OM DENNE EPISODE
Live at Heart 2020 was a virtual affair (thanks COVID). But it didn't stop us from having a conversation between Örebro, Stockholm and Austin on bootstrap entrepreneurship (thanks ZOOM).
Lisa Thorén, daughter of Björn Jacobsen, who started BabyBjörn in 1961 with his sister-in-law, Elsa. Lisa's arrival was an inspiration for a product. Lisa's mom, Lillemor joined the company in the 80s and Lisa joined the company in 1994. It's been a real family affair, which continues to the present day. Lisa's involvement as a team member (7:38) came at a critical time, both in the company's history and during a shift in how countries outside Sweden were changing with shared parenting duties. While BabyBjörn 1.0 (pre-Lisa) was about its products, 2.0 ushered a sharing of Swedish parenting practices.
Lisa shares how the company proceeded through the stages of the Bootstrap Map (14:25), with a description of the stages by Bijoy. The early inspiration came from Björn babysitting (21:50) his nephews and nieces and a baby bouncer purchased in the US. The first customer came about in a very special way(!) The BabyBjörn's Map:
Parallels with LEGO (29:55) and Apple (35:30) emerged. Lisa explains her metaphor of climbing a mountain and identifying what/who are needed to make the ascent. What are the roles, especially for founders, as the company evolves? And the importance of complementary skills and maintaining a continuous connection with customers.
Swedish bootstrap entrepreneurs, please join the Bootstrap Sweden Community on facebook.
