30 Students Turned to Graphic Designer Entrepreneurs Who Created Their Own Businesses

Ever since Shillington was founded in 1997 we’ve had some amazing talent come and go through our doors. And we couldn’t be prouder of our Shillumni and where their creative careers have taken them throughout the years. Creative, driven and amazing self-starters—today we highlight some of our graduates that have started their own businesses, post Shillington! Read on to hear their stories.

1. Harriet Williams: Co-Founder of Projekt26

As well as running the Vintage Poster Market in London, Harriet started a business selling vintage Polish posters with a friend—Projekt26. 

More on Projekt26 from Harriet:

Originally from the faraway hills of Masuria in Poland and the Kentish countryside, we now live near each other on a leafy green hill in south-east London. Our friendship was cemented when we discovered a shared passion for mid-century art and design over a cup of Sylwia’s incredibly strong tea.

We were sitting chatting about how much we both loved her Polish Cyrk posters, when the idea for Projekt 26 was born. With our combined knowledge of graphic design and Polish culture it felt like it was meant to be.

The more we learn about this exceptional era of Polish poster art, the more we fall in love; not only with the Polish posters themselves, but with the incredible and iconic artists who created them. We are both drawn to a very similar aesthetic which informs our buying choices; bold, witty and often naively illustrated pieces which have the ability to make us smile. We like to sell posters that we would proudly hang on our own walls. (The only downside is parting with them!)

We are again living in grey times, but we hope to be able to inject a little bit of colour back into the world with Projekt 26. We hope very much you’ll fall in love with Polish posters too.

2. Eman Abdallah: Founder of Urban Bees (Cairo)

After graduating Shillington, Eman wanted to find a way to combine her passion for the handmade, academic background in studio arts and newfound graphic design skills she had developed at Shillington. She found herself developing a great curiosity for the traditional craft of beeswax candle-making so she started Urban Bees. Urban Bees uses locally-sourced pure Egyptian beeswax to make different self-care tools such as candles and all-natural balms. And all their offerings are handmade with care and intention in small batches in Eman’s living room in the heart of downtown Cairo.

More on Urban Bees from Eman:

Around the time I was quitting my agency position back in July, I felt that I wanted to start a project that is rooted in using materials. I knew my work and livelihood would come out of being a freelance graphic designer but what am I going to do for my soul and heart?

what could possibly utilize my passion for the handmade, my academic background in studio arts as well as my growing graphic design skills that I started at Shillington and have been growing ever since? After a lot of seeking, I was found myself developing immense curiosity towards the traditional craft of beeswax candle-making, so I started Urban Bees.

Urban Bees was born out of a need to have a more grounded and calm life in my beloved crazy city Cairo. I utilize locally-sourced pure Egyptian beeswax to make different self-care tools such as candles and all-natural balms. What attracted me to beeswax were the countless benefits and magical properties whether for candles or for our skin. All our offerings are handmade with care and intention in small batches in my living room in the heart of downtown Cairo. The product photography and art direction work is the result of a collaboration between Najla Said and I.

3. Stephanie Halovanic: Co-Founder of Halo House

As well as landing a role as a brand writer at Pinterest, Stephanie also founded Halo House. A photo and film studio she created with her sister Anne-Marie. Based in Austin, Texas—they work with brands and artists to tell stories through commercials, music videos, short films and photography. It’s the culmination of 6 years of NYC ad agency experience between the two—which they’ve combined with an art-house flair to create unique and colourful work.

More on Halo House from Stephanie:

Halo House is a photo and film studio I co-founded with my sister Anne-Marie Halovanic. 2020 was the year of unprecedented experiences and silver linings, and Halo House is a story of just that.

I left NYC to be closer to my sister early in the pandemic. She is a photographer, filmmaker and designer. I am a writer, art director and film director. With skills in different areas and a shared drive to create, we started making work together for the first time. We moved into a little blue house and set up a home studio. Halo House was born. With a full-service creative studio in our living room, we made our start with photoshoots for different brands and musicians. We worked with the film and TV studio BL&S to produce our first film project, a short film called But Humble Sinners. This film started a whole new chapter.

