By Jacqui Bialocki
When women collaborate with intention, something powerful happens. Not just partnerships. Not just profit. But progress. On the Mornington Peninsula, two of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs are proving exactly that, building much more than a brand and redefining what modern business can look like when women back women.
Chain Social founder Shelby Van Zwol, above left, launched her female-led digital and creative agency in 2016 with a bold vision: to sit at the intersection of performance and aesthetics. Following this direction, Chain Social has become a powerhouse for fashion, beauty and lifestyle e-commerce brands, blending data-led marketing, premium creativity and full-stack brand strategy to drive measurable growth.
The agency partners exclusively with brands it deeply understands, collaborating with leading Australian names including Bangn Body, Gem, and JSHealth Vitamins. Beyond agency services, Shelby expanded the vision through Chain Academy – a hands-on mentorship and training platform equipping founders and in-house teams with the tools to scale sustainably from within.
Enter Hannah Spilva. After selling her customisable floral and gift business Lvly to Limitless Technology for $35m in 2022, Hannah returned to entrepreneurship with Done, an Australian beauty brand transforming the at-home hair colour category. Designed for modern consumers who value performance and convenience, Done delivers salon-quality results in just 10 minutes at a $65 price point.
Rather than engaging Chain Social on a traditional billable-hours model, Hannah welcomed Shelby and the agency as equity partners in Done, aligning creative, strategic and financial interests in a way that reimagines the agency-client dynamic.
“After selling Lvly and launching Done, I initially set out to engage Chain Social as our marketing agency,” Hannah said. “But when Shelby came to me with the idea of investing, it instantly clicked. They are all-in, not just delivering services but investing their time, expertise and belief in the brand.”
For Shelby, the partnership represents the future of brand growth. “We’re different in our backgrounds and skill sets but we’re bonded by shared values and a commitment to helping women collaborate towards success.”
Both Shelby and Hannah give back to their team and community in the most rewarding and uplifting ways, whether it be in the form of generous team gifts and motivating training trips or supporting other female-led brands of disadvantage in their region. This is the power of female collaboration: moving beyond competition and into co-creation. It is about leveraging complementary strengths. Taking calculated risks together. Building ecosystems instead of empires.
In a landscape where founders are seeking smarter partnerships over bigger budgets, equity-led collaboration signals a shift. Agencies become growth partners. Creative becomes capital. Strategy becomes shared skin in the game.
And when women bring both courage and collaboration to the table, the result is not just a super brand, it is shared success.
For more information about Shelby and Hannah and their businesses, go to chainsocial.com.au and donehair.co, and on socials @chainsocial and @donemyhair
