How did you switch from being an employee to becoming an entrepreneur?
For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of running my own company, but life took so many exciting detours that made that dream have to be paused. But I still chose to build my experience and competence in companies that were entrepreneurial such as Kinnevik and Metro. The almost 10 years there gave me many lessons that I still benefit from today. The biggest obstacle for me, however, was to come up with what I wanted to do (and what I was really good at). When the longing became too great a couple of years ago, the process of finding my own way started, that it became artificial plants was a bit of a coincidence. I was looking for companies that were for sale and scrolled through wholesalers, industries, restaurants and then the strangest company of them all came up, a company that dealt with artificial plants. With my philosophy of "exploring" opportunities, I put myself into the industry and soon realized that there were neither large nor really strong players, so then I chose to take a chance and invest. But instead of buying an existing company, I wanted to build one from scratch, and in January 2018 I started By Faux.

Many have the same dream as you but few dare, why?
I meet many people with the same dream of running their own business and I think the common theme why few follow the dream is fear. Fear of failing, fear of daring to trust your own competence and fear of what the environment will say. But fear is just an obstacle on the way like so much else. My advice is always to "explore" the possibilities before saying no to yourself. It is important in those situations to surround yourself with the right people, those who can share their experiences, those who do not just say yes but those who ask the right and relevant questions (without being negative). There is so much inspiration to be gained from, for example, Almi, which has helped me a lot along the way, Yes Box (Gothenburg) and many more actors who work for entrepreneurs. Then I think that many think that you have to think so big, ie, become a new Uber, Airbnb etc. You have to dare to be honest with yourself and examine your driving force, why do I want to become an entrepreneur and what is it I want to achieve?

Can the current crisis be an opportunity for some?
Absolutely, now there is finally time to actually reflect on your future, your choices and dreams. My tip is to dig where you stand, ie. with yourself. In which situations do you feel and perform best, respectively when do you not come into your own. Based on those answers, you can go further and explore, but be a little self-critical and do not just follow your passion. Dare to look up and think business acumen, customers, sales, market etc. If you are too passion-driven, there is a risk that the business will become secondary. Then it may be an idea to bounce ideas with an outsider when you have come a bit along the way, someone who can help you formulate a business plan, set a budget and coach you towards your new goals.