On her One Year Anniversary as a member of Team Boo, Amy shares her thoughts about her role…

One year ago today, I dug out my mascara and cast about for something to wear that wasn’t a pair of leggings (choosing black elasticated trousers, the closest possible thing in the whole world to leggings). I handed over my six-month old to his grandparents and off I sailed, emerging from maternity leave with the fog of relatively new motherhood still clinging to me in tendrils.

First things first in the office – here is your gratitude jar, that’s where we keep the chocolate. Oh there’s the office dog.

I didn’t know companies with a culture like ours existed, but I had strong suspicions that I was going to enjoy this post during my interview, which was centred on my strengths, and my values. I talked about my favourite things about previous roles and happy memories with former colleagues.

My job is to convey our wonderful ideas to the world. Sometimes I succeed. I’m the Business Development lead, but I like to style myself as a ‘Happiness Ambassador’, a smiling face of Boo. You see – we’re not aggressive, we’re not cutthroat, we’re not pushy. We don’t cold call, we don’t advertise. We make friends, we inspire, and we get a lot of repeat business.  I could ring a thousand people and try to convince them that a butterfly is beautiful, but they’ll only believe it truly when they see one floating past. If we’ve ever floated past you, you’ll know what I mean. 

I really want the company to thrive so I can work here forever. However, I am also thoroughly invested in our purpose, which is this: we want everybody to be happy, healthy and valued at work; trusted, treated fairly, with real opportunities to learn and grow. Feeling a sense of purpose and belonging; experiencing kindness; able to give their all without draining themselves dry. Whatever this looks like for them and their industry.

What do we do?

We teach bosses to be better bosses. We don’t wrestle companies out of crisis. We are not boss Borstal. We are not Supernanny.

In organisations with fertile soil and the desire to grow orchards, we gently plant the seed of change. Leaders become coaches and mentors to teams they trust and value. Those teams learn how to properly care for each other and themselves.

We guide people towards finding gratitude and joy in every day; they end our programmes astonished by the power of these two simple treasures.  We show them how to make decisions from the very core of what makes them who they are. We encourage women in particular to aspire, to care for themselves, to be properly selfish, so that they can be their best selves for those they love and lead.

We’re not a charity, but we do change lives. 

We are a business with enormous social value, but without the business bit, there can be no social value. Luckily our products speak for themselves, but I speak for them too.

 Amy