What You Can Now does

You Can Now (YCN) is a London-based, privately held leadership and management development company founded in 2001 by Nick Defty. The firm partners with organisations to develop modern, emotionally intelligent leadership at all levels, combining DISC-based behavioural profiling with structured facilitation, programmes, and tactile toolkits. It serves a horizontal mix of customers including British Airways, adidas, Dr. Martens, KFC, Citi, The Guardian, Wolff Olins, Dishoom, Cubitts, Cleo, DICE, and Koto — spanning airlines, retail, food and beverage, media, financial services, fintech, eyewear, design, and agriculture.

YCN's core technology centres on the You Can Now DISC behavioural profiler, which produces personalised behavioural and communication profiles in under ten minutes and feeds into the You Me We toolkit and certification programme. Adjacent proprietary assets include the CAN Questioning Model, the Manager Foundations Core Four modules, the Talky Feely card deck, the Everyday Coaching Card Deck, topic-specific Playbooks for peer coaching, and SCORM-exportable eCourses. The architecture is platform-plus-modules: physical and digital toolkits and a digital learning platform complement live cohort programmes and bespoke in-company work. The company is actively building product-style assets (DISC Profiler, certification programme, audio libraries) on top of its professional-services core.

YCN operates a blended revenue model: professional-services fees for bespoke in-company programmes and 1-1 coaching, subscription/recurring streams from DISC Certification, open cohort programmes (Manager Foundations, Coaching Skills for Leaders, Leading Now), Peer Coaching Groups, and platform/digital resources, plus a freemium layer of free open taster events. GTM is multi-modal — enterprise consultative field sales for tailored programmes, event-driven open cohorts in rotating global cities, and community-led referrals through a long-tenured partner network. Pricing is partially disclosed (e.g., DISC Certification at £1,250+VAT per cohort). The company operates globally with on-the-ground events in London, NYC, LA, Berlin, Copenhagen, Brighton, Manchester, and Edinburgh, while remaining founder-led with 11–50 employees and no disclosed external funding.

Name

You Can Now

Legal name

You Can Now

Website

https://ycn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

You Can Now is a London-founded (2001) leadership and management development firm that partners with enterprises and mid-market companies across sectors, combining DISC-based behavioural profiling with structured programmes, toolkits, and live facilitation to develop emotionally intelligent leaders and managers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leadership and Management Development Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mentorship, Coaching & Office-Hours Platforms (MPACALAG), Workshops, Webinars & Live Masterclasses (MPACALAD), Certification & Credentialed Creator Programs (MPACALAI)

Keywords

• Leadership development programmes
• Management training services
• Behavioural profiling tools
• Executive coaching services
• Team effectiveness consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Tailored/Bespoke Programmes: Customised management and leadership development programmes delivered in-house to partner organisations. Creatively designed around core content mapped to cultural cues and measured against commercial priorities.
2. Open/Cohort Programmes: Cross-organisational programmes delivered in virtual or in-person cohorts. Includes Manager Foundations, Coaching Skills for Leaders, and Leading Now programmes.
3. DISC Certification: Certification programme enabling practitioners to integrate DISC profiler and toolkit into their organisations. Includes unlimited profiler access and library of ready-to-run sessions.
4. 1-1 Coaching: Personalised coaching for leaders delivered by accredited coaches, including reflective assessments and 360 elements. Can be standalone or part of wider programmes.
5. Peer Coaching Groups: Structured peer learning groups using topic-specific Playbooks. Cost-effective scalable solution with internal facilitation capability development.
6. Platform and Digital Resources: On-demand access to tools, resources, eCourses, video libraries, audio libraries and tactile tools through their people-powered platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

You Can Now (YCN) partners with organisations to design and deliver customised leadership and management development programmes centred on a DISC-based behavioural profiling platform (You Can Now DISC) combined with practical tools, tactile resources, and live facilitated experiences. The offering spans tailored in-company programmes, open cross-organisational cohorts, 1-1 executive coaching, peer coaching groups, and a digital learning platform with eCourses, video and audio libraries.

