Changing our lives (44)

A new life is beginning. It is the 4th of January 2004 and we have actually done it. We are now on a plane to Kuala Lumpur with two children and four suitcases. No big company is helping with the move or the visa process. We will do everything on our own.

A family on a plane ready to start a new life for two years. Everyone is excited! The children have had tutoring in English since they are too young to have learnt any in school yet. Now awaits a life in international schools and a tougher school system.

My wife and I have to discover a whole new life. New friends, where to shop, where is the bank, can we find Swedish things and where to live? The job will be almost the same, just in a new environment and on my own.

At this moment, this family on a plane has no idea how their life is about to change. No one has any clue that almost twenty years later we will still be in KL, that my wife and I will be working in the business together with many more and that our children will be in London first studying, then working, building homes and starting new families. A tough but yet happy and fulfilling life for all of us.

But right now, we are just a family on a plane going on an adventure. 

Dare to jump (43)

As I have done for years, I continue to travel a lot for my work. My wife has her own career as a finance director for a property company and works long hours with some travelling as well. We both love our jobs, but with two young children life is quite hectic. It is all about planning and not so much about having fun.

In 2003 we go on a family trip to Malaysia. We have been here before, visiting friends, and it is a lovely place. Beautiful nature, beaches, warm and nice, lots of restaurants and very modern in many ways. We have a couple of weeks to relax and just enjoy spending time with our children.

On our last day, after having left the hotel, our taxi driver takes us to see some new developments in Kuala Lumpur, just for fun. Everything looks amazing.

When we are back in Sweden a new idea takes form. What if we would do something totally crazy like moving to Malaysia for two years. For me it would be perfect, being closer to our suppliers, working with quality and logistics. My wife could take a two year leave from her work and spend some time with our children. Quality time that we have been missing. Do we dare to do the jump?

Time to move (42)

We are now in the year of 2003 and about to make our biggest investment so far. Due to our new business model, with the internet portal for all types of PPE, our current building has become too small. It is time to move again.

After much research a new property is found. This time in Partille, around 10 kilometers outside Gothenburg, and closer to our home. It is a big place, over 5,800 square meters with 90 percent warehouse and 10 percent office space.

The property is located just next to the highway and the area is up and coming. Big shops and a new mall is being constructed very close by.

Another investment is done as well. We buy automated stock machines to be able to handle the large amount of goods. We are having too much to do and need to make it easier for our staff, as well as make it easier to keep track of where everything is. It is a big place and something for us to grow in.

Late in 2003 we finally move into our new place. It is, as always when you move, a lot to organize. But, it gives us all a new start. This is a place where we can stay for a long time. Little do we know that the new year will mean a lot of changes for both Soft Touch and me privately.

Taking a bigger bite than we can chew (41)

We have now reached the year of 2002 and we are still celebrating our success. Still young and hungry wanting more, we decide that only gloves is not enough. Little do we know that this idea will make us suffer for years to come.

As a pioneer we start a portal for all you need regarding workwear. We are talking gloves, shoes, workwear and every type of protection. This will be big. Our customers now only need to go to one place to buy all that they need.

What we didn't realize then, almost twenty years ago, was that it is very hard to be good at everything. How could we imagine that we, all of a sudden, would know everything about shoes, clothes and the rest?

The lesson came down hard. It took us around eight to ten years to realize that it was all a big mistake and it cost us a lot.

For everyone out there starting your own business: Make sure that you know your products and don't get too greedy. Now we are back, strong again, but it took a few years.

What we learnt? Stay with that you really know and do it as well as you can!

A day to remember

Today I wake up to the memory of a friend who left this world way too early, 16 years ago.

We met in the late nineties when he wrestled with my future brother-in-law at a bachelor party that I had arranged. Very quickly he became a close friend of mine. He always showed great interest in what I was working on and always wanted to hear what I was doing. We had a lot of discussions about what he should do after his career as an elite wrestler ended. He had a lot of ideas and we tried to find opportunities for his future. We turned all possible stones and even thought about working together in the glove business.

