Jess Hatzis and Bree Johnson are Co-Founders, Creative Directors and long time friends. Together they have two businesses- Willow & Blake; a content agency providing creative thinking and writing for brands and frank body; a Melbourne made, coffee based skincare brand.
Jess and Bree met while working the same part time job at university. They bonded over a love of the internet and coffee. They created Willow & Blake originally as an online magazine, which led to freelance copywriting and eventually the establishment of the agency in 2011 (along with partner Erika Geraerts who has since left the business). Willow & Blake is responsible for developing creative ideas and content for brands such as Grill’d, Elle MacPherson Body and Pana Chocolate.
Jess and Bree met while working the same part time job at university. They bonded over a love of the internet and coffee. They created Willow & Blake originally as an online magazine, which led to freelance copywriting and eventually the establishment of the agency in 2011 (along with partner Erika Geraerts who has since left the business). Willow & Blake is responsible for developing creative ideas and content for brands such as Grill’d, Elle MacPherson Body and Pana Chocolate.
Their second business, frank body, had a more serendipitous start. Jess and Bree’s co-founder, Steve, was working in his café when two women asked for coffee grinds to use as a body exfoliant. At the same time Jess and Bree were looking for a product they could market through social media. It was, according to the pair, the ‘Eureka’ moment. Not afraid of late nights or dirty work, Jess and Bree helped their co-founders Steve and Alex make the scrub by hand early on, however as the company grew, they were able to outsource manufacturing and focus on the marketing. Jess and Bree have used their social media savvy to create a global cult following for frank body; the brand now has 689,000 followers on Instagram.
A self-funded start up, frank body has sold over 2 million units in 141 countries and is continuing to expand. After generating rapid growth online the business has recently progressed into offline retail with Mecca Maxima in Australia and Urban Outfitters in the USA. The brand will continue to diversify sales channels and grow their online presence in their pursuit to take over bathrooms worldwide.
Both businesses have strong community platforms: Willow & Blake takes on two pro bono jobs per year, to the value of approximately 3% of annual revenue. frank body has supported numerous charities including Charity: Water, an NGO focused on clean and safe drinking water for people in developing countries and is excited to be partnering with Pink Hope in 2017.
Jess and Bree were listed the #1 female entrepreneurs under 40 by Startup Daily in 2015 and Ernest & Young ‘Entrepreneurs of the Year’ in 2016.
They credit coffee and a brilliant team for their ability to run two businesses.
A self-funded start up, frank body has sold over 2 million units in 141 countries and is continuing to expand. After generating rapid growth online the business has recently progressed into offline retail with Mecca Maxima in Australia and Urban Outfitters in the USA. The brand will continue to diversify sales channels and grow their online presence in their pursuit to take over bathrooms worldwide.
Both businesses have strong community platforms: Willow & Blake takes on two pro bono jobs per year, to the value of approximately 3% of annual revenue. frank body has supported numerous charities including Charity: Water, an NGO focused on clean and safe drinking water for people in developing countries and is excited to be partnering with Pink Hope in 2017.
Jess and Bree were listed the #1 female entrepreneurs under 40 by Startup Daily in 2015 and Ernest & Young ‘Entrepreneurs of the Year’ in 2016.
They credit coffee and a brilliant team for their ability to run two businesses.