At Halo House, we shot a spec commercial for Starburst in collaboration with the Austin-based vintage store Oddball. We created our first music video for the artist Kitty Coen and continued our collaboration with Oddball with a photo series for their 2021 collection drop. Today we define Halo House as a photo and film studio by two sisters. We work with brands and artists to tell stories through commercials, music videos, short films and photography.

For me, my love for writing and directing exploded. As the writer and director of But Humble Sinners, I got to make the most me thing I had ever made. The short film is about two foul-mouthed nuns who scam a cowboy for a coffin. It’s an absurd dark comedy that is ultimately an expression of female friendship and ambition. The film feels like Fleabag and Broad City met Portlandia for a threesome at Wes Anderson’s house. It will be released at film festivals in summer 2021.

I am currently working on my first feature film called Penance. It’s a dark comedy about a young Catholic girl. I will leave it at that.

4. Ana Prodanovich: Founder of STUDIO PRODA

Studio Proda is a Brooklyn-based branding company that creates to unite people. Studio Proda is a Brooklyn-based branding company founded in late 2019 by Ana Prodanovich. Studio Proda realizes the power of human connection and creates to unite people with brands. Their work spans across a diverse portfolio, including fine jewelry, beauty, healthcare, and home improvement. Led by a team of founding members across multidisciplinary backgrounds, Studio Proda partners closely with brands to unlock their full potential.

5. Brandin Graham: Founder of The Graham Agency

The Graham Agency is a freelance company that Brandin started shortly after graduating Shillington. Having already started 2 limited streetwear companies, and designing for other upstart clothing lines, they had a slight demand for work as more people found out they were attending graphic design school.

More on The Graham Agency from Brandin:

I always wanted to be my own boss and work within a creative space with no one dictating how, when and where my work took place. TGA’s goal is to be a diverse outlet for anything creative from food, to fashion, to photography, to packaging design and the list goes on.

By providing work for family and close friends in the early onset, my clientele has started to rise through word of mouth which is honestly the most pleasing thing, because it cuts down on soliciting of clients as I get overwhelmed with on social media. I get joy out of new challenges and I try to learn as much as possible in between projects as my level of design begins to grow. Shillington opened my eyes to so many different aspects of design and I want to take in as much as I can so that I am that much more valuable to my clients. I still have a long way to go as there is so much to master, but being able to start a company and work for myself is the most fulfilling thing to me!

6. Nneka Njoku: Co-Founder of Penny Magic

Nneka is a multidisciplinary artist who brings curiosity, introspection, and emotional connection to the creating process. Born in Nigeria, and based in New York City by way of Trinidad, Scotland, and Minnesota, she cares about culture-informed design and research. She offers seven years of nonprofit management and business communications. Nneka’s skill set includes: website management, graphic design, social media strategy, as well as photography, video editing, and writing. Nneka holds a B.A. in Business Law from University of St. Thomas, Minnesota.

More on Penny Magic from Nneka:

From new brand launches to flagship rebrands, we produce fresh, high-quality, multimedia campaign services that resonate with target audiences and produce results…and we bring our whole diverse selves to the table while doing it. We are a young Twin Cities based firm founded by an eclectic team of talent whose tenures reflect marketing, graphic design, copywriting, product startups and media work, from Fortune 500 to sustainable nonprofits. We are also all different skin colors and genders reflecting many different countries and experiences.

7. Jessica Di Scipio: Co-Founder of Good Times and Associates

Founded by Jessica Di Scipio and Benny Grocott, Good Times is a temporary design and communications studio with a focus on creating good experiences for our clients and their clients. Good Times provides Digital Marketing, Graphic Design and Photography services to a range of clients; including wellness, e-commerce, hospitality, architecture and design.

More on Good Times from Jessica:

Together with the assistance of friends, we create identities, websites, printed matter, photo editorials, digital-first strategies and art direction for commercial and cultural clients.

