The Backbone of
HOOLOOVOO
Introduction — What is this and why?
The Backbone of HOOLOOVOO is our common guide that helps us, in a world that is constantly changing, to know why and how we work, how we make decisions, and what we defend when necessary.
The Backbone is also a reminder that everything we build, and how we change and grow, begins with us personally.
Philosophy of HOOLOOVOO
HOOLOOVOO was not created out of an ambition to be the largest or the fastest. It was created out of a need to have meaning — for the people who work here, for the teams we build, and for what we leave behind us.
Meaning is not obtained from the outside — it is discovered through action, through relationships with others, and through inner responsibility.
We believe that work is not just a way to earn money, but a place for personal fulfillment. That is why, for us, the company is a space where a person can search for and find purpose and where they feel good, not just machinery that produces desired results.
As a company, we are also searching. The path is not always clear, but we know that the search requires space to develop, honesty so we don't deceive ourselves, and responsibility so we don't take it lightly.
We do not live in a vacuum. The world in which we work has its limitations — market, time, financial — and is in constant change. What defines us is not the weight of those limitations and the pace and nature of changes, but the way we respond to them.
We don't choose circumstances, we choose attitude. We choose the way we remain successful, the way we are anti-fragile as an organization. Results are important to us because they are proof that what we do has weight — that we were not just going through tasks, but that we moved something, created something, left something behind. Plans are important too, but what drives us is the desire to leave a mark that is lasting, valuable, and ours.
That's why we build a company tailored to a person who wants to leave a mark. That's why freedom is important to us, but only if it comes with responsibility.
In the end, we ask ourselves: what kind of people have we become doing what we do, and did it all really make sense?
Foundations of HOOLOOVOO
The basic things that arise from the HLV philosophy, from which HOOLOOVOO emerges as an organization — what provides support for everything else and helps us maintain our essence through all changes:
- AMeaning is the driver
We exist to leave a meaningful trace through what we do.
- BThe trace is the measure
Whether we have succeeded, we assess through what we leave behind: a better system, a stronger team, a person who has progressed, a change for the better in the community.
- CFreedom and responsibility go together
To leave a mark, we need the freedom to act, but it only makes sense when accompanied by personal responsibility.
- DPeople are the foundation of the long-term
This brings us to the most important thing - people and their attitude, knowledge, and integrity. HOOLOOVOO exists to give them space for the first three things and for that to be long-term.
Vision and Mission
Vision:
HOOLOOVOO is a space where good people enjoy the time spent at work, grow together through work, and leave a mark that has meaning — for themselves, for others, and in the community.
Mission:
As individuals, partners, and part of society, we work together with responsibility and respect so that everything we do leaves something better behind.
How a trace is left in HOOLOOVOO
A trace in HOOLOOVOO is not something big and grandiose. You leave it every day — in the way you work and collaborate, help a colleague, improve a process, enhance something for a client. The trace is your personal imprint, and without you, it wouldn't have happened.
A trace in HLV has both human and business meaning. We're talking about situations when your work makes someone's life easier, when a client works better quality thanks to you, when the team becomes more confident because you were there. However small, such things remain even when the project is finished. The same applies to the community, where through attitude and support for important ideas, we leave a mark together, even if through small steps.
The greatest trace in HOOLOOVOO is left by the team. An individual leaves a mark, but primarily in their team and through their team.
A trace in HLV doesn't have to be seen — it's enough that it's felt.
Matori — a character that lives through values
Matori: (Serbian for "old man"; slang for an experienced, authentic personality that draws respect) started as an image in a recruitment ad for senior developers, but soon became the face of HOOLOOVOO as a people-centric company, an embodiment of our values, a perfect culture fit and a starting point for everything we do: recruit, onboard, communicate, have fun…
To truly leave a mark as people and as an organization, at HOOLOOVOO we cultivate the character of Matori — a set of values, principles, and internal consistency where people stand behind what they do, both when it's easy and when it's tough.
