Author: Ruth Hartnoll

When we started Matchstick back in 2018 (before we even had our name) I couldn’t have predicted the journey we would go on. We’ve proudly employed over 15 matchsticks, many of whom had their first jobs with us, we’ve worked with many clients who share our passion for purpose-driven business and we’ve done stuff we know we’ll look back on and think, “We definitely got that bit right.” Running a business is a strange beast where you constantly feel out of your depth, like you’re never not chasing money and that you’re constantly having to innovate to stay afloat. Thankfully we took a more purposeful path that made all of the chaos, joy and late nights worth it. 

When 2023 came along and we had to make some of the hardest decisions we’ve ever had to make as a business, we paused and said “What now? What will keep us going?”. We went back to the drawing board and thought about all the stuff we liked about the previous six years and some stuff we wanted to avoid. At the top of the “Yes please” list was a rebrand. Our old brand had served us so well, but we knew that by shifting our services we also owed it to ourselves to put on a new suit (more likely dungarees) and reintroduce ourselves to the world. 

So, what’s new?

The main driver for our rebrand was our shift in services. We wanted to do more of what we loved, which meant more “thinky” time and less “do-y” time (technical terms). 

We stripped back our services to the stuff we really add value on:

Think

• Business and brand strategies – Because we’re B Corp, we were already advising beyond our marketing and comms remit to help businesses understand how to embed good growth across their organisations. We’ve formalised this by introducing proper business and brand strategy services so people can find a clear path, increase their social and environmental impact and achieve growth in a way that doesn’t feel gross. 

Clarify

Brand identity and voice – We love working on branding projects and we’re proud to have done it for some outstanding purpose-driven organisations. We’re here to make your visual and verbal identity sing. Take a look at our recent work for Hemsec and The Experimental Arthritis Treatment Centre for Children to get a feel. 

• Brand experience – With our own skills deeply rooted in user experience and content, we’ve kept this in our creative toolbox. We can still support you with website development and creating collateral. Whether you need an Impact Report designing, a cornerstone digital asset to shout about your great cause or want to communicate something in a thought-provoking way, we can help. 

Act

• Stakeholder engagement – Without realising it, we were doing this stuff already but were using different language for it, so it’s the same service with a new name. This can take in everything from stakeholder interviews and workshops to our totally unique Firestarters events. We don’t just want your brand to talk the talk – you need to walk the walk as well. We’re only going to tackle The Big Stuff™ if we spark conversations and ignite action from the people in power.

We’ve updated our purpose, vision and mission as well but our values remain: act with empathy, lead with authenticity, stay curious and change things for the better. 

We’re still us, but with more focus. 

What’s the Good Growth stuff you keep mentioning?

Growth is important for any business, but what’s more important as a society is supporting businesses who want to achieve good growth. Good growth is when we think about people, planet and profit equally. Do we want to make money? Of course. But where does that money go after it has been made? Good Growth businesses are focused on reducing their environmental impact, supporting their local communities and creating work environments people want to be part of. All businesses should be working towards this, so it’s become our mission to make it happen. 

This video sums it up nicely, actually:

Who did your rebrand?

That’ll be I Am Female, a queer-led communications agency for brands tired of the same-old sh*t. To say they understood the assignment is an understatement. By pairing our new verbal identity (created by Ruth) with their visual creativity, we have created something we’re proud to call home. 

Just look at it:

What the future holds

The concept of being able to predict the future right now feels laughable to say the least. With the world’s most powerful climate denier back in the white house, a roll back on ED&I initiatives already being seen and a significant lack of movement on the climate crisis, the world feels scary and unpredictable at the best of times. To run a business at the moment, let alone a purpose-driven business, is an audacious quest fraught with perils (here be dragons). But persist we must. The only way to predict a better future is to set about making it. 

If you want to be part of the Good Growth movement we’re here to help. We’ll create a clear path amongst the chaos, build thought-provoking campaigns that change minds and bring people together under a shared goal. The future is as good as we make it. Let’s get to work. 

On June 24th 2022 The Supreme Court overruled the landmark 1973 case Roe v Wade. This truly breathtaking decision has left many women, including myself, reeling from the news. To quote my colleague, I am both shocked and completely unsurprised this has happened. 

I wanted to take the time to comment on this from the only lens I have; my own. Rather than focus on the facts (this Guardian article does it better than I could) I wanted to focus on my own experience of abortion and how this decision in America will affect women in the UK. As someone who runs a purpose-driven business, I have a duty to speak out about the things that affect our planet and the people who inhabit it. This may sound lofty, but it’s the truth. Difficult conversations have to be had for progress to be made. And for me to be sitting here writing about a decision that was reached 50 years ago is blood boiling. 

My experience with abortion

When I was 21, I needed an abortion. I became unexpectedly pregnant, was in the middle of studying and had no intention of giving up on my aspirations to support a child. To this day, I am still resolutely child-free. It is by design. I chose, and continue to choose, to not have children. I was able to make that decision when I was in my twenties and I would make the same decision now. The idea that a group of men I have never met could change the way my life looks feels far too Attwoodian to me. 

As many wise women have said before me, making abortion illegal doesn’t stop them from happening. It makes them dangerous. Since the beginning of time women have been carrying out abortions and they will continue to do so. All this decision has managed to achieve is to add yet another layer of stress, anger and hurt to an already difficult situation. Abortions are needed for a myriad of reasons and all too often the dialogue surrounding them lands on trauma. Not wanting a child should be reason enough. I am exhausted having to explain this. Abortion is a medical procedure. It is only when the church or state gets involved that it becomes anything but.

So why does this effect women in the UK? If the richest country in the world can make this decision then it is highly likely our own government will have had similar thoughts – and even conversations. When reproductive experts in America said “they’re coming for Roe v Wade next” people called them hysterical. Doesn’t that sound familiar? To downplay a woman’s concern surrounding her autonomy and body? 

For the last three days this decision has sat uneasily with me. It has felt like a sob clinging to the back of my throat. It has forced me, and many other women, to think back to a decision that is often difficult (and sometimes I would like to stress, not at all difficult). Our feeds have been filled with stories of women’s trauma, the very immediate decisions they will have to make and how their future plans have altered drastically. 40 million women are affected by this decision. 40 million. Their fates decided by people who will never have to live through their experiences. 

So, what do we do?

I always tend to be an action-driven person. Whilst it is important to mourn, get mad, yell into the void and create voodoo dolls of the men who made these decisions, it is also important to take positive steps. When faced with such an enormous outcome as this, it’s important to focus on small things you can do to feel like you’ve got some control. 

Let’s take the power back, together. 

Here’s what I’m going to do:

1. Invite women to speak about it in a way that’s helpful to them. Want to yell? I am your sounding board. Want to sit quietly and fume? I can bring tea. If you are in my network and beyond, reach out to me so we can talk it out: ruth@matchstickcreative.co.uk
   
2. Donate to Planned Parenthood. The bastions of common sense in difficult conversations such as these – the money will go to help those people affected by this outcome.
   
3. Create an environment in my own business where it is normal to talk about abortions. Business leaders can encourage better understanding and more positive action. This is what being purpose-driven truly means. 

I know you’re tired. I know it’s exhausting to keep explaining the glaringly obvious about something that shouldn’t even be a conversation anymore. But by taking these small steps, we can do something. 

For now, I’ll end with some iconic nonsensical Latin from Margaret Attwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, the ultimate cautionary tale of what happens when you take away women’s autonomy. “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum”, loosely meaning “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” 

This decision may feel like a massive defeat, but together, we can achieve small victories.