A desire to help children in need led to the creation of New Zealand stationery brand Frank, which has so far donated more than 45,000 exercise books to kids who need them most.
Jess and Jason Holdaway were inspired to start Frank after watching a documentary on child poverty in New Zealand and discovering many kids go to school without basic stationery. They realised that with their combined skills—Jess’ creative mind and Jason’s business experience—they could create a brand that would not only sell products but also give back.
They settled on a model where they would donate one notebook for each one sold and leapt straight in, creating “a really average website” selling just four initial designs, explains Jess Holdaway.
“Setting up our business to directly give back to children in need was always an absolute priority for us,” she says. “We have always felt a connection to the community around us, understanding our part to play in everyone’s lives and stories.
“Every book that gets donated not only supports children in need, but equips schools to be able to provide the best education possible… Giving schoolbooks to help support children’s education continues to be the best part of the job for us.”
However, customers don’t just purchase Frank products because of the feel-good vibes. Since launching in 2012, the brand has expanded its range into beautifully designed journals, notepads and planners that help customers reflect and connect with themselves.
“Our stationery places the focus on ‘who you are’ not just ‘what you do’,” explains Holdaway. “There are tons of stationery, tips and ideas [out there] on how to become more productive, but we are focused on what kind of person are we becoming in the process of all our doing.
“Everything we create has a theme that helps you step out of autopilot and back into your authentic self.”
Frank is currently stocked in design stores across New Zealand and Australia, but with 295,000 children in New Zealand currently living in poverty and around 1 billion kids worldwide, there is a still lot of work to be done, and Holdaway says the pair is committed to keep doing their bit.
“The more the journey goes on, the more we have gotten to know our strengths and weaknesses; what fuels us and what drains us; what’s important and what isn’t,” she says. “Frank is equally a challenge and a gift to our lives. We are so in love with what we do.
“It’s knowing that our products are doing [good] for people who use them and knowing that the books we give away are helping children in need that are our biggest achievements.”
By Ruth Cooper