Matori is honest and authentic. He has a backbone. He is responsible and always thinks long-term, but efficiency is also important to him, as is ensuring that what he does is of quality. He is curious, ready for change and experimentation. He has no vanity, gives and receives support.
Matori's character is visible in every situation: in the way we work together, how we react when something doesn't go well, how we make decisions, how we pick ourselves up when we fall, and how we enjoy when everything is good.
We build and nurture it through the values, principles, and behaviors on which the entire organization rests. Thanks to this, we remain a company that is healthy, consistent, and long-term relevant — not only in the market and for partners, but also for us as people.
We don't work this way because we have to — but because it makes sense.
- •Matori's character is not some imaginary ideal without flaws. The right to be tired, to make mistakes, and to receive support is taken for granted.
- •Anyone can have Matori's character, even someone inexperienced.
Values that make up Matori's character
You take responsibility personally
You stand behind what you do. You don't pass it off to others. When you have a problem or see a problem, you don't sweep it under the rug — you seek help, you sound the alarm.
You think long-term
You push now, but you look far ahead, you think long-term. You work thoughtfully, so that it makes sense now, but also in two years.
You want to create quality
When you do something, you want to be able to sign what you've done. Also, you know that quality doesn't make sense if it comes too late, that efficiency is part of it.
You have backbone
You follow your own path, you're authentic. You say it like it is. If you disagree — you don't stay silent. You defend what's important to you. You stay yourself, but if the world changes and it's responsible to adapt, you adapt.
You are curious
You don't prove yourself, you learn. You're curious — something new appears and it interests you. You're not afraid of mistakes, but of ignorance. You can learn from anyone. One thing doesn't work, you try something else, you test things. You don't know or understand something — you ask. You're not afraid to ask a "stupid" question.
You grow through challenges
You get excited about challenges and you know that's how you grow. You have guts. You open up a problem to understand it and to have it solved, not to complain. Easy is great, but you know the best things come when you don't give up on something.
You're not alone
You see that someone needs help, you offer it. Someone asks you, you help because that's normal. You empower others instead of taking over and finishing it yourself. You recognize when you need help, you ask for it. You know that success without a team makes no sense. You rejoice in others' success. You give feedback. You do this at work and during breaks, in the team, company, and community.
You're part of a good atmosphere
It's important to you that everyone feels good at work. You contribute to such an atmosphere. If you're the type who jokes at your own expense and at the expense of those close to you, that's fine. If you're not, that's also fine. You know we're not all the same, you always have a sense of measure, and the atmosphere is good only if it's good for everyone.
We are not robots and we don't think we can program people's behavior to be in accordance with our descriptions. That's not the idea. The idea is to write down as well as possible who we are and what we want to be as an organization, and to strive toward that together, so that it makes sense for us both professionally and personally, for our clients and in the market.
How exactly character and values become our modus operandi, the ways in which we work and decide as teams and an organization, is described in our Principles.
Principles of HOOLOOVOO
To remain successful as a company, as a business with all its processes and decisions, in an environment that is changing, to be anti-fragile in accordance with our values and character, we are guided by the HLV Principles.
The Principles are not a description of what we want to be, but how we act — they are guidelines for defining and changing business processes and making decisions — how exactly we as an organization achieve quality, ensure long-term sustainability, build strong teams and authentic business, demonstrate responsibility, etc.
In HLV there are Work Principles (or operational) and Organizational Principles.
Work Principles in HLV
How we work as professionals and teams. How we make decisions, how we react, how we maintain quality every day.
We always ask why
Regarding what we do and how we do it, meaning is most important. We always first understand the bigger picture, direction, goal — then we make decisions. To leave a mark, purpose is key and we never lose sight of it.
Values: You think long-term, You want to create quality.
Principles before processes
Everything we do should make sense. This means that before any work, we should know what and why we're doing it, and from that we'll understand how we should do it. We build processes on principles, and that way everything becomes clearer, easier, faster, and more consistent.