8. Juliette Van Rhyn: Founder of Studio Shimo & Co-Founder of Good Shape Studio

Studio Shimo is a creative project by London-based textile and graphic designer Juliette van Rhyn. Inspired by a long walk through Tokyo’s Shimokitazawa neighbourhood in 2019, Juliette decided to create a brand with the same feelings of warmth and nostalgia she felt in the vintage shops and record cafes there.

Having recently launched, uliette is currently selling a range of fine art prints with a clean, modernist sensibility and focus on colour combinations. In time she plans to extend Studio Shimo’s offering to include a selection of homewares, apparel, and paper goods. The studio motto is ‘A Bright Life’, and the work reflects this gentle, positive approach to design and living.

Alongside Shillington London teacher George Simkin, Juliette also co-founded Good Shape Studio. Where they work together to explore the intersection between design and play.

More on Studio Shimo from Juliette:

I’m still going to be working as a freelance designer alongside this, and want to keep open-minded to where it takes me. In an ideal world it would evolve into a multidisciplinary studio offering a mixture of creative services and a curated selection of products.

9. Emma Curran: Founder of Emma Curran Design

Emma Curran Design is a boutique freelance design studio is for businesses and creatives who understand the importance of good design and want their visuals to be as inspiring as they are. Whether they’re developing a brand, product, website or service, Emma expertly helps craft and create something that is not only unique to them but that their audiences will remember and fall in love with.

Branding and website design are two areas that Emma enjoys working in and she has a particular love for working with female founded businesses and hopes to continue this into 2021 and beyond.

More on Emma Curran Design from Emma:

I started Emma Curran Design in 2017 after I completed the full time Shillington course in London. I always had a love for art and design and after many years of working in fashion and marketing, I learnt that every business has their own unique story to tell. I wanted to help bring these stories to life with the skills I had developed over the years.

I had always had an interest in creating and starting my own business and this became a natural progression after completing the course.

10. Frankie Young: Founder of Studio Neubau

Frankie Young was an Office Manager looking to upskill, never thinking that studying 9 months part-time at Shillington would lead her to start her very own design studio, Studio Neubau. Now she’s working with exciting, like-minded clients and creating beautiful work. Studio Neubau is a Brisbane based one-woman design studio collaborating with local and international clients to elevate their visual presence through bespoke print and editorial design, and minimalist visual identities.

More on Studio Neubau from Frankie:

After graduating from Shillington I worked with different studios, while freelancing as Studio Neubau. After three years in the industry I decided to shift my focus and dedicate myself to my own practice full-time.

I am an intentionally solo practitioner. This allows me to work one-on-one with clients, build genuine relationships and bring as much value as possible to each project. The work I create is directly informed by my constant quest to learn more about design in all of its forms. I layer this design vernacular into concepts informed by the story my clients/collaborators want to tell, and how that story aligns with their audience.

I am continuously evolving my practice. I aim to create refined thoughtful designs for my clients, that speak with quiet confidence. Rather than looking at what I can add, I am more interested in how much I can take away—to make the design impactful and compelling without any unnecessary clutter. I focus on typography and editorial design right now, along with publishing my first book.

Besides client and self-initiated projects I take on project-based freelance contracts that align with my interests in art and architecture, with companies such as Brisbane Festival 2019 and UAP.

11. Jamie Krups: Co-Founder of BALLET Grip Company

BALLET is a surf grip and clothing company that was founded with friend and fellow Shillington design student Seb Raubenheimer.

More on BALLET from Jamie:

Both Seb and I finished Shillington at the end of 2018, and after bouncing some ideas back and forth during 2019 we launched BALLET GRIP COMPANY on the first of the first, 2020.

BALLET is technically a surf-accessory company, however, its really just a platform for Seb and I to experiment with, collaborate with friends on and learn through doing. Having the opportunity to create designs which become realised physically has been a really interesting and rewarding process. All of this has stemmed from the skills we gained during our part-time course.

