At Your Creative, we’ve always believed in using design as a force for good — we’re different, so we can make a difference. In 2023, we decided to reinvent our business model so we could continue doing good work for good people while also making a significant impact in the following areas:

1. Our People

2. Our Processes

3. Our Planet

4. Our Community

5. Our Culture

Our journey, documented in our 2023-2024 Sustainability Impact Report, reflects our determination to make a tangible difference for our next decade of meaningful work. We asked ourselves how we could better align our practices with our values and contribute to a sustainable future. 

The initiatives we launched were aimed at reinventing business models for a sustainable future:

• Sustaining our planet: By reducing our carbon footprint, committing to ethical procurement, and offsetting our environmental impact, we aimed to make a real difference in climate action.
• Empowering our people: Through the ESOP and 4-Day Work Week, we sought to improve the quality of life for our employees, promoting equity and reducing burnout.
• Supporting our community: We wanted to ensure that our work reaches beyond our clients, directly benefiting causes that matter—like social justice, health equity, and Indigenous rights.

 

Transforming the way we work and lead

We began by reviewing and auditing our internal operations to identify opportunities for meaningful impact. Our Managing Director (Lauren Crystal) took on a Harvard Business School course on Sustainable Strategies and adapted her research and learnings for bigger businesses to an SME business like ours.

This led to several key initiatives:

1. 4-Day Work Week: We successfully trialed and implemented a 4-Day Work Week, allowing our team to work 80% of the time for 100% pay. This shift not only boosted productivity but also dramatically improved employee well-being.
2. Employee Share Ownership Plan (ESOP): To promote long-term equity and reward our dedicated team, we introduced an ESOP, offering staff ownership stakes in the business. This initiative reinforced our commitment to equitable business practices.
3. Sustainability leadership: Our dedicated sustainability committee launched the ‘Go Neutral’ campaign, focusing on composting, recycling, and localising procurement. Additionally, we started our journey to B Corp certification and joined the UN Global Compact to solidify our long-term environmental goals.
4. Pro bono and community work: We formalised our commitment to donating 5% of our service work to non-profits, resulting in $150,000 in pro bono contributions this year.
    

 

The direct outcomes

The results of these efforts have been both impactful and inspiring—not just for the business but also for the team that works with us.

• The introduction of the 4-Day Work Week led to a significant improvement in mental well-being for our staff, along with reductions in childcare costs. The ESOP has allowed invited team members to directly benefit from the success of the company, reinforcing our commitment to equity.
• Implementing Hassl (our internal project management tool) and refining our workflows resulted in a 20% boost in productivity. This cloud-based tool has not only improved project management but also made remote work more seamless, supporting our shift to a flexible work model.
• Partnering with Carbon Neutral, we accurately calculated and offset our carbon footprint, while initiatives like localising procurement and recycling with TerraCycle helped us further reduce our environmental impact. These efforts align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), providing a solid framework for future growth. Substantial contributions to carbon offsetting efforts, including tree-planting initiatives in collaboration with Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor and TerraCycle recycling partnerships. 
• Pro bono work with far-reaching impact, resulted in the growth of long-term relationships with the community with impact-driven results. These efforts included branding and digital strategy for the YES campaign in the Voice to Parliament referendum — the campaign had around 10,000 participants and was in the top 3 Google results for The Voice to Parliament YES information. and co-creating a web app for Rahma, a nonprofit supporting Arabic-speaking women. 

Key insights: a blueprint for change

For small and medium enterprises (SMEs), success lies in balancing purpose with profitability. Our journey has taught us that by prioritising people over profits and embracing sustainability, businesses can create long-lasting positive change. We’ve learned the importance of formalizing structures like the 4-Day Work Week and ESOP to ensure that equity and well-being remain at the forefront of our operations.

Moreover, our experiences have reinforced the importance of knowledge sharing. We’ve engaged with media, peers, and the wider industry to advocate for sustainable business practices, ensuring that the insights we’ve gained contribute to a broader movement of change.

Your Creative is proud to be leading by example—proving that even in a competitive, male-dominated industry, purpose-driven businesses can break the mold, make an impact, and succeed.