Product overview

You Can Now offers a platform-plus-modules architecture for leadership and team development. The core offering centres on behavioural profiling tools (You Can Now DISC and You Me We), which combine DISC-based behavioural profiling with practical activities and workshops. These feed into structured development programmes including Manager Foundations, Coaching Skills for Leaders, and Leading Now for senior executives. Supporting elements include 1-1 Coaching, Peer Coaching Groups, Open and Tailored Programmes, Learning Labs, and Personalised Learning pathways. Physical and digital resources complement live experiences: Tactile Tools (cue cards, coaching decks), eCourses, Audio Libraries, Video Libraries, Resource Libraries, Behavioural Benchmarking tools, and You Can Now Magazine. The company also offers evaluation services and an open event programme. All offerings emphasise measurable impact and continuous evaluation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• You Can Now DISC DISC-based behavioural profiler combined with a practical toolkit and certification programme for organisations and practitioners. Creates personalised behavioural profiles in under 10 minutes, with activities and workshops that turn self-awareness into stronger team performance.
• You Me We Toolkit Behavioural toolkit combining DISC-based profiling with activities and workshops that turn individual insight into better conversations, stronger collaboration and improved team performance. Includes a modular certification programme for practitioners.
• Manager Foundations Leadership and management development programme anchored in Core Four modules (Modes and Mindset, Everyday Coaching, Feedback in the Flow, Goal Connectivity). Available in-company or in open cohorts.
• Coaching Skills for Leaders Experiential learning programme for leaders to build Everyday Coaching mindset and skills. Teaches the CAN questioning model (Clarity, Alternative Perspectives, Next steps) for coaching in the flow of work.
• Leading Now Six-month cross-organisational cohort-based development experience for senior leaders (founders, CEOs, C-suite, department heads). Six modules exploring lateral thinking on human-centred leadership in the age of AI.
• Peer Coaching Groups Social, scalable and self-led learning for modern managers. Draws from topic-specific Playbooks with structured prompts, scenarios and Cue and Question cards, creating practice space for coaching approaches.
• 1-1 Coaching Personalised coaching support creating space to think, plan and act with structure, support and accountability. Uses reflective assessments and 360 elements for benchmarking and tracking progress. Delivered by accredited coaches and available standalone or as part of wider programmes.
• Tailored Programmes Creatively customised management and leadership programmes drawing from YCN's core content, mapped to organisational cultural cues, and measured against commercial and performance priorities. Delivered in-house to partner organisations.
• Open Programmes Longstanding, endlessly evaluated and connective cross-organisational programmes that bring leaders and managers together from across YCN's partner teams to build skills and enrich perspectives. Run virtually and in rotating cities around the world.
• Learning Labs Immersive, hands-on sessions grounded in culturally relatable, real-world challenges sourced and shaped by the group. Generate tested tools and techniques for participants to take back into their teams.
• Personalised Learning Targeted pathways and timely tools combined with 1-1 coaching and experiential exercises. Maps to personal priorities and individual learning styles for individual leaders.
• eCourses 20-minute behaviourally-driven eCourses authored in Articulate Rise for easy SCORM export, offering practical exploration of specific leadership topics and skills.
• Audio Libraries Audio-first learning libraries offering bitesize skills and behaviour-focused nuggets in micro-podcast form. Cover topics from listening and feedback to neurodivergent perspectives.
• Talky Feely Card Deck Card deck (digital and physical) designed to purposefully bring emotions into everyday conversations. Supported over 250 managers in surfacing, naming and working with emotions more intentionally.
• You Can Now Magazine Bi-annual print magazine offering a lateral look at leadership. Features stories from the workplace frontline, expertise and lateral insights for testing with teams. Available for purchase online.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% recommendation rate for Manager Foundations programme from 29 cohorts (306 participants)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CubittscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYCN has partnered with the spectacles brand since 2020 to design and deliver leadership, management and team development programmes deeply mapped to Cubitts values and cultural cues, evolved to meet changing capability requirements across head office and store teams.
• British Airways (BA Euroflyer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustomised version of YCN platform launched across the BA Euroflyer team targeting collaboratively identified key skills and behaviours, including 'check-in' questions designed to bring development lens to 1-1s.
• WildfarmedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeaming up with regenerative agriculture pioneers to arm managers and teams with tools and techniques that continuously connect people growth to environmental and commercial mission.