Values: You think long-term, You want to create quality.
We react timely
We build the organization and set up processes so that we can react immediately. The world changes quickly and our reaction, if needed, should be in real time. The same applies to changes or problems within the organization — when a process doesn't work or no longer works, or something we're doing loses meaning. When you see someone doing a good thing, you feel you should praise them, but also draw attention if you think something is wrong. Fast and meaningful reaction is key to anti-fragility.
Values: You take responsibility personally, You want to create quality, You grow through challenges, You have backbone.
We iterate to quality
We continuously improve and shape the organization, processes, and products through testing and learning. Everything is an experiment. We have an idea for how something can be better, we test it, confirm or reject it, move on to a new iteration. Quality is a process. This way, everything we do becomes resistant to change, and we become anti-fragile.
Values: You think long-term, You want to create quality, You grow through challenges, You take responsibility personally, You are curious.
We achieve clarity through measurement
Quality and mark can be felt, but it's even better when results are measured. That way we really always know what we're doing. Measurement is a natural complement to the previous principle (iterativeness).
Values: You want to create quality, You take responsibility personally, You are curious.
When we're not sure, we ask
We don't assume anything and we don't pretend to know. We ask immediately. Questions are an expected and desirable part of every process. This way we protect ourselves, our teams and the organization, the quality of our work and results.
Values: You take responsibility personally, You want to create quality, You grow through challenges, You're not alone, You are curious.
In a crisis, heads are cool and we solve it
When there's trouble (and there's always some), we're there, we acknowledge there's trouble, we assess it, we pull ourselves together and we solve it. No drama. We apply all the other principles, from the first one onwards.
Values: You grow through challenges, You take responsibility personally, You have backbone, You're part of a good atmosphere.
Organizational Principles of HLV
How we structure the company and work as a system.
People, team, and company win together
Individual results, if not also the success of the team and company, are either impossible or unsustainable.
Values: You take responsibility personally, You're not alone, You think long-term.
People & team > process > tool
A good team solves even the hardest problem. Processes and tools exist to help, not to lead.
Values: You have backbone, You think long-term.
Autonomy with clear boundaries
Teams have freedom, but also responsibility. They work in their own style, but within the values, goals and Backbone of HLV.
Values: You take responsibility personally, You have backbone.
Collaboration is integrated
HOOLOOVOO is a team made up of teams, which also work together. Collaboration is an operational principle, way of working and work reflex in HOOLOOVOO. You help when needed, you ask for help when needed, you share what you know. And the client is part of that — not a customer but a partner.
Values: You're not alone, You have backbone, You are curious, You're part of a good atmosphere.
Red Lines
(what we do not tolerate)
Red lines exist to protect people, the team, and the business from things that undermine trust. They relate to behaviors and reactions that carry more serious consequences than "a single mistake."
Red lines are not a list of prohibitions — they are boundaries that protect the meaning of what we are building.
When someone crosses them, we start from the first principle — "We always ask why." We look at what is happening with the person, the system, the team, the support, and the expectations. They are there to ensure that the culture remains — or becomes again — healthy, regardless of growth.
The red lines in HOOLOOVOO are:
- Passing off responsibility.
- Silence as sabotage.
- Withholding knowledge.
- Passivity in the face of bad behavior.
- Disregard for others, the company, and the environment.
These are things that eat away at trust from the inside and make organizations fragile. If we tolerate them, we no longer have a culture — we have chaos.
Response process:
Mirror (feedback) — honestly: what happened, why it's a problem, what influenced it.
Correction (agreement) — concretely: what changes, who needs to do what, with full support.
Decision (change or parting ways) — if nothing changes: we protect the team and the culture.
This is a protection mechanism — for the people who crossed the red lines for whatever reason, for the people around them, for the teams and the mark we're talking about, for each one of us.