In 2000 the opportunity came to take over the GT wrestling competition and he was the driving force that convinced me to go in and change the competition name to Soft Touch Open. We were both very enthusiastic and happy to finally do something together.

The same year he went to Sydney to represent Sweden in wrestling. After having won the World and the European championships he now succeeded with his biggest dream - winning the Olympic gold. I watched him on TV with my family from our couch in Sweden. We were all so wonderfully happy for him. When he came back home we met and he brought his Olympic gold medal to show. I was allowed to hold it and it was a big, very big moment.

We all remember him as an amazing person with so much kindness and warmth. Forever missed.

R.I.P.

Soft Touch Open (40)

Boys and girls of all ages have come together. They have travelled from all parts of Sweden to Gothenburg to compete in wrestling. The biggest competition is the GT Wrestling which started in 1933. It has a long history.

To me, sports have always been extremely important. It is good for your health but also for the way it brings people together in common goals and in friendship. When we 2000 get the possibility to be the new main sponsor for this prestige wrestling competition we are very excited and jump to the idea.

The competition is renamed and from 2001 it will be known as Soft Touch Open. Swedish wrestling is among the best in the world and it is an honor to be part of it. To help these young people develop their athletic skills as well as building friendship, feels great. Next to a thousand wrestlers come to Gothenburg to compete each year and Soft Touch Open will become a big name in the wrestling world.

As I look back, the year of 2020 would have marked our 20th year in the game, but unfortunately, for the first time, the competition, like so many other things, has been cancelled due to the corona virus. We will make it even better next time!

Starting to be overconfident (39)

I slowly put down the phone. I cannot really believe what just happened. I sit quietly by my desk and just digest the call I just had. Really? They called us?

The caller was a man from Gore-Tex. Of course we know the brand. It is gigantic and such a big brand for sportswear. Obviously they now have a client who wants gloves with Gore-Tex and they called to ask if we could help to produce them. They will give us the lisence. What an honor! The client is DeWalt, another huge brand.

I just start shouting and walk into the warehouse to tell my co-workers. We give a high-five to each other and just stand there smiling in awe- his proves that we can do anything. We are invincible. We are just in the beginning of the new millennium. It couldn't have started better.

We have been asked for four different models with Windstopper and Gore-Tex. The production and the development of new gloves take a gigantic leap. We have been seen! We have been recognized!

Once again we believe that we can do anything. We don't even have to chase down the customers.

Fearless (38)

For over a decade everyone at Soft Touch has worked hard to make our gloves and our brand known. But our appetite is bigger than this. During the last few years our customers have asked us for a wider range. They would like to buy all work wear and PPE from one supplier. This seems to be the trend right now.

The office in Hongkong gives us the opportunity to go out and search for more. We can smell the possibility of earning more money and have a larger turnover. We dream of being the best choice at whatever our customers ask us for.

Lots of ideas get realized. We create new brand names and start importing clothes, shoes and even technical PPE. We are being innovative and new like we have always been. It is fun to see all the new products and we really feel like we are going in the right direction. Hello world, here we come!

When I now twenty years later, look back I shake my head thinking about the younger me. He was fearless, but reckless. We didn't do our research as it should have been done. We certainly bit off more than we could chew. At first it was fun, but the consequences hit us hard.

Expanding to Asia (37)

We have just survived the transition from 1999 to the year of 2000. The New Year's Eve when everyone expected the computers to collapse and that everything digital would stop working. Apparently all went well and we can continue without worries as we did earlier on in December last year.

2000, just tasting the number of the year. So much promise! A new millennium with endless possibilities. It is also the year of the golden dragon according to the Chinese zodiac. A very lucky year and a lot of babies will be born. You learn a lot of new things doing business with China!

For Soft Touch it means a new era. After 14 years of building good relationships with our suppliers we now take a new step. A company is formed together with a partner in Hongkong and we open an office in Central, Hongkong. This will put us closer to the market of gloves and it will facilitate the quality control and distribution chain of our gloves.

Why Hongkong and not China, you may ask. Well at this time Hongkong is a hub for a lot of businesses and English is widely spoken. Easier for us and for our customers. Now we look forward to new and even more exciting times for our company!

