Talibah Bayles, Founder & CEO of TMB tax & Financial, in action leading a workshop with entrepreneurs on becoming bankable, accessing capital, and raising money. 

Earlier this year, TMB Tax & Financial officially joined Alabama’s growing community of certified B Corps. Already incorporated as a Public Benefit Corporation through the help of Fortif Law Partners, TMB decided to certify its impact with B Lab, the nonprofit organization that oversees the worldwide certification. 

Working alongside Profitable Purpose Consulting in their Certifyin’ & Storytellin’ cohort, TMB worked through all five sections of the B Impact Assessment, and finished with a verified score of 131.8, ranking them in the top 5% of B Corps worldwide. 

With a mission to help underserved entrepreneurs navigate the overwhelming, and often overlooked, financial side of starting a business, TMB operates throughout the southeast and Talibah prides herself on helping startups become bankable CEOs. She even has a podcast, Black and Bankable, that interviews guests, shares tips, and helps its listeners better understand what they need to do as they get their business up and running. 

We recently sat down with Talibah to talk about her B Corp certification, why she pursued it, and what’s next for TMB. 

PPC: You did it!!! How does it feel to finally be a B Corp? 

Talibah: Wow. Truly feels amazing. Becoming a B Corp absolutely depicts the business model of TMB. It’s a formally measured and globally recognized action of putting your data where your mouth is!  Personally, becoming a B Corp depicts me taking a challenge head on…and winning big!  Not only did we score the required 80 points, we scored 131.8.

PPC:  Why did you join the Certifyin’ & Storytellin’ cohort last year? What was it about becoming a B Corp that appealed to you, and how did working with a regional B Corp consultant help you navigate the process? 

Talibah:  For me, joining the Certifyin’ & Storytellin’ cohort was really about creating an accountability circle with like minded CEOs wanting to become a B Corp.  Having you guys (Profitable Purpose Consulting) serve as the Cohort’s B Corp Regional Consultant was truly a priceless opportunity for me to have along the way.

PPC: What in the heck is going on in Alabama? In under a year, the B Corp community has grown from one to six. Was this just an untapped business community that’s always been purpose driven, or has there been a shift in terms of resources, philosophies, generations? 

Talibah:  I personally believe society at-large is calling for a movement that not only “feels good” and “speaks good”, but actually DOES good.  There’s a movement towards accountability that is palpable.  Here in Alabama, there most certainly is an untapped business community that is purpose driven and eager to tap into the efforts to expand the list of B Corps in our state. I’m excited to be on the front lines of this movement towards doing business for good.  I’m ready to serve as a resource for more businesses in Alabama to join the Community. 

Talibah Bayles, Founder & CEO of TMB Tax & Financial, moderating a panel at BLD Southeast last September in Raleigh. The panel covered best practices for social entrepreneurs looking to raise capital. 

PPC: By now, you’ve met a ton of southeastern B Corps and been pretty well embraced by the community. How can we collectively continue to welcome new B Corps and help them as they scale their profit and purpose?  

Talibah:  The B Corp Community has been amazing – intentionally inclusive.  During last year’s BLD Southeast Conference, I had the opportunity to meet and form a working relationship with a few of “B Corp Rockstars” (this includes you, Nathan LOL).  I also learned more about curating policies and procedures to support TMB’s business model as a B Corp.  The connections that I’ve made already in the Community have resulted in real business opportunities for TMB. I’ve truly jumped in feet first and ready to work.  I’ve already accepted a couple of leadership positions and am serving on the Executive Committee for this year’s BLD Southeast Conference and as a member of the Leadership Team for the B2B B Corp Network.  

PPC: With your initial B Corp certification behind you, what can we expect to see from you in 2024? And how do you plan to get involved in the Alabama B Corp community (and beyond)?

Talibah:  In a few days (not weeks), TMB will be launching our new web platform, Bankably™- a revolutionary new platform designed to address the critical challenge of access to capital for underserved small business owners by providing them with the tools and resources they need to thrive. I’m super stoked about Bankably™…truly a reflection of the work we’ve been doing for years in the access to capital space. Whew…I don’t want to turn this blog post into a doctoral dissertation.  I have just that much planned on the very near horizon for TMB.  Ha ha!  

Talibah’s new venture, set to launch in the next few weeks, will help underserved small business owners access the capital they need to grow. 

Profitable Purpose Consulting is a full service culture and impact agency that specializes in B Corp certification. While they’re headquartered in Georgia and their heart is in the southeast, they work with clients around the world and have a network just as global. At PPC, it’s not just the certification, it’s successfully implementing every part of the process and telling the story of the good you do.