Who are you/what do you do?
We YOKO (You’re Only Kids Once), and we’re on a mission to brighten family life with products, interviews, offers, reviews and giveaways. We are Lizzie, Tricia and George – friends and slightly frazzled parents. We became totally fed up with the fact that there was nowhere that spoke to us as people first and parent second. We wanted to create a place where it was super cool and beneficial to be a family - a place that celebrated all types of family (not just mum-and-baby).
How has Covid changed your business?
Well, hasn’t this been an absolute Coronacoaster for everyone?! To be perfectly honest, it kick-started our business, but also, at the same time, completely changed the direction! At first, we wanted to create a physical space for families that was unlike anything we’d seen. However, that soon changed as lockdown meant we were no longer allowed to meet or go anywhere! Suddenly, everything we read or saw was overwhelming, depressing and grey. We knew immediately that our mission has to be to brighten up everyday family life. That’s when YOKO was born!
Is there a story behind the name (if it's not your own?)
YOKO stands for You’re Only Kids Once. We started off with the name, The Nurture Company. However, our brand designer (a talented creative and dad (@hadrienchatelet) said it was much too feminine and not vibrant enough for the vision we had. So, we listened. Went back to the drawing board. Sent what felt like a million Whats app messages and YOKO was the one that resonated the most with us, our friends and family.
How old is the business and how did you get started?
We started in April 2020, so we are box fresh! We basically started via Instagram, a bizmillion Facetimes and Whats app calls and endless to do lists! We worked with an incredibly smart lady @Canihavea_word who helped us focus on our main mission and from that day on we started to gain real traction. We began partnering with cool parents and brands to offer our YOKO collective fun insights into their life, career, products and services, not to mention some super cool offers too!
Do you have a style? What are you known for?
The feedback we’ve received so far is that we’re known for being fun, vibrant, inclusive and don’t take family life, or life in general, too seriously. People also love the insights, interviews and videos we do with people behind the brands we love.
Who/what/where inspires you?
People. Be it mums, dads, grandparents, entrepreneurs, kids. People are what inspire us. We love learning more about their life, work, family, loves, products and businesses. Guess you could say we’re super nosy. We love nothing more than introducing people both in real life and via Instagram. Connecting people with people, products, brands and ideas they might not otherwise meet.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
As you can see, we’re right on track with our goals….!
Lizzie: A physiotherapist or an actress! Obviously, I was very focused. I am surprised I could even spell it!!!
Tricia: I wanted to be a singer, a doctor, and a writer. Two of the three came true, to varying degrees, but I still don’t have an MD to my name!
George: A jockey (what a joke as I can’t ride and I’m 5ft 11” tall!)
What advice would you give your younger self?
Lizzie: Take lots of photos. All those times you weren’t happy with how you looked, you were young gorgeous and fresh-faced.
Tricia: Live in the moment instead of hurrying to the next step. Trust and believe in yourself.
George: Open your mind. Open your heart. Trust your gut.
How did you learn your craft?
We all come from very different backgrounds and bring different skills to the table.
Lizzie: I have worked with lots of well-known fashion brands all over the world; I particularly enjoyed working in New York. I have had lots of pinch me (is this happening) moments in my career but nothing has quite topped working with the YOKO girls. We all bring a different skill-set, and we all celebrate in each other’s successes, with that type of support it’s hard to fail.
Tricia: When I was training to be an opera singer in Paris, I documented my experiences on a blog and joined Instagram when it started, sharing pictures of the City of Light. That desire to connect with others opened up many opportunities, which led to my current career as a content creator and social media consultant.
George: I’ve worked in marketing and communications for years including Switzerland for a luxury brand. This then evolved into copywriting and setting up my own agency supporting many different businesses from start-ups to global brands.
What do you do on your days off?
Sorry, we’re parents and founders of a small business…. What do you mean by days off?!
Biggest highlight or achievement to date?
Being selected as a @Holly.Co @HollyTucker Small Business Inspirator is our biggest highlight to date. We screamed (and scooted) a LOT when we got the email!
Time to work on YOKO alongside our day jobs and families and in a global pandemic! Still working out how to solve this!
What sparks joy in what you do?
We love what we do. Like, really a LOT! We love the people we’ve met along the way and seeing how the brands we partner with grow and how the small business community really supports each other. It’s not just lip service, they really do and we couldn’t be happier!
Dream stockists/brand to collaborate with?
For us, we would LOVE to partner with brands such as Dyson, Jo Malone, The White Company, Glossier, Tesla, Ben & Jerry’s, Spotify, Netflix, Child’s Farm and Method. As well as cool independents such as Punks and Chancers, Gus and Beau, Colour Celebrations, Cub and Pudding, Happy Self Journal, Of Unusual Kind and of course, you (TFAF!). Our dream is to develop special insights and offers for our YOKO gang and discover new ways to bring amazing products and services to families worldwide!
Any lessons you'd pass on?
Don’t be afraid to switch up your offer and evolve it over time. Try new things, if they don’t work, so what, try something else. Most of all, have fun while you’re doing it – otherwise, what’s the point?!
What's next for you and your business?
In the coming weeks, we will launch the first of our much-anticipated giveaways. But these are unlike any giveaway you’ve seen before. We will literally transport you and immerse you into a totally different place and bring joy to your feed and family life in ways that you’ll never have experienced before! Question is, are you ready?!
Find YOKO:
Instagram: @yoko.global
Website: yoko.global
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