Our Mission & Values
Pursuing Big Impact Through an Entrepreneurial Mindset
At Next Street, we believe every small business deserves the opportunity to thrive. As an employee-owned, Certified B Corporation, we're deeply invested in our mission and the outcomes we help create. We build practical solutions with small businesses at the center and work alongside our clients to remove barriers, expand opportunity, and help businesses grow.
What We Stand For
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Authentic Joy
We strive to find pleasure in our every day, bringing our whole selves to work and maintaining a caring workplace.
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Bias Towards Action
We prioritize creativity, curiosity, and experimentation in our work while moving quickly and flexibly.
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Interwoven and Empowered
We build enduring relationships and work collaboratively across practices and levels, based on trust and empowering each other.
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Small Business First
We keep small businesses at the center of our work, and celebrate our team members’ passions, side hustles, and intrapreneurship.
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Sustainable Growth
We challenge ourselves to grow sustainably, and invest in our team to learn, stretch, and evolve so that we can all pursue our bold dreams.
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Anti-Racist
We are committed to being an anti-racist organization that challenges systems of injustice both as an employer and in our work.
Commitment to Anti-Racism
Committed to Long-Lasting Change as an Anti-Racist Institution
Since our founding in 2005, Next Street has strived to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, both internally and through the work we do. While we’re proud of what we’ve achieved, events in 2020 including the murder of George Floyd confirmed we needed to do more to support our employees, clients, and the communities of color that we serve. Today, we’re committed to long-lasting change as an anti-racist institution.
We define racism as the combination of power and privilege that upholds a system of white supremacy. We have made a series of commitments to help dismantle that system.
Through our work, we are accelerating the impact institutions and advisors have by providing BIPOC communities and businesses with the experts, networks, and capital they need to thrive.
Our 2020 Commitments
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Lay out our anti-racism statement and commitments
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Agitate for racial justice through individual and collective voice
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Assess and challenge our beliefs, internal practices, and hiring
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Act with partners to dismantle racist structures
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Account for our progress publicly through measurement and reporting
Our Journey
Six Years of Anti-Racist Action
2018
Leadership completes certified Anti-Bias Anti-Racist Training
2019
Inclusive Impact Committee launched to advance DEI across operations
2020
Anti-racism commitments published · All-staff Crossroads training · 2 paid volunteer days per year added
2021
Diversified Board of Managers · Inaugural Inclusive Impact Grants to 5 BIPOC businesses in Cincinnati, OH
2022
Long-term anti-racist compensation plan launched · Racial identity caucusing · 5 BIPOC grants in Cook County, IL
Firmwide anti-racist training completed · 8 BIPOC grants in Philadelphia, PA · Equity analysis across headcount, compensation, and promotions
“Our commitment does not end here. We will continue to apply what we learn through our Inclusive Impact work in support of our anti-racist commitments, and strive for anti-racism in all our work.”
Our Commitment Does Not End Here.
We will continue to apply what we learn through our Inclusive Impact work in support of our anti-racist commitments, and strive for anti-racism in all our work.