The future (36)

It is 1997 and my business has been up and running for more than ten years. So much has happened. The development from a one-man-show to a full working team. From an office in my parents' house to our own office in Gothenburg. We have gone from doing everything manually to using computers and creating a website.

Privately we have just had our second child. A boy this time! We have been truly blessed. To have a family gives new purpose for running the business. Today they are just toddlers, but in twenty-thirty years, will they be the one's running the show? Who knows? Right from the start I decide that I will teach them what I know. My wife, for sure, will lead them down the academic path. I, being more of a self-made man, will give them wisdom to be street smart, teach them how to negotiate and do well in business. And as I experienced in the home of my parents, there will be discussions around our dinner table. Speaking freely, teaching them everything from baby steps to large decisions.

Then one day, they will be old enough to make their own choices. be it my business or something completely different, I don't mind, as long as they bring the wisdom from us, enhanced by good schools. They will be prepared. I can already feel it.

A homepage is born (35)

Sometime ago we bought a computer and my father was not so impressed with what it could do. His imagination stretched much further than the technology at hand at that time. But the evolution has been amazing.

We are now thinking of new ideas and ways to reach our customers and there is this thing called a homepage, a place on internet where customers can log in and see what we offer. All our gloves will be on display. We can show everything in an easy way instead of travelling around with large bags, visiting customers all over the country.

We are probably a bit early, because there are still a lot of customers who don´t have computers or know how to work them. It is truly a question of which generation you belong to. A lot of people cannot see what use it will do. They want to see the gloves, touch them and try them on. Talk to us and discuss quality, advantages and disadvantages. Others get excited and want to try to order like this right away. It saves time.

We decide to give it a go and with a lot of help we launch it in the mid 90's. Exciting times lie ahead.

Half full or half empty (34)

I am standing by the window in our office looking out over KL Sentral. I am free. I know that I can just turn around and walk out the door and no one can stop me. After two weeks in quarantine the feeling just lifts me up.

To be in quarantine, something many of us experience now, is worse than being in prison in some ways. When you are in prison you are normally allowed to leave your cell for some time every day. The most important thing when you end up locked up in a hotel room is to bring the right attitude.

As you all know, attitude is one of my lead words, both when it comes to work and privately. For two weeks I am in quarantine with my wife and we both do our best. It is work, exercise, date night when it is weekend, movies and a lot more.

Sometimes it is stressful, but at the same time it gives us time to think. There are no musts during these two weeks. I have time to think about what I want for my business and we have time to really talk about the future to come.

The last day is a Sunday when we finally are free to leave. We have a lot of good ideas with us. The attitude has helped us. As the saying goes: Is the glass half full or half empty? I think mine is always half full!

Information flow (33)

It is November 1995 and I am on one of my many trips to China. Often leaving Sweden for three weeks each time to have enough time to do my business in Asia. In 1995 there is no internet over the phone, no Instagram, no Facebook and no fast flying news. To get world news I have to turn on the fat TV in my hotel room and watch CNN or BBC to know what is going on around the world.

Imagine my surprise when I one evening, the 17th of November, hear news about Gothenburg. In one night it has snowed more than 50 cm. Maybe not so much up in the north of Sweden, but in Gothenburg it is a lot. Electricity is out, phone lines are out and people are skiing in the city center. I try calling my wife, but only get disconnecting signals. Of course I get worried. My family is in the middle of this and I cannot get hold of them. Later in the day I find out that they have been able to walk to my father-in-law who still has electricity. Everyone is safe.

Today this sounds very odd. News and information are flying around the globe with the speed of lightning. We get more information than we need. With the Covid-19 and economic crises everywhere I would actually like to go back to the level of 1995.

Priorities (32)

I am driving to the hospital with my wife. It is February 1993, cold with slippery roads, so I have to drive carefully. We are heading to the maternity ward. It is time to deliver our first baby. Everything is set up for tomorrow morning at 10 but my wife has to check-in one night before. In the car I turn to her and say: "I have a meeting tomorrow morning at 8.30. I will show up after that." The look I get scares me and the answer is clear: "No, you don't. You will be in the hospital at nine." 

