6 life lessons

Six things random things, from Andrew
(Previously published here as part of this post.)

1. Some people become progressively less able to think for themselves the more times they are promoted within an organisation. Sometimes I wonder if they undergo progressive lobotomies - it's certainly one possibility.
2. Be very suspicious when people make exaggerated claims about themselves or what they can do for you. Obviously this doesn't apply to Qryztal.
3. On the other hand, never ever put yourself down. There are plenty of people in life who will delight in trying to destroy your self confidence - they don't need you to help them.
4. Speaking of foes, these can sometimes be found within one's own family (thankfully not mine) or disguised as friends. But they will always show their true colours in time. And when that time comes, having one or two true and trusted friends is going to help ease the blow.
5. If at all possible, build your support network when things are going well. Hopefully those people might be there for you if times get hard. But be prepared to be misunderstood and perhaps abandoned by the ones who are only there for you in times of fair weather rather than foul.
6. If you are kind and good-hearted... there are those who will take advantage of you. But you will reap what you have sown - the good stuff will be paid back to you. (I can't say what happens to those who cause harm, upset and distress to others - but you can bet it won't ultimately be pleasant for them. The seeds that they have sown will grow into a particularly distasteful crop.) 

What's it like to work for Qryztal?

Here's what our people say about Qryztal:

"It's the only place l know where having a big vision of the future is an absolute requirement."

"Whatever happens, I know I can count on having support and encouragement. That means a lot to me."

"Qryztal is where ideas come to life."

"Innovation is what it's all about - starting from something that already exists, putting our unique twist on it, and then taking it to a higher level."

"Qryztal is about synergy and making the most of every opportunity."

"At Qryztal I'm inspired to do my best work and to believe that things can always be better."

"Continuous improvement and business excellence run through everything we do."

"Qryztal embodies the best of traditional British values and ideals. Our culture is one of honesty, trust and respect."

"Qryztal is where I can truly be myself."

Supporting our people always

When something hasn't gone the way we wanted it to, it would be all too easy to resort to blaming people and having an argument about it. Easy, but wrong.

It's wrong because it sows the seeds of negativity.

It's wrong because it's destructive.

It's wrong because it intimidates.

It's wrong because it alienates the very people that we need to have on our side at all times.


What's right is to accept it as something that's happened, to regard it as something that we can all learn from, and to move forward from here together, united in pursuing the vision.

This is right because it keeps us focused on our goal.

It's right because it draws the team closer together.

It's right because it makes us stronger.

It's especially right because we have a hand-picked team and we know that we need each other in order to succeed.

And it's right because supporting our people always is one of our core values, and it's one of the key characteristics that sets Qryztal apart from other companies.

It's all about people

We often hear things like this: "Surely the customer comes first. And isn't the customer always right?"

Well... no, and no.

Our priority at Qryztal is to ensure that we support, equip and encourage our people. This starts with our directors, who benefit from each other's skills, abilities and time. In good times and bad, they remain committed to the vision and to seeing things through to the end. More than just business associates, they are friends who share the responsibility for the company and who take an active interest in each other's wellbeing.

As the company grows, we will remain true to this priority. When we need to put formal structures in place to support our people, we will do this without stifling their creativity and personal development. We will provide in-house benefits such as free coaching, with the aim of equipping our people to be the best that they can be.

So, our people come first.

But isn't the customer always right?

No, if they're asking for something that doesn't fit with our vision and our business model. No, if they're demanding a product or service at less than the going rate. And no, if they're requesting something unlawful or something that would facilitate unlawful acts.  Better to turn away a customer, having educated them in some way, than join in the race to the bottom and lose our direction and integrity.

To reiterate, our people come first, as do our values, ethics and integrity as a company. As a result of that, all of us are then empowered to focus on the customer and their needs.

Hello and welcome!

Following on from the formation of Qryztal Ltd, welcome to our blog! Here we will share with you news about our company, the work that we do, our thoughts, ideas and values - and anything else better suited to a long-form post rather than Facebook (which we'll mainly use for links and short posts).

While we're on the subject of Facebook, please 'like' and share our Facebook page and also the pages for our operating divisions Qryztal Computing and Qryztal Consulting.

You can also find us on Twitter: @QryztalCompute and @QryztalConsult

Our webpage for Qryztal Consulting is here: http://consulting.qryztal.com/

You can email us at info@qryztal.com
or phone us on 07931 406038 (Computing) or 07398 200318 (Consulting)

Qryztal - the company

Qryztal is more than a company. It's a vision of a way of doing business - making money while maintaining our core values of clarity, honesty and integrity. Everything that we do is driven by the motivation to make a positive difference - whether that's a computer repair, coaching someone through a difficult situation, or whatever new challenge we take on.

Qryztal is about relationships:

• It's about caring for our people. We believe that in order to serve our customers well, we must first of all support and nurture our staff. Properly resourced and valued people enable us to deliver excellence and to delight our customers.
• It's about understanding our clients, surpassing their expectations, and generating new business based on recommendation. All that we do, we do it to the best of our ability - and we charge a fair price for it. There are no hidden extras or last-minute add-ons to the bill.

Qryztal: born out of the shared passion of our directors for doing business, and doing it well.