mingle, a multi-chamber networking event. Our team invited 33 local chambers of commerce and similar business organizations with the goal of having networking opportunities that felt both unique and authentic. This event was a hit with our clients and our community partners and fulfilled our goal of connecting people in collaborative and authentic ways that are also FUN!
We were invited back to the APANO Business Resource Fair in February 2023, Portland Pride in July 2023, and ThriveCon by Passages to Success in November 2023.
We held a collection drive of household goods for Community Warehouse in April 2023.
Additionally, we donated approximately 6% of our net income to charitable organizations in the community that serve low-income business owners, promote equity and inclusion, celebrate our community’s diversity, and protect our planet’s natural resources.
About Planet
Rational Unicorn’s goal is to be as gentle on the planet as possible! Ongoing efforts in the environmental category include being as paperless as possible in an industry that is known for voluminous paperwork. In the office, we separate trash and recycling and promote energy saving practices.
One employee rides her bicycle to the office whenever possible. And remote work is prioritized in an effort to minimize the pollution caused by commuting and to facilitate flexible schedules.
Future Goals
People
We are powered and sustained by people, and our company’s well being is a direct result of our wellbeing as humans! To further support and care for our people, we will:
Increase wages to a family-sustaining wage
Offer paid time off - not just time away - for all federal holidays and during our two week holiday break at the end of the year.
Ensure all employees have access to affordable health insurance
Profit
We believe that investing in our community creates exponential returns. We know that as businesses grow and succeed, families thrive, communities rise, and economic empowerment creates transformative social change. We are committed to doing good, profitable business so that we can:
Continue to offer affordable rates to clients, ensuring that everyone in the community has access to high quality legal services
Establish a relationship with a nonprofit organization to provide pro bono legal services to income-eligible business owners and community organizations
Continue to donate 5% or more of our net profit to charitable organizations
Planet
We believe in being kind to the planet and living in harmony with the other living creatures we share it with. To demonstrate our commitment to the planet, we will:
Participate in a Washington-based environmental program that promotes energy savings in remote work and office environments.
Poll our employees about their community and environmental priorities for new areas of focus and develop a plan together with the employees to address those priorities.
Encourage employees to adopt habits and practices that have the dual-benefits of being gentle on the planet and promote health and wellness.
Summary
In 2023, Rational Unicorn not only sustained its core mission of providing accessible, collaborative, inclusive, and technologically-connected legal services, but also deepened its community roots and reinforced its commitment to people, planet, and profit. With educational outreach exceeding 50 seminars and a substantial 6% net income charitable contribution, the firm positively impacted many people and organizations. Internally, a significant wage increase, flexible schedules, and remote work opportunities demonstrate our dedication to employee wellbeing. As Rational Unicorn moves into 2024, we look forward to achieving our ambitious targets to raise wages further, enrich benefits, adopt more planet-friendly practices, and strengthen community investment. Rational Unicorn is committed to holistic growth and the pursuit of purposeful business as a certified benefit corporation.