It’s not about who your parents are, what fancy education you have or how much money you have in the bank. It is about who you are, down to the core. That is THE most important aspect of a successful entrepreneur – know yourself. The only thing you have with you, your wits, when you start threading down the road they call “doing a startup”.
Today, it is roughly a year since I started this journey of starting my own company. A nanoscientist, a globetrotter, a nature lover and a farmer’s son – but also a visionary and someone who feels his call is to make the world a little bit better – that is how you can describe me.
Photo: Erik has always had an interest in nature. Here, during an excursion to New Zealand when he went looking for Gollum’s cave.
The decision to start
I used to tell myself, that you don’t become a startup founder by choice – it just happens. Such as many other things in life. Like falling in love or getting an idea. You see, ideally, we wouldn’t have to invent what I and my team are working with. It would already be widely available and everyone in the society would be happy and free from stress. But this is not the case, yet.
The second-best choice would be working for an established company, free from stress, struggles, long nights and having to eat oatmeal every day, a company that has the same vision, and is inventing what we are inventing. The third option, where we are today – doing a startup. When no other company has the same vision as you and when you are convinced that your idea will benefit almost everyone in the world. Then you must be the pioneer yourself.
I will for the coming 5 months give you an insight in how it is to run your own hardware startup in the Öresund region, all the ups and downs, and how it is chasing your dream.
This is the background to why I am where I am today – here. I will for the coming 5 months give you an insight in how it is to run your own hardware startup in the Öresund region, all the ups and downs, and how it is chasing your dream.
What we do
In short – We (Bylife.io) are bringing nature indoors to improve peoples’ quality of life. This means we are developing what we call “a smart living wall” i.e. a bookshelf, covered with green indoor plants that make you feel great from simply being near it. Just like being outside.
I started on my own but quickly learned that if you intend to change the world, you need a team. Now, we are 3 core members and 3 interns. We have successfully build a prototype, pitched our idea to the King of Sweden and won VentureCup Idea hunt since then. This must mean we are on the right track?
Photo: Erik is seen pitching the idea behind Bylife before the king of Sweden and The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA)
But we are just getting started. Hopefully, next month I can tell you more about an amazing goal we are trying to achieve. Right now, all in the team are rather stressed since we are working hard to reach it. The question is, will we, or did we promise too much?
Once every month you will be able to read more from Erik Wilson. Check back last Sunday of February for part 2 of our Startup story!