12. Emily Somers: Founder of Bravery Co.

Bravery Co. is a company and community that supports young women with cancer. Founded by Emily Somers, they create Australia’s only range of designer headwear for cancer warriors with 10% profit from each scarf donated to cancer research to end this stupid disease. Emily has also worked with fellow Shillington Melbourne graduate Eve Bracewell in the design of the scarves. 

More on Bravery Co. from Emily:

Emily Somers founded the business in 2016 after her second stint with cancer when she struggled to find any cool cancer headwear. The scarves are designed to make women feel stylish, powerful and confident. We want women to feel they can take on the world wearing a Bravery scarf – whether they have cancer or not. Within the range, there are designs that symbolise resilience through beautiful Australian natives, female strength and unity, the healing power of the ocean and even a celebration of boobs. She has collaborated with creative superstars such as Beci Orpin, Carla McRae, Ellen Porteus, Eve Bracewell, Lily Windsor Walker, Marie Chateur and Suzi Kemp.

13. Anna Dai: Co-Founder of Heapssmall

Heapssmall is a creative design studio from Melbourne. Started by three visual artists (Anna Dai, Lucia Gajdosova (also Shillington graduate) and Bradley Whitwell) who share a bunch of common goals; work with brands they believe in, be as creative as possible, have a heap of fun and then try their best to do all of those at once. 

More on Heapssmall from Anna & the team:

We especially enjoy working on branding and identity challenges — from concept development and strategy to illustration, social media, advertising and event campaigns. There isn’t much we aren’t excited to try our hands at though we do like to focus on creating work with clients that we can be proud of so this generally starts with good communication to make sure we understand exactly what they are trying to achieve to be sure we’re a good fit. It has been an exciting twelve months since we started on this journey and we’re always heaps excited to hear about new projects and ideas that we might be able to help make happen.

Read her full interview on our blog here.

14. Lauren Danger Koste & Kat Berg: Co-Founders of Pretty Weird Studio

After meeting at Shillington, graduating and taking on freelance work—design besties Lauren and Kat decided to found a studio. 

More on Pretty Weird Studio from Lauren: 

We’re a pretty weird boutique branding and packaging studio based in Melbourne, Australia. Lets make some cool stuff!

My bestie (who I met at Shillington) and I started taking on freelance work together a couple years ago and it turned into a little side biz. We both have very similar styles and our skillsets balance each other so well. Kat’s a stupidly talented illustrator and typography nut (check her stuff out on Instagram) and I’ve got the gift of the gab with clients and love the strategic side of branding.

I’m so lucky to have an amazing design bud that I get to work with and bounce ideas off of! We tend to find ourselves working on a whole bunch of re-brand’s for local businesses and push out design assets for retainer clients (something I think most people don’t talk about but is 70% of #studiolife! We’re currently working on some pretty weird side projects and will be launching our website soon.

15. Ulrika Johnson: Founder of Belle Bellette

Founded by Shillington New York graduate Ulrika Johnson—Belle Bellete is a fun, colorful and Swedish stationery and design company in New York with the mission to spread joy.

More on Belle Bellette from Ulrika:

I have Shillington to thank for both the skills and courage to follow my dream. The fact is that I have been writing letters and cards to friends and family since the moment I could write, and my passion for bright colors have been very strong since I was a kidI went to Shillington to pursue this dream. You can ask my teachers about how eager I was to learn how to make patterns in Illustrator.

To combine the two and spread joy through whimsical and fun cards has been a dream of mine for many years. I love patterns, and incorporate them in most of my cards and designs. During Thinking of You Week in September (an international movement to celebrate the joy of sending and receiving hand-written notes and greeting Cards), one of the official hashtags were #SendACardDeliverASmile.

And for me, this is really what sending cards is about. In these unprecedented times of the global pandemic, a personal, hand-written note on a colorful card, probably means more to people (your friend, grandma, nephew or anyone that you miss, but can’t meet) than we can imagine. It is a keepsake. A piece of art you can put on the wall or on the fridge and a reminder that you are loved and missed. It is like a diary as well. You can save the cards you receive and pick them up many years later and read again.

