What do Marks & Spencer, Rolls-Royce, Barclays, Virgin, the BBC and Dyson have in common? They’re all iconic British corporations that have become part of the fabric of UK life. Not only that, each has a rich corporate history rooted in a unique origin story.
Most businesses aren’t corporate giants like Rolls-Royce and Virgin, but every company – household name or not – has a story worth telling. Stories like these preserve the past, bring clarity to the present and set the tone for the future.
Passing the torch: Keeping corporate memory alive
Not long ago, people often spent entire careers working at one company, from leaving school to retirement. As the years went by, they naturally became familiar with their company’s founding story and absorbed their values, culture and ways of doing things.
Today, people are much more likely to hop from job to job. Shorter tenures mean that the informal passing down of institutional knowledge can no longer be taken for granted, making a well-written corporate history more valuable than ever.
A thoughtfully written history can help employees understand how their company has evolved, why it operates the way it does and what it stands for. That kind of context helps people feel proud of where they work, understand how things run and connect more deeply with the company.
Diving into the filing cabinets: Discovering corporate gems
A big part of any corporate history project is the opportunity to unearth and shine a light on artifacts – photos, marketing materials, internal documents – often tucked away in filing cabinets, unseen for years. These pieces aren’t just nostalgic; they’re priceless fragments of the company’s story that can help bring it vividly into focus.
Images of former offices, old ads, team photos and handwritten memos can evoke a mixture of fascination and pride, bringing the organisation’s past into focus in a way that words alone simply can’t. They let employees see the faces, places and moments that shaped it and remind them that they’re part of something significant.
That’s not to say that words don’t matter too. Conversations and interviews with people across the company – from CEOs to frontline staff – can resurface forgotten stories and overlooked perspectives, adding depth, colour and humanity to the legacy being preserved.
Crafting a vivid, engaging corporate history takes time and effort, but the payoff is real. Many of the stories you’ll rediscover can also be repurposed in marketing and branding to highlight the company’s legacy, build trust and help you stand apart from the competition.
Celebrating success and learning from failure
A corporate history is the perfect place to celebrate an organisation’s successes over the years. Documenting its greatest accomplishments and the stories behind them can be a powerful source of inspiration and pride for everyone who has been a part of its journey.
But the missteps matter too. As the old saying goes, “If we don’t learn from the past, we are doomed to repeat it”. Sharing a company’s challenges, failures and mistakes not only humanises the organisation but also turns past missteps into lessons that current and future employees can learn from.
An open and honest corporate history can be an invaluable tool for training, inspiring and enlightening an organisation. It shows that success and failure are part of any group’s DNA and that every experience – good and bad – has played a part in shaping the journey.
Inspiring confidence in the future
A well-crafted corporate history doesn’t just tell the story of where an organisation has been – it inspires belief and a sense of confidence in its future. This matters because the next chapter is still being written, and everyone from the boardroom to the shop floor has a role in shaping it.
Getting everyone onto the same page about the values, decisions and achievements that built the company helps employees gain clarity about what matters and how they contribute to its success. It creates a sense of shared purpose, helping people feel connected to something larger than themselves.
Understanding – with the help of a corporate history – how far an organisation has come can also give employees confidence that it can navigate and weather any challenges that come its way, seize new opportunities and keep growing together.
Explore a celebration or tribute book
If you’re drawn to the idea of capturing a company’s history – preserving its values, milestones and character for future generations – you may also appreciate how powerful it can be to do the same for a close colleague or loved one. After all, both corporate histories and celebration or tribute books serve the same deeper purpose: honouring a legacy through storytelling.
While a corporate history documents the journey of an organisation, a celebration or tribute book tells the story of an individual – someone who may no longer work or be with us but who was important to you or your company and whose memory lives vividly in the minds of those who knew them.
Commissioned by close friends or family members, these books preserve the essence of someone special through interviews with those who knew them best: colleagues, classmates, lifelong friends, spouses, children or siblings. They can highlight their unique personality, their defining qualities, quirks and characteristics and the ways in which they have impacted an organisation or the lives of those around them. Each contributor shares memories, anecdotes and reflections that are crafted into individual chapters, accompanied by personal photos.
The process is similar to that of creating a corporate history – stories are sensitively collected, shaped into a coherent and compelling narrative and ultimately crafted into a beautiful hardback book that captures the many sides of a person’s life. The result can become a timeless keepsake – a way for future generations to connect with someone who has left the organisation, or whom they might never have known, but who helped shape the story they’re now part of.
Start your corporate history, celebration book or tribute book today
Whether you’re looking to document the journey of a business, celebrate the life of someone special or honour the memory of a loved one who’s no longer here, LifeBook Memoirs can help you tell that story with care, clarity and heart.
Our experienced team will guide you through every step, from initial planning to final printing, with a dedicated interviewer and ghostwriter who will turn the story into a rich narrative through in-depth conversations, thoughtful research and a deep respect for the subject.
We blend words and images into beautifully crafted hardcover books that preserve milestones, memories and meaningful moments – whether from a company’s history, a life well lived or a legacy that deserves to be remembered. Every book is unique and a lasting keepsake to be shared with future generations.
If you’re ready to start a corporate history, celebration book or tribute book, we’d love to hear from you. Call us at +44 (0)330 818 2154 – our team is ready and excited to answer your questions and help bring your story to the page.
Your story deserves to be told – let’s get started.
Written by the LifeBook Memoirs editorial team
