What does it take to start up a new company? Is it possible to start your life over as an ex-convict? And how do you restart a brand in a more authentic way?
These were some of the questions raised and answered at our first Re:garding event of 2016. The subject of the event was Re:start, and it became an afternoon buzzing with people, knowledge, and champagne.
Sweet Spot in the World of Tattoos
Mik Thobo-Carlsen, an entrepreneur with more than 30 businesses behind him, was the night’s first speaker. His most recent adventure led him to the creation of the world’s largest online tattoo community: Tattoodo.com. Only in its second year, the online community has already become the world’s leading tattoo platform with more than 20 million visitors monthly.
“I had no knowledge about tattoos when I got into this. I don’t even have a tattoo.”
A friend of Mik Thobo-Carlsen’s was looking for inspiration for a tattoo but he couldn’t find any sites that gathered the information he needed. So the team started looking into it.
”Turns out there are 147,000,000 searches for tattoos on Google every month – but not one site to really give them what they are looking for.”
Tattoodo.com has grown rapidly during the last two years due to a unique insight into the needs of the consumer. Mik Thobo-Carlsen has travelled all over the world to provide a platform for unique inspiration; to create a site that connects the extensive market of tattoos.
”Tattoos are the one product where the consumer don’t care about the price, the wait, or if they have to travel to the other end of the word to get what they want.”
Restart With a Purpose
“What is the meaning of purpose for a company? When does a company create meaning for its employees, customers and other stakeholders?” Our very own founder, Nikolaj Stagis, asked the cake-consuming crowd.
“We live in a Meaning Society, where the search for meaning in everything around us has a tremendous effect on our choices on the products we buy, the brands we feel connected to and the companies we choose to work for. Most companies define their purpose as ‘making money’. But one can discuss if that’s a useful and relevant purpose for any organization today?” Nikolaj Stagis continued.
In his book, The Authentic Company, he examines a wide range of authentic brands, which all had a few things in common: They have all discovered or rediscovered their common purpose. And their purpose has become the primary driver of growth and prosperity.
“Finding and defining the company’s purpose was the driver of LEGO’s turn around from 2003 – 2006,” Nikolaj explains. “It was the key driver that lead Noma to become the World’s best restaurant as they sat a clear goal for the development of Nordic Food as well as their own development. A journey that continues with the new venue the restaurant is setting up in 2018.”
Nikolaj Stagis showed the crowd a quote by Rene Redzepi, Noma, from New York Times. The quote displays Redzepi’s constant work with purpose: “Lately, he has been asking himself broad existential questions about what it means to be a local restaurant in the Nordic region. “What are we?” he said. “And how do we progress?”
So what is the meaning of purpose? And how can purpose help restart a company?
Nikolaj Stagis explains: “Purpose is the very essence of a brand and a well functioning organisation. It is one of the key codes of authentic identity. It is the source of the company’s brand promise and it is a key element in the customers and employees ability to build a relationship with the brand. Purpose is what determines the brand’s path in the world.”
A new beginning as an ex-convict
Re:garding is not only about stories of success, it is also about inspiration and new insight. Hans Andersen from Cafe Exit, a meeting place for ex-convicts, talked about what Re:start also means – not in terms of a business, but in life. How does an ex-convict start his life over? It turns out that starting your own business can often be the best way back to a normal life.
Re:garding is a series of transformational meetings that provide inspiration for your business, organization, and life in general. Each meeting offers a new topic that relates to our work and our customers’ needs, but from different perspectives: cultural, financial, aesthetic, human – presented by leaders, artists and experts from our professional world. The event is free and takes place at Stagis Museum; Kompagnistræde 14, usually in the afternoon. The next Re:garding meeting will take place in May. See more on the Event page.
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Torsdag d. 11 februar afholdte Stagis det første Re:garding gåhjem-møde i 2016. Re:garding bliver afholdet fire gange om året, og satte denne gang fokus på Re:start i alle dets former. Hvordan man starter en succesfuld virksomhed, hvad der skal til for at genstarte et brand og ikke mindst, hvordan nogle mennesker er tvunget til at genopfinde sig selv.
De tre inspirerende talere var Mik Thobo-Carlsen, serieentreprenør og grundlægger af Tattodoo. Hans Andersen, informationsmedarbejder på Café Exit, et værested for tidligere kriminelle og endelig CEO og ejer af Stagis A/S; Nikolaj Stagis. Re:garding finder sted 4 gange om året i Stagis lokaler. Det er gratis at deltage. Se mere her på siden.