16. Ayesha Mansour: Founder of AHH YES Studio

AAH YES is an art and design studio founded by Ayesha Mansour in De Beauvoir, East London. Ayesha’s work is rooted in playful simplicity: taking objects and moments from everyday life and reimagining them as happy gatherings of shapes, colours and words. She spent over 10 years working in branding for playful creative companies, bringing their visions to life through strategy, marketing and advertising. 

In 2018 she opened AAH YES STUDIO; a place where she could create these wonderful worlds rather than just play in them. Since opening her studio Ayesha has had the pleasure of launching products, designing spaces and creating identities with wonderful folk at renowned brands such as Frame, Ella’s Kitchen and Pip & Nut. In summer of 2020 she launched her first print collection: WOBBLE. A 10-piece series of limited edition prints that nod to snippets life in this strange new world. WOBBLE is available to buy on the studio shop and on interiors store Artists & Objects. Ayesha takes commissions and collaborations from both individuals and brands.

17. Anderson Ashbaugh: Founder of Superbloom

Superbloom is a super blog dishing on houseplants, garden + flora, DIY, mindfulness & more. At Superbloom, they believe in one thing: grow everyday. Superbloom is a biannual print magazine and media company covering ways to enhance the human experience through all things nature: from houseplants and edible flowers to botanical gardens and everything in between. Founded in 2020 as a homespun newsletter exploring a passion for living things, Superbloom has one motto: keep growing- everyday and in every way.

18. Cali Mackrill and Sarah Malik: Co-Founders of MALIK + MACK

Malik + Mack is a London based agency founded by Cali and Sarah after they both graduated from Shillington in 2018. They specialise in branding and strategy for founder run businesses both big and small. They have collaborated with Shillington teacher Hilary Archer’s studio twenty assembly and their clients include the likes of Wowcher and Knight Frank.

Since launching they have grown to a team of 5, including fellow Shillumnai Jonathan Stewart! They continue to be excited by projects that involve a founder’s blood sweat and tears on their way to re-shape the world.

19. Ashley Ronning: Founder of Helio Press

Ashley Ronning is a Melbourne-based illustrator and artist. Her creative endeavours began when she was five and she cut her own hair to complete a picture of a pony. She can usually be found in her studio drawing, risograph printing or working on her next zine. When her pens are down she’s playing pinball, going to gigs or having a tinnie in the sunshine.

Select clients include Hop Nation, frankie magazine, ABC, Milk Records, Archie Rose Distilling Co., The Wheeler Centre, Meanjin Quarterly, The Lifted Brow, Suntory Australia, PBS FM, Laneway Festival, Poison City Records and She Shreds magazine. 

20. Charlotte Carnegie-Brown and Ella Donald: Co-Founders of Duzi Studio

Founded by two Shillington London graduates Charlotte, Duzi Studio is a branding agency that is  passionate about working with companies that have a purpose. They also hired another Shillington London graduate Natalia Bagniewska!

More on Duzi Studio from Charlotte and Ella:

Being in our early twenties in London, we were exposed to so many talented and ambitious people, many who were setting up very forward-thinking and interesting brands. There was a need for the creative support and flexibility that an independent, hands-on studio could offer.

Since then, we have evolved into a female-led design agency with our HQ’s at The Ministry, SE1, which is notably where The Dolly Effect — a creative event series founded by Duzi that strives to encourage women from all corners of the creative industry to have confidence in their talent and their voice—was born out of.

We believe in beauty, but not just in the aesthetic sense; good and beautiful design is very important, and can help to tell a story in a meaningful way, but what really drives us are the people and stories behind the work we create at Duzi. We share a mission to strive for positive change. Our small team is made up of brilliant graphic designers, including Natalia (another fellow Shillumni) and we are able to offer a wide-range of services and support to our clients due to the versatility of our team, from Branding to Website Design; Social Media to Art Direction.

