Values represent the essence of a business

Developing and maintaining in a business a culture that aligns with its values will generate loyalty and positivity from both customers and staff.

“A business needs to be representative of its leaders and that needs to filter down through the entire organisation,” said business transformation specialist Amanda Wright. “Values are so important to a business because the more you can align them to those of the customer the more likely they are to respond positively to you. But it works internally as well.”

The couple set up Yellowyoyo in 1998 after careers in running businesses of all sizes.

“Our decades of experience mean that we understand how to run businesses, deliver impact and enrich customer experiences across all channels,” said Mrs Wright. “In a world where interaction and communication are ever changing, the only constant is that as channels develop so must businesses and brands.”

Yellowyoyo has evolved into a business transformation company, working with clients looking to enhance their brand and business ahead of a new chapteroften an exit. “Quite often we find when we enter a. business that they are not ready for exit but they are ready to start the journey,” said Mr Wright. “The business platform is not strong enough to make the change in strategy and a big part of the platform is how they deal with people, what their culture is like, how they hire people.”

Inevitably, change brings stress. “Part of the way of dealing with that stress is to generate the right culture, the right team ethic towards change. It is very challenging.

“A business has had to grow through change, with digital and hybrid working and that causes stress in any organisation. Any change causes stress. You have to lay the ground rules and understand how this change affects people - some will be able to cope, others will not.”

Changing times have brought radical changes in working practices. Hybrid and remote working are now the norm and that creates trust issues. The key, said Mrs Wright, is to have the right team around you and to create an environment in which leaders can trust their staff to deliver.

Yellowyoyo’s office sits in the beautiful Bedfordshire countryside just outside Cranfield. Its location creates an inspirational and calm backdrop to the business. Yellowyoyo staff also gather in a co-working space in Central Milton Keynes in order to talk with each other and to gather the thoughts of other workers based in the building.

“You have to trust the people working for you but it is good to bring them together regularly, for meetings or social activities,” said Mr Wright. “We use a community hub in thecity centre so our people do not have to come all the way out to our office but can still co-work and feed off other people. It is about building a community and it is important for us to be part of that community and have access to that wider community and everyone can use it.”

Yellowyoyo continues to thrive thanks to its relationships with clients built up over many years.

“Those who trust us to ensure their businesses and brands are irresistible and en route to their desired exit,” said said Mrs Wright.

“That trust and those relationships are the catalysts to our success stories. They are the proof that we continually strive for the best possible outcome and keep our clients’ - and team’s - best interests at heart.

“Being authentic is very important to us. Any business represents its leaders and that needs to filter through. There is a genuine, authentic desire to help our people and our clients to be the best they can be. That is something that runs through what we are.”

An organisation’s culture is constantly evolving with the wider business environment.

Communication is key to keep pace and recruiting and retaining ambitious staff.

“Creating the right team around you is crucial,” said Mr Wright. “We need to employ people who want to get on and we have to give them the leeway to fail and not worry about it. As soon as people are frightened of failure, it stifles them.”

Added Mrs Wright: “Conversations when the

Stella is proving a star attraction

Meet Stella, onsite decompression specialist at business transformation company Yellowyoyo. All the staff and clients love her.

“They take you out of yourself,” said director Amanda Wright. “Stella is lovely. She’s a quiet dog and is a pressure valve release in the best way. She brings that to the office every day.

time is right keep people aware and comfortable in their decision-making. Taking your people with you is really important - it sounds obvious but it is not always the case. Keep talking, keep it fresh.” As a business and brand