Meet Tony Robinson OBE: The Heart Behind Yorkshire in Business

Not every organisation has someone at the top who genuinely believes that your happiness at work matters as much as your bottom line. Ours does.

Tony Robinson OBE is the Chair of Yorkshire in Business, a Scarborough man through and through, and someone whose commitment to micro business owners and sole traders runs far deeper than a job title. He volunteers his time with us because he believes in what we're doing here, and because the local start-up community deserves someone in their corner who has seen it all and still cares deeply about getting it right.

If you've ever felt like the world of business support is too corporate, too distant, or too focused on growth metrics at the expense of everything else, Tony's story and his philosophy might be exactly what you need to hear.

The Man Behind the Mission

Tony is the author and co-creator of the Happipreneur philosophy, a movement that grew out of something far more serious than a catchy name. He, alongside Taryn Lee Johnston (author of the 400-page book The Happipreneur, now in its second edition), Jenn Crowther, and Ian Farrar, developed the concept after witnessing something deeply troubling.

They had watched many enterprising people who appeared outwardly successful but were suffering horribly behind the scenes. Debt, depression, and stress-related illness were far more common than anyone was willing to admit. They had even lost friends to these pressures.

That experience lit a fire. It shaped Tony's entire reason for being involved in the work we do at Yorkshire in Business.

What Is a Happipreneur, Exactly?

The name is deliberately a little tongue-in-cheek. Tony has said as much himself. But the thinking behind it is serious and, frankly, rather refreshing.

In Tony's own words:

"A happipreneur, like many of my colleagues, is happy in their work, at least 80% of the time."

That benchmark of 80% happiness is not meant to be a rigid target or a performance measure. It's a direction of travel. A way of asking yourself, honestly, whether the work you're doing aligns with your values and genuinely fulfils you. Tony is clear that reaching that mark took some people decades, and that's completely fine.

The philosophy rests on ten core values and five practical ways to start a new enterprise. And here's the statistic that really makes you sit up: Tony and his colleagues found that when enterprising people operate with these principles, over 80% of start-ups can survive their first three years of trading.

Compare that to Silicon Valley, widely celebrated by governments, investors, and lenders worldwide, where only 10% of start-ups survive the first three years. Ten percent. And many of those that do survive are run by people who are, by Tony's own observation, rich and deeply unhappy.

That contrast says everything about why the Happipreneur philosophy matters, and why Tony brings it directly into the support work we provide across Scarborough and beyond.

Why This Philosophy Shapes Everything We Do

Tony's involvement with us is not ceremonial. He helps direct our support, backs our ideas, and ensures that the guidance we offer entrepreneurs is grounded in something real. That means our approach goes well beyond spreadsheets and business plan templates.

When we work with start-ups and established businesses, we start where Tony has always started: with your "why". Not just what you want to sell, or how much you want to earn, but what genuinely drives you and what you want your working life to feel like. That foundation shapes everything else, from your target market and your pricing to how you build relationships with suppliers and customers.

We teach practical market research techniques because understanding your customer deeply is one of the most protective things you can do for your business. We encourage entrepreneurs to speak directly with potential customers before a business plan is even finalised, because that research phase regularly reveals things that reshape the entire approach. It is one of the most valuable steps you can take, and it costs almost nothing except time.

We also help clients build peer networks and contacts, because isolation is one of the quiet killers of small business confidence. Tony knows this. It's part of why he volunteers with us rather than simply lending his name to the work.

Every Enterprising Person Can Be More Happipreneur

One of the most important things Tony says is this: everyone can be more happipreneur. You don't need to be a founder of a tech company or running a seven-figure turnover. You might be a sole trader working from your kitchen table in Scarborough. You might be three months into your first business venture and already wondering whether you've made a terrible mistake.

The Happipreneur philosophy was built for you just as much as anyone else. The ten values and five ways to start are not abstract ideas reserved for seasoned entrepreneurs. They're practical, human, and designed to help you build something you're actually proud of and genuinely enjoy.

Tony believes that more happipreneurs is what our towns, cities, and villages need. We agree entirely. That's why having him as our Chair means so much to us and why it shapes the way we show up for the business community here in Scarborough every single day.

If you're at the start of your journey, or you've been trading for years and something doesn't feel quite right, we'd love to talk. Visit us at yorkshireinbusiness.org.uk to find out how we support entrepreneurs across the region, with the kind of practical, values-led guidance that Tony Robinson OBE has championed for decades.