Meet Our Small-But-Mighty Team
Sabine: Agency Founder & Cultural Shapeshifter (Amsterdam area, Netherlands)
- Strategic thinking +++++ 100%
- Conversion copywriting +++++ 100%
- Subversive cross stitching ++++ 80%
- Ice Skating – 10%
Hey! I’m Sabine.
If you’re in a hurry, all you really need to know is this:
Ever wished people came with manuals?
Here’s mine.
You could say I’ve been writing copy since I was 15, when I made ads to get pupils joining political groups and fighting for better education.
15 years later, I started the global copy team at LEGO Customer Service. The tone of voice, copywriting and advisor training we created made LEGO customer service emails go viral — such as the one that went out to Luka Apps. Proof that customer service is a marketing function.
The best way to sell anything is by truly caring for the person you’re talking to.
I then spent a few years at a London-based consultancy: writing web copy, voice scripts, chat and email messages for over 70 iconic brands.
Including cruise companies, online casinos, car companies involved in the emissions scandals… and British tabloids.
I was contributing to the climate catastrophe, xenophobia and inequality every day.
It was really during that time that I started to sense the urgency…
I simply could no longer ignore the fact that people and planet will soon go to **** if we don’t get our act together.
- If we want to make sustainability the norm, we need more sustainable communication.
- If we want people to take more responsibility, we need more responsible communication.
- If we want to break down the barriers that keep us from working together, we need communication that connects us.
That’s why I started From Scratch.
Because to stop climate change, save species from dying and make society more humane, we need a radical rethink.
We need a culture change.
Copy is the best (perhaps even the only) way to achieve that.
Which means, we need to harness the best that the humanities have to offer — from design thinking and UX practices to ecolinguistics, from psychology to socio-political studies.
When you work with From Scratch you’ll get someone who genuinely cares and is invested in your brand.
You won’t just get words, you’ll come away with a better understanding of your own brand and competitors.”
— Ashley Baxter, Founder, With Jack
Réka: Polyglot Multipotentialite, Passionate Earthling (Linz, Austria / Balatonlelle, Hungary)
- Thinking in systems +++++ 100%
- Working with nature +++++ 100%
- Painting birds +++++ 95%
- Singing – 20%
Hello, my name is Réka Gyöngyhalmi.
As a VA, I manage meetings, projects and the From Scratch inbox — amongst other things.
Feel free to connect on LinkedIn!
As a child, I read a lot of books written about the beauties of nature and how humans are destroying it. The words of Gerald Durrell, David Attenborough and Ric O’Barry have strongly resonated with me. Captain Planet became my favourite cartoon. After watching each episode, I argued fiercely for changing our family’s habits.
After obtaining a business degree, I studied conference interpreting (Hungarian-English-German) and learned some coding.
I’m happy to use all of my skills to serve a good cause, even if I’m not at the forefront of action. Working with Sabine is a great fit, as I love the concept that marketing can be used to benefit both the planet and companies.
Nadine: Word Weaver with a Heart of Fur & Feathers (Koblenz, Germany / Svitavy, Czechia)
- Poetic precision +++++ 100%
- Spotting the essence of stories +++++ 100%
- Fairy tale voice +++++ 95%
- Drawing – 20%
Ahoy! I‘m Nadine.
To merge the arts with the cause is what I discovered as my favourite way to convey a mission, to reach the heart and the brain, to tickle the feet of empathy.
Mine is the protection of the creatures sharing planet Earth with us.
What is it that you are dedicated to?
Let us explore language — the magic key to our inner and the external worlds, a sparkling soul warmer, an instrument everyone can play to reflect and spread their message.
I am grateful to contribute my craft to the commitment of this enchanting agency and to your mission.
My professional footprints:
1995-2001: First steps in print and radio journalism
2007: M.A. in Comparative Literature and Polish Philology
Since 2007: freelance writer and editor (focussed on literature and with deep insights in the e-learning, music, and fitness industries)
I am fluent in prose and journalism.
Do you want to know more? Find me on LinkedIn.
Julia: Where Creative Meets Analytical
(Ayrshire, Scotland / Lisbon, Portugal)
- Perfectionism +++++ 100%
- Argentine tango +++++ 100%
- Day dreaming about having an animal sanctuary +++++ 95%
- Ability to walk past the chocolate cupboard without ‘self-medicating’ – 20%
Hi there, I’m Julia.
I was going to give up copywriting and translation and open a packaging-free shop.
Like Sabine, I’d spent years writing copy that wasn’t in line with my values. In fact, I was encouraging people to buy more things they didn’t even need.
These days I combine my creative copywriting and branding skills with an analytical approach to help sustainable brands flourish.
Find out more on LinkedIn
Katrin: Design Thinking & UX Copy for People & the Planet (Karlsruhe, Germany)
- Design Thinking +++++
- Content Design +++++
- Mind-blowing calligraphy +++++
- Meditating
Hello there, I’m Katrin!
I was born with a green heart and an inquisitive mind.
Cleaning up the local woods was a political choice for my parents, so I followed their example. Wanting to change the world for good is not just a passion of mine, it’s an engraved character trait. Going vegan 12 years ago was a consequence of all the things that are wrong with how we treat animals and the planet.
I have a Master’s degree in English and German Literature, which is only logical: I’ve been reading and writing stories since I was first able to form cohesive sentences.
Words, accents, dialects: language is my constant companion and superpower.
Writing as a freelancer since 2006, I’ve always been very aware of how I want to do the “right thing” in my work. Having the opportunity to work alongside a passionate, dedicated team at From Scratch is really a dream come true.
When not at work, I listen to podcasts at 1.2x speed while caring for my two adopted cats and all the house plants I’ve accumulated.
Feel free to connect on LinkedIn
We’re 100% focused on your people & your purpose
Our work is firmly grounded in customer research, analytics, linguistics & psychology… and that all-important bit of poetry.
The transparent, clear SCRATCH process means you’ll always know what’s going on:
- Study the challenge & strategise
- Create a first draft
- Reality check with real people
- Adapt the first draft
- Two rounds of light edits
- Circulate the copy (or training)
- Harvest successes & lessons learned
Fixed-price projects help you budget: no ugly surprises at the start of the month.
Easy on the admin: book services directly on the website, accept quotes online and use (almost) any payment method you like.
We promise you’ll leave every project with a clearer idea of what goes into great copy and training. Which means you’ll not only write better yourself — you’ll also be a better judge of quality when hiring a writer or trainer in future.