21. Kladi Vergine: Founder of PrintMySoul

Kladi Vergine is a visual strategist and founder of Studio Printmysoul, a Manchester-based design studio. Kladi and her team specialize in creating memorable branding and impactful visuals for both print and web. In addition to her design work, Kladi often leads graphic design masterclasses and hosts Creative Challenges for Adobe Live on Behance and the Adobe Creative Cloud YouTube channel. She also mentors young designers through Adobe’s Discord server. During her biweekly show co-hosted with Jesus Ramirez “Re-Work It,” the duo re-vamps viewers’ designs while sharing professional time-saving tips and techniques during each live stream. She had the chance to get in touch with the wonderful Adobe Live team while in San Francisco to present a residency proposal for Adobe.

At the moment, Kladi is working together with her team on more amazing projects for 2021. Keep your eyes peeled there are more exciting news coming up! To learn more about Kladi’s colorful adventures with Studio Printmysoul and visit the studio website and check out her personal website to get access to Kladi’s FREE Branding Bundle!

Read her full interview on the blog here.

22. Mark Hirons: Founder of Creative Waffle Podcast

Founded by Shillington London graduate Mark Hirons, Creative Waffle is a platform to help find creative confidence, grow, and learn. With its base being a weekly podcast hosted by Mark Hirons, Millie Powell, and Ya’Qub Mir. Along with the podcast, is the website. Fast becoming a hub of creative resources, books, websites, tools, and talks. Creative Waffle is working on becoming a powerful resource for designers and illustrators giving them the tools, connections, and advice they need to step into the industry. 

More on the Creative Waffle—Mark’s recommended 3 Useful Podcasts For Shillington Students:

1: 20+ Tips How to be Social Media Smart, 2: How to build industry connections, 3: The myths of Pricing creativity

23. Oyinkan Karunwi: Founder of Aseda Design Agency

Oyinkan Karunwi first developed her interest in design while studying law at university. She dedicated her free time to designing posters for parties and events whenever friends needed some help. She continued her work in law for 3 years as a business advisor in Nigeria but still felt the creative itch—wanting design to be more than just a side hustle. After learning about Shillington from a family friend, she knew this would be the perfect opportunity to upskill and become a better designer. Since graduating, Oyinkan is back in Nigeria and founded the Aseda Design Agency. She hopes to contribute to the growing design community and make an impact on creative literacy for upcoming Nigerian designers.

More on ASEADA from Oyinkan:

ASEDA (a-sh-e-dah) is a brand strategy and creative solutions company. Our goal is to help our clients build brands that are effective and delightful. Our core services can be broken down into STRATEGY, DESIGN AND ACTIVATION.

(1) STRATEGY: We provide our clients with brand strategy to cover everything from naming and brand positioning to target demographic research and competitive analysis. We also help our clients craft their verbal identity, covering brand personality, core messaging and tone of voice.
(2) DESIGN: Our design capabilities are based on designing brand visual systems (logos, fonts, colours, graphic assets) and designing brand collateral (anything from business cards to menus to tote bags).
(3) ACTIVATION: We also have in-house capabilities to bring brands to life through motion graphics, film, photography and environmental design.

We are proudly Nigerian and are passionate about building brands that are globally competitive and that people can fall in love with.

24. Amanda George: Founder of creative consultancy Raven

Founded by Shillington New York graduate Amanda, Raven offers a decade of experience that ranges from media strategy to design, with a focus on creative problem solving. The consultancy merges disciplines to create dual-pronged approach for brands within the lifestyle and luxury sector. Raven frequently collaborates with other designers, copywriters, strategists and engineers. 

25. Carla Zimbler: Co-Founder of Tszuj

Shillington Sydney graduate, Video Jockey and now business owner Carla Zimbler founded Tszuj—a stage design and light installation collective that she runs in partnership with Mikaela Stafford. At Tszuj, they design the visual aesthetic and spatial experience of a festival or performance through light-based sculpture and projection mapping. The process usually starts with a meeting, site-visit and an exchange of reference images and mood boards.

Read her full interview here.

26. Cari Sekendur: Founder of Butter Studio

Butter is helmed by Cari Sekendur—a Shillington New York graduate. Combining creativity and analytical thinking, Cari takes companies to the next level of their brand expression and recognition. Her creative approach is balanced by both a design and writing background as well as a tactical business sense, skills informed by her experience handling marketing and operations for fast-growing startups in New York City, Chicago, and Berlin. 

