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# Becca Bolton of Considered by Design on Building a Business With Impact Designed In
- URL: https://www.foundedbywomen.org/women-who-lead/becca-bolton-of-considered-by-design-on-building-a-business-with-impact-designed-in/
- Published: 2026-10-22T08:42:47.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-22T08:42:47.000Z
- Author: Editorial team
- Tags: Women Who Lead

Becca Bolton is the founder and creative director of [Considered by Design](https://consideredbydesign.webflow.io/?ref=foundedbywomen.org), a Sydney-based creative studio that uses design as a tool for positive change. After more than a decade in the creative industry, she stepped away from the traditional agency model to build a studio that works with people and organisations doing important things for people and planet, from climate technology pioneers to the Australian Marine Conservation Society and UNSW.

Alongside client work, Becca spent nine months creating Soulfull, a 194-page self-published cookbook and art book that brings together 12 recipes, 12 personal stories, 12 original artworks and 38 contributors. Each book sold helps provide 16 meals through OzHarvest, and the original artworks will go to auction at a launch with Berkelouw Books on 19 November in Balgowlah.

In this Q&A, Becca shares why she left agency life, what it was like to be her own most difficult client, and what she would tell founders who want purpose built into their business from day one.

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### Q: You spent a decade in design before stepping out on your own. What pushed you to make that move, and what has surprised you most since?

After more than a decade in the creative industry, I started questioning what success actually looked like for me and whether the way we were working was really sustainable. I absolutely loved being a designer, but I was becoming increasingly disconnected from the traditional agency model. The long hours, the pressure, the burnout, and sometimes the feeling that we were creating more and more without really questioning why. I kept thinking, surely there's another way to do this?

I've always believed that "the brands we create, create us". Design has an incredible ability to influence culture, behaviour and the way we see the world, so I wanted to build a studio that was much more intentional about what we put into it. That's where Considered by Design came from: a creative studio built around using design as a tool for positive change.

We've been fortunate to work across some incredible projects, from climate technology pioneers like MCi Carbon and MGA Thermal to the Australian Marine Conservation Society and UNSW. It's really special being able to help communicate complex, world-changing ideas in ways people can actually understand and connect with. But I also knew I didn't want to build another traditional agency. I wanted to explore what happens when we take all those creative capabilities and use them to build our own ideas too. That's how Considered has evolved into a much bigger ecosystem of creative ventures, publishing, media and impact-led products.

What has surprised me most? Probably how unconventional, and sometimes lonely, the whole journey can be. There's a romanticised idea of entrepreneurship, but nobody really talks about the financial pressure, uncertainty, self-doubt and responsibility that come with building something yourself. It's why I created co:talks (considered talks), my podcast and interview series exploring the realities of building differently. Our first series is called Unconventional Is Lonely as F\*\*k, which sums it up pretty well. But I've also discovered an incredible community of founders, creatives and changemakers who are questioning the same systems and creating their own paths. I'm learning that success isn't necessarily about having the biggest business in the room. It's about creating meaningful work, building something commercially sustainable and having a life that feels aligned with what you genuinely care about.

### Q: Soulfull took nine months alongside client work. What did building your own product teach you that client projects never did?

Where do I even begin! Soulfull has been one of the biggest learning experiences of my life, creatively, personally and commercially.

It started with a little idea of bringing together everything I love most: food, art, storytelling, creativity and people. I've always said "food should be the sixth love language". It's so much more than what's on the plate. It's culture, memory, family, community and a way of connecting people from completely different walks of life. Nine months later, that idea became a 194-page self-published book bringing together 12 recipes, 12 personal stories, 12 original artworks and 38 contributors.

It has become much bigger than a book. We've brought together wonderful people and organisations like OzHarvest, Bush to Bowl, Good & Fugly and Kevala Ceramics, alongside artists, a poet, photographers, chefs and storytellers. The wider interview series has also let me have conversations with people like Maggie Beer, and through the co:talks podcast and YouTube we've documented the people and stories behind the project. Stay tuned for the series "For the people, from the people". We're proud supporters of OzHarvest, where one book purchase helps provide 16 meals to people experiencing food insecurity in Australia, and the 12 original artworks are going to auction at our launch with Berkelouw Books on 19 November in Balgowlah, raising further funds for their work. And I did all of this while running Considered!

I've spent my career helping other people bring their ideas into the world, but this time I was my own client. And I can confirm, I'm probably the most difficult client I've ever had. I had to learn an entirely new industry: publishing, printing, production, wholesale, distribution, e-commerce, PR, podcasting, interviews, writing, marketing, sales. The list goes on. Not to mention funding the whole thing myself. But the biggest lesson has been understanding the difference between creating something and actually building a business around it. You can have the most beautiful idea in the world, but you need the strategy, resilience and commercial understanding to bring it to life and get it into people's hands.

Soulfull has taught me just how much I'm capable of creating, but also how powerful collaboration can be. It's a beautiful example of what happens when you bring good people together around an idea they believe in.

### Q: Impact is built right into how you sell, with every book providing meals through OzHarvest. What would you say to founders who want purpose in their business from day one?

The first thing I'd say is don't wait until you've "made it" to start making a difference. You don't need to be a huge business with enormous resources to do something good. I really believe the little decisions we make, and the things we choose to support, can create meaningful change. Purpose needs to be genuinely part of how your business operates, rather than something you add because it looks good.

That's something I've been exploring across the entire Considered ecosystem. Considered is our creative and commercial foundation. Through our impact store, How Good, we're exploring how commerce and product development can become vehicles for positive impact. Soulfull brings that thinking into food, publishing, art and community, with a direct connection to food relief. We're also developing Nets of Change, a circular design initiative exploring how recovered ghost fishing nets can be transformed into useful products, while supporting marine conservation, in partnership with organisations including the Australian Marine Conservation Society, Dhimurru Rangers, Plastic Collective and Counter Forms. Then there's co:talks, which creates space for conversations with people who are challenging conventional ways of thinking and doing business, because storytelling and sharing knowledge can be powerful forms of impact in themselves. We're also exploring experiences like {plentyfull}, which brings people together around food and meaningful conversations beyond the digital world. They're all different projects, but they come from the same place.

I want to show that creativity doesn't have to stop at making something beautiful. We can use it to start conversations, create businesses, bring communities together, challenge existing systems and contribute something meaningful. I also think we need to talk more openly about the commercial realities of purpose-led business, because doing good and making money shouldn't be mutually exclusive. We need businesses that are financially healthy, that can employ people, support other businesses and keep contributing long into the future. I'm certainly still figuring plenty of that out myself! But that's what excites me most about the future of Considered: we're not just helping other people bring good ideas into the world anymore. We're building our own too, and hopefully showing that you don't have to follow the conventional path to create something meaningful.

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