The next day at 10.52 our daughter is born. It is love at first sight. I am allowed to follow the nurse to measure and weigh this little wonder, but when I return to my wife and she asks about the measurements I have no clue. I am in total awe over what miracle life is.

My wife will stay in the hospital for a few days and I will go and visit my new family every day. When I leave the hospital I make a couple of promises:

* I will quit smoking today

* Make sure to prioritize family over work

To quit smoking was the easiest. I have struggled a bit with work and family, but I have made a lot of progress. Even according to my wife!

Never give up! (31)

It is 1992 and the financial crisis has hit the world. Interest rates are going sky high and times are crazy. People are losing their jobs, companies go bankrupt and there is a sense of hopelessness everywhere. The Bank of Sweden is increasing the daily interest rate faster than lightning and we have days when it reaches 500%. Most of us are not prepared for this.

Do you recognize the scenario? Little did we know that crises like this would come in different forms many times for the years to come. Just look at us now in the midst of the corona crisis. The words sound familiar.

In 1992 our company had become bigger and we bought our first property. A small one in a decent location, but still our own. At the same time my wife and I bought our first house as well. The interest rate was almost 14%. In a few months we were going to get our first child.

How did we dare? Well the products we sold and still sell were consumable goods, so the companies came back to buy. Safety regulations in Sweden were on our side, PPE was important for all companies. We were only a few staff and we worked together as a team and came out happily on the other side. We have done it once and will do it every time it is necessary!

Attitude (30)

When I these days look back at my business of almost 35 years I can identify some things that have been of core value. To me, it has been extremely important that no job is better than another and that we all need to help each other. Even now, when I am in Malaysia, I can get a call from my Swedish CFO or purchaser in charge, telling me that they are going down to the warehouse to empty a container. It makes me proud. If we all do it together, we can still make it work.

I remember in the early nineties when we were just a small group of people working together. I was emptying a container with my co-workers. A man walked in with a big bag and a file under his arm, wanting to sell us something. He looked at me and I asked: "Can I help you?" He gave me a crooked smile and said: "Boy, I am here to talk to your boss, Mr Michael Cederkvist. Show me his office!" Can you imaging how I started to laugh on the inside. Five minutes later I stepped into my office and the man looked at me a bit irritated. "I said I am here to see the boss", he continued. I smiled calmly and said: "You are talking to him right now."

We never did any business but it made me realize the importance of having the right attitude.

Charge the batteries (29)

In the mid-eighties, my girlfriend and I buy a small cottage in the archipelago of the Swedish west coast. We are working so much and need a small hide-away, a place to relax and recharge. The house is small and needs a lot of work. Every time we reach the house we can breathe and enjoy the quietness of the countryside and do a different type of work.

To have your own business means a lot of work, but people who don't have their own business often have a different idea about the self-employed people.

The work I do is hard work, hands-on work. I have to walk, talk and persuade. Deal, buy, sell, all at the same time. When you start a new business, nothing will come for free. Only from hard work.

Sometimes I hear people say: "Oh, you have your own business. How nice! Then you can take as much annual leave as you like." I have to hide a smile. More likely no annual leave at all. All your time awake is spent on getting your business to survive and grow. When you succeed, nothing is more rewarding.

But there is also more than work, that is family and friends. They must not be forgotten. The house we now have bought will keep us together in many more ways than just work.

Finding the way (28)

This is how a story starts about two young guys, one Hong Kong Chinese and one Swedish, trying a new way of buying directly from the warehouses in Shenzhen. We will buy what they want or need to sell, at a really good price, and send it to Sweden.

The first time we go around to the different warehouses they look at us skeptically. Luckily I have Jacky Choy who speaks Cantonese and Mandarin. We have to pay cash for our first containers, but as time goes by we earn more trust and they start recognizing us when we come back again and again.

To save money wherever we can, we pack the containers ourselves just to keep the prices down. I love a good workout and this is better than going to any gym.

There are of course traders in Hong Kong buying for customers directly from the warehouses as well. The difference between them and us is that we buy for ourselves and only buy what we know we can sell. This means that we can say yes or no to a price immediately and make a fast deal.