She has developed campaigns in visual design, art direction, and brand identity for a wide range of companies, including Nike, Viacom, Other Half Brewing, and Morgans Hotel Group. Her work has been exhibited in galleries from Paris to Los Angeles and featured in Hypebae, AIGA’s Eye on Design, and It’s Nice That, among others. She is proudly queer, a recreational boxer and soccer player, and passionate about giving voice to communities that are underrepresented.

More on Butter from Cari:

There’s nothing like love at first sight. We see, we feel, and we decide. At Butter, we shape the way people see, the way they feel, and the decisions they’re making about your company. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a global brand, we’ll make that decision an easy one. Through visuals, language, and interfaces, we tell the stories of game changers, in sports, tech, and lifestyle. We’re not your typical creative studio. We’re Butter.

27. Caroline Petersen: Founder + Creative Director of Gallery Design Studio LLC

Gallery Design Studio was founded by Shillington New York graduate Caroline Petersen. 

More on Gallery Design Studio from Caroline:

Passionate about helping B2B businesses with their ongoing communication design needs. We help our clients transform complex information into clean, engaging visual content. Relentlessly curious, we’re inspired by experimentation and always striving to better serve our clients.

28. Johanna Scott: Founder of Make Do Co.

Make Do Co. equips you with the skills, confidence and community to do meaningful work. Created by Shillington Sydney graduate Johanna Scott, Make Do Co. offers programs in mindfulness meditation, yoga, holistic leadership and business coaching. Courses are located in Orange NSW, and increasingly elsewhere.

More on Make Do Co. from Johanna:

Like most people, I had good and bad experiences in the workplace and I became curious about what makes work great, and what can make it stale and unfulfilling.

I was also curious about the business world’s potential to contribute really positively to the world, instead of this idea that you can only do good or make money. I was learning a lot about purpose and conscious awareness through yoga, meditation and other holistic practices and I thought it could be cool to bring these concepts into the workplace.

Simultaneously, really influential people around the world were sharing these ideas—reaching as far into mainstream business as Arianna Huffington and her sleep revolution and Google’s Search Inside Yourself program—and so I could see that health, wellbeing and purpose-led workplaces weren’t going anywhere. They will only continue to become more prevalent as more people experience the benefits. Also—I had an incredible experience working for a startup in New York, Betterment, which taught me that the ways we do business have irrevocably changed. I learned so much about the lean ways in which startups must operate and could see how smart and collaborative practices could help a team achieve so much in so little time. Combine that with design thinking and great design in general, I think we now have this incredible toolkit of modern skills and frameworks to do things like they’ve never been done before.

I think there’s a real opportunity for forward-thinking leaders to combine the benefits of design and disruptive technology with the potential of a solid, values-led business—the kind of business that doesn’t cause problems in the world, but solves them, and has fun doing it in the process. I aim to help businesses create the kinds of workplace cultures where this is possible with tailored programs and workshops, and I also work with individuals on their purpose and meaningful career path. After all, a great team is only the sum of its parts.

Read her full interview on our blog here.

29. Tom Jones: Founder of Vovi

Launched in May 2019 by Shillington New York graduate Tom Jones—Vovi is a studio that helps good brands amplify their positive impact through their digital presence. With access to great creatives and a whole lot of purpose, they look to make this world that little bit better, one design at a time. The studio has also hired other Shillumni Mamie Nicole and Ella Murray.

30. Shannon Sarussi: Life Coach & Meditation Teacher

Shannon has worked with TEDx Speakers, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and teachers. She has been featured in the UK’s No1 Female Empowerment Organisation ‘Smart Girl Tribe’.

She also has her own podcast called ‘Women Of The World’ which empowers and guides women back to their true selves. The podcast features a plethora of topics—speaking about everything from female pleasure, psychedelic therapy, recovering from illness with yoga, plant-based living, menstrual cycle syncing, entrepreneurship from the soul and sooo much more!