• Elliott WoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmbedding values-aligned development programme building human skills throughout the organisation including team workshops, manager development programmes and individual and group coaching for the board.
• The GuardiancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting marketing, digital and reader revenue teams with tailored development pathways and collaborative workshops driven by individual and departmental priorities.
• Dr. MartenscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year partnership supporting launch and roll-out of new performance management strategy with YCN facilitators working alongside internal team using train-the-trainer approach.
• adidas GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkills Gyms initiative connecting leadership with bright minds from outside the business and bringing endless fresh thinking into the organisation.
• DishoomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting the restaurant group as they refreshed their Babu Masterclass programme, helping managers enrich emotional intelligence and bring empathetic lens to conversations in the flow of busy shifts.
• The Very GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCombining self-directed digital learning with live experiential and expert-led workshops, helping engage 98% of workforce in collaborative, value-aligned and individually actionable development over 6 months.
• KFCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPan-European mentoring and learning initiative since 2021 connecting leaders and team-members across functions and cultures with digital development hub paired with social workshops.
• Wolff OlinsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnabling design leaders and teams across London and New York studios to continually enhance skills for driving richer relationships with clients and colleagues.
• Pip & NutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting development across all departments grounded in self-led tools and social workshops with personal growth deeply connected to commercial growth.
• DICEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-designed, values-mapped Mastery Paths mapped to core competencies for UK and US teams with playlist-style paths blending bitesize live workshops offered virtually and in-person.
• KotominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresenting brand and digital studio's teams in London, NYC, LA, Berlin and Sydney with targeted and self-led development alongside support for managers to help embed it.
• CitiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnique socially-driven mentoring programme connecting senior leaders at the bank with peers in London-based social enterprises to support leadership development.
• CleominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEquipping cohorts of people-managers across the fast-growth fintech with core skills for meaningfully enabling distributed teams through self-direct modules and social coaching groups.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Research-driven leadership development provider with executive education, coaching, and assessment tools. Closely mirrors YCN's evidence-led evaluation model and C-suite/management development focus.
• Hemsley Fraser: UK-headquartered learning and development consultancy offering leadership, management, and personal development programmes. Closest UK-based scale and focus comparable to YCN, serving similar enterprise customers in the UK.
• Thomas International: Behavioural assessment provider built around DISC and related psychometrics, with enterprise certification and platform integrations. Closest direct analogue to YCN's DISC Profiler and certification programme.
• FranklinCovey: Global leadership and management development firm offering enterprise programmes, coaching, and content (e.g., The 7 Habits). Directly comparable in target audience and methodology to YCN's tailored leadership programmes and Manager Foundations offering.
• Dale Carnegie & Associates: Iconic corporate training and leadership development franchise spanning in-person, cohort, and certification programmes. Comparable to YCN's open cohort programmes and DISC certification cohorts.
• DDI (Development Dimensions International): Specialist in leadership development, assessment, and behavioural simulations for mid-to-senior managers. Comparable to YCN's behavioural benchmarking tools and manager development programmes.
• Ken Blanchard Companies: Long-established leadership training provider blending proprietary methodologies (e.g., SLII) with coaching and certification. Analogous to YCN's DISC-based methodology and certification distribution model.

Emerging players

• CoachHub: Digital coaching platform focused on enterprise leadership and manager development across EMEA. Comparable to YCN's coaching and manager development offerings from a tech-enabled, scale-first lens.
• BetterUp: Tech-enabled coaching and leadership development platform with AI-driven matching and measurement. Competes with YCN's 1-1 Coaching and Peer Coaching Groups in enterprise sales, but with a software-first rather than facilitation-led model.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global organisational consulting firm with significant leadership development, executive coaching, and assessment practices. Larger and broader than YCN, but overlaps on enterprise leadership and talent development engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thisisycn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ycn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about You Can Now