This became a breakthrough for our way of purchasing in the early years.

Creative buying (27)

We have now found a way to get new customers that want to buy bigger quantities. How should we make this work in the future? How can we ensure that we still can make a profit? The things we can take control over is the price we buy for and the price we sell for.

I travel to Hong Kong to meet up with my supplier and friend Jacky Choy. We toss ideas and work through the night. We don't want to buy a container of 88 PASA per month from a factory if we are not sure to sell it. If we do, we cannot buy stock offers when the occasion arises. We don't want to be stuck in any deal.

Many glove factories keep the production going even if it means that the stock will be too large. Not all provinces have a harbor and so a lot of the stock is sent down to Shenzhen, close to the traders in Hong Kong. Would it be possible for us to go there and try buying directly from the warehouses? To our knowledge no purchaser from Europe has tried this before.

Will anyone believe in two young guys under the age of thirty? Will they trust that we know what we are doing?

Marketing (26)

With four people working together we can sit down and just throw ideas at each other. It is amazing how many good suggestions we get. We realize that we are too few to travel all over Sweden so we need to come up with an idea how to get the customers attention and get them to buy bigger quantities. What to do?

The most popular glove at this time is the 88 PASA. Everyone is buying it. How about sending a sample to everyone we want as a customer and offer them a try of the glove at a really good price? We never knew how well this would turn out.

This was quite a new thing in the early 90's and a lot of customers started calling us, wanting to buy gloves from this small but innovative company. Now it was time for step 2: To be able to buy the gloves to send to our new customers. Time to call my friends in China and Hongkong to see what we could do. Time for more travelling to Asia.

We were not too well prepared back then. Just happy and wanting to work hard for what we wanted. Still a lot to learn! 

Moving (25)

Our first office, with warehouse space on different floors, is no longer useful. We need a bigger and better place and also two new staff. We find a new place in an area called Gamlestaden in Gothenburg. A receptionist and a salesman/warehouse worker begin to work with us in the new place. Still everyone is doing a bit of everything around the office, but a small change takes place and our roles are getting a bit more defined. It feels amazing to have doubled the staff. We all work like crazy and everyone is contributing to our success and growth.

My wife has been working in a bank for the last three years and is now changing jobs and starts working for the listed company W, a big property company, as a clerk working with loans and finance. We are both getting into our careers and see each other most nights at the neighborhood restaurant for dinner around 10 pm. Both are very dedicated and we love what we do. There is a lot to discuss over every dinner, talking about different things that have happened during the day. No children yet, so we can just indulge in our jobs and let them consume as much time as is needed.

I have my family at home and at work. Could it be any better?

Upgrading to a computer (24)

A few years back I managed to convince my father to buy a fax machine. Now the time has come to invest in a computer. The resistance is not as tough this time. His eyes start to sparkle when he hears about all the things a computer can do. When I finally have it in my office, my father has given the computer characteristics of abnormal proportions. Where did all this come from?

To help my father I will make a register over all the articles he is selling. When he gets the list he looks a little bit disappointed. "Is this all?", ha asks. I show him how I can sort everything by margin, amount, how many per kind etc. Still not impressed. "Can you ask it what I should buy to earn more money?", he then asks. I look in dismay. It is not a machine that can predict the future that I have just bought. He shakes his head and leaves my office, not impressed at all. It took some time to convince him that it was still better than handwritten lists.

When you look at what you can do with a computer today, I think he would have been happier. But back then there were still limitations as what you could use it for. It has been a long journey and the IT-side of business has come a long, long way!

Dinner (23)

A few months have passed and we are now in the 1990's. A new decade has started. What will it mean for me and my business? After having been in China and Hongkong a few times I am now starting to look for new countries where I can find glove suppliers. 

I follow my father to Taipei in Taiwan and meet with a few new suppliers. For dinner we normally go out with my father's friends. When we go to a restaurant they will often ask us what we would like to eat. My father's reply is always: "We will eat anything that you suggest." This will make us try many new types of local food. Most of the time it will be amazing.

