Showing all posts in september 2011

Hola amigos, Miss Barcelona is back with an interview with a very interesting business woman.
Her name is Therese Albrechtson from Göteborg, Sweden. She is a successful entrepreneur and has created 4 companies since 2005. One could thing that there is nothing special on this information but how would you react if I tell you that she is only 26 years old? VIVA YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS!!
Just one word: AMAZING. This Young entrepreneur was brave enough as to start her first company right after she finished her high school studies, she didn’t let some people’s doubts to bring her down and her effort has paid off. VIVA BUSINESS WOMEN!!
Self conscious of the need of encouragement for young entrepreneurs, Therese goes all over Sweden giving lectures about business. She talks in a humorous, positive way about her journey, giving practical advice and inspiring other entrepreneurs.
Right now she is organizing Växa 2011(grow 2011) together with one of her companies Academy of Excellence. This is an event that wants to help entrepreneurs and business leaders to grow their businesses.

Let’s see what Therese has to say about herself and about Växa 2011.

Therese as I said before I am very impress with you story. How did you decided to start you first company as such a young age? Are there entrepreneurs in your family whose role model inspired you to focus your career towards business?
Well it all started when we did a program called Young eterprise during my last high school year, I felt really inspired and I wanted to start up my first company rigth after I finished my studies.
There are no entrepreneurs in my family, my mother is a teacher and my father is the manager at a sports club so the desire to dedicate myself to business came actually from my high school program.

I can imagine that being so young; you could have raised doubts in some people about your decision. How did you deal with it and which is the best advice you can give to other entrepreneurs in the same situation?
I can understand that some people had doubts about my idea of starting my own company, I was very young, I had no academic education, and here I was traying to set up my own business.
But what kept me going was a winning atitude, and that is what I recomend to all the entrepreneurs that find themself in the same situation.
Don’t let what others think to bring you down, if you have a positive atitude, and you belive in yourself and you have a fighting spirit, you have a lot of numbers to succed, I really thing that your atitude and your drive can play a very important game. So don’t feel discorauge if you haven’t studied economics, or if you are young, your atitude can bring you very far on business.

How the idea of creating Academy of Excellence was born? What do you want to achieve with this company?
I was working with two small companies and I noticed that it was very hard to make them grow, so I talked with another entrepreneur Gustaf Oscarson, and we both agreed that we needed to create something that could help small and medium companies to grow because in Sweden there are more than 400 associations that help entrepreneurs to create their companies but nothing that could help them to grow.
I would like that more entrepreneurs would understand that it is important for their businesses to invest in education. In Academy of Excellence we have a 10 week program, each week they can  attend to our classes, they only take two hours, since we know how busy the entrepreneurs are; and each class is given by a succesful entrepreneur that would give them tips about an especific subject each week. One week we would talk about marketing, the other about finance, etc.
This classes give them the opportunity to meet an entrepreneur that has been in the same situation, and has over come it succesfully and will give them advice personally.
I especially would like to have more women in our groups since it seams that there are not so many women that are entreprenuers in Sweden.

Why would you recommend entrepreneurs and business leaders to attend Växa 2011? What would they miss out if they don’t go?
Växa is an opportunity to get inspiration form top entrepreneurs that would explain their journey in business and how they have develop their companies.
The most important thing about Växa is that you have the opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs while enjoing a nice evening. It allows you to establish relationships with people that in other circumstancies you may not be able to meet and that can contribute to the growth of your company.

Thank you very much for your time, I will see you at Växa 2011 in Opera Terrassen.

Stay connected to Miss Lopez for the best information on Växa 2011, always, with a Latin touch.