This time I get a new experience. The supplier asks us if we like whisky and we say yes. Then, all of a sudden, we have a big bottle on our table - and nothing else to drink. It seems like an extravagant gesture, but maybe not the best choice of drink together with spicy food. The supplier himself drinks coke - he doesn't like whisky. My father looks at me and just says: "Drink! We cannot make our host disappointed." For a guy my age, 27, there is never a bad time to drink whisky...

Sometimes the things we experience when we travel exceed all expectations!

Involvement (22)

It is January 1989 and I am back in Hongkong. This time I am not alone, I have brought my girlfriend. She has been with me since this journey started, since 1985, and I really want her to understand what I am doing. Not only in Sweden, but here in Asia as well.

I still remember how I was in awe the first time I came here with my father. The airport where you land is so small and so close to all the buildings so you feel like you will end up in the closest living room. I want her to experience this as well, meet my new friends/suppliers and try all the amazing food here. To have Beijing duck, mmmm, I can dream about it. The best restaurant is hard to find, you have to walk up some stairs to reach it, then through a door that looks like it would lead you into an apartment. When you enter - you get really hungry.

On the 25th of January I take her to one of my favorite places - The Revolving 66. A restaurant that turns and we have all of Hongkong at our feet. There and then we get engaged at an amazing dinner. I get to combine the best of two worlds - my girlfriend and my work. As an entrepreneur you can never keep them separated since you live with your business day and night. To me, the best is to bring both sides together for a deeper understanding. Looking back the combination has been very successful.

Failed (21)

The door closes and all the students are in the room to write an essay. This is my second year in high school and it is getting more intense every day. One more year and then we are done. The silence in the room is almost heavy. All you can hear is the rasping of the pencils when everyone starts to write. Some students are so fast and they know exactly what to do. I struggle a bit. First I have to choose a topic and then write a few pages. This is the time before the computers, where handwriting is still a virtue. I just hope that my teacher will be able to read my handwriting...

A week later we are in the classroom and the teacher starts handing out the essays. She calls our names and one by one we need to collect it. Once again I get a disappointed look from her. She doesn't like me. I don't like her either. When I look at my essay I can just see the big F in red ink and the comment: You cannot think like that. You have the wrong opinions.

I understand that you can correct someone on their grammar or content, but can you really criticize a persons ideas? I went home totally mad.

For many years it made me very sad to think about her comments, but later in life, as an adult, I realize that maybe it is not so bad to be able to think differently. I has actually helped me a lot!

Friends for life (20)

In the late 80's English is not widely spoken in China. When we are at the Canton Fair there are a lot of young guys, like myself, helping out as translators. They study at universities and have part time jobs during the fair for business meetings with many of the glove producing companies. Since the translators don't actually work for the companies, they are not supposed to mingle with the customers. However since they are the only ones speaking English, they are the only ones I can talk to.

Back then, I was a big smoker. A perfect way of getting to know other people. Once in a while during the day after the exhibition I will go out to have a cigarette. By coincidence one or two of the young translators do the same thing - and we start talking. I offer them my Marlboro cigarettes and they are eager to try the American brand. A couple of nights later I join them for a game of pool and some beers at a pub.

These small gestures - a cigarette, a friendly game and an interest in each other's way of life - have taught me how little there is needed to start a life long friendship. Don't be afraid of different cultures - in so many ways we are the same. A few guys enjoying a smoke, beer and a game of pool.

Canton Fair (19)

Canton Fair started in 1957. Now it is 1989 and from being an exhibition for raw materials when it started, you can now see exhibitors from all over the world coming in thousands. It is a huge market place and it feels like you can find almost whatever you might be looking for.

I am again travelling with my father and I am almost overwhelmed as we enter the big exhibition halls. My father has been here before and he knows how to attack the place in the right way. We visit suppliers for his own goods and then for mine.

What strikes me is that my father is treated with so much respect. The coming year he will turn 60 and in Asia, there is an enormous respect for older people. Back in Sweden, and in many other countries around the world, the older ones are supposed to give way for the younger generation. Here they appreciate the wisdom and experience from someone who has been around for a long time. I try my best to make my voice heard, but see many of the suppliers turning to my father for important things. This is something I will cherish and remember. Hopefully I will be treated the same at a later stage in life. 

Learning (18)

Life is so much easier now having a colleague at work. I start to travel more and visit customers all over Sweden. Most of the people I meet are much older than I with my 25 years. This is the late 80's and there is a lot of drinking at lunch and after work for many. I don't mind taking a beer now and then, but since I just started, and with my young age, I try to find other ways to get to know my customers. I start bringing my badminton gear and my golf clubs. The exercises give us a good time and I can see how much better I do my work after a game of badminton.

Meeting new customers also comes with challenges. In two out of ten meetings I know that I can supply the gloves they need but for the other eight I cannot. The ask for gloves and functions that I have never heard of, still being inexperienced. I bring a big note book on my travels and write down everything that is being asked for.

I realize I still have a lot to learn. Where would be the best place? A plan takes form. I need to go back to China, get to know some more suppliers and learn from the source. Where to meet them? Of course, The Canton Fair.

My first office (17)

The months pass by and my glove business is actually becoming a proper business. My father´s garage is getting too small for all the gloves coming in from China. I also need a colleague to help me with my glove business. To be a purchaser, warehouse worker, seller, sender, invoice-maker and bookkeeper all-in-one is becoming a bit too much.

The location I eventually find is on Andrégatan in Gothenburg. It is a very run-down place but it is what I can afford at the moment. All the warehouses are quite small and I need to rent two of them as well as an office. The warehouses are on floor two and four so it will be a lot of running up and down. The office is small, but enough for two people. It is located in a small side building, connected to the bigger one, and it is covered in graffiti.

Some of the other tenants are a bit different in their way of doing business and when we need to work late we look over our shoulders when needing to go up to the warehouses. However, we are only 23 years old, and there is not much that scares us.

Today I look back and smile, very happy that I don't have to be in that office any longer.

Telex vs fax (16)

It is the end of 1986 and I have been working with my father for a few months. He works with his rattan furniture and I with my gloves. Different products, different customers, different ways of selling. Sometimes I can feel a little bit of irritation. Working with family is not always easy.

My father has always had a great sense of making good money when doing business. One reason is probably that he doesn't like to spend too much money on unnecessary things. Just a few years ago he modernized the office and bought - a telex. I now want us to buy a fax machine. "Totally unnecessary", according to my father, since we have the telex. "Who uses a telex these days?"

I realize that I really need to fight for what I want and that I need good arguments. This will be a valuable lesson for the future. Never take anything for granted. If you want something you must understand why and be able to explain it. It took some time of working, sharpening my argumentation, but eventually - the fax was there! Now I am aiming for the next thing - a computer!

Meeting customers! (15)

It is my first week meeting with potential customers. The first meeting went ok, even though the man I meet have a little smile on his face most of the time. I try to write down as much as I remember after the meeting to be more prepared for the next one. The second one is with a bigger company with several stores. I get so nervous sitting in front of the man that I don't remember what to say.

I am a big smoker during this time of my life and I see a pack of cigarettes on his desk. I ask him for one and the meeting just dies. He gives me a skeptical look and sends me away after a few minutes. Not a good move at all, I realize.

After my first week, three of the clients actually want to buy from me. Older men with a lot of experience, probably seeing themselves as they were when they started out. Nice people who are willing to take a small risk to help out a young and unexperienced guy. One of them sends me to a friend's business in another city. Great success!  I manage to get the Yellow pages for a new region! No internet in 1986...

Slowly the days pass by and the time for my first container is soon here. It will be such a pleasure to put the boxes of gloves in my car and go for my first delivery.

Sales (14)

I have been back in Sweden for a week. Now a professional purchaser, probably in my own eyes only. Time for my next role, that of a salesman. How to start? Big industries in Gothenburg are easy to find, but will they buy from me? How to find customers that are smaller industries that might want a visit?

I start with the yellow pages and make lists. I will start calling them next week. The gloves will not be here until another two months. My warehouse is in the garage of my parents' home. Baby steps are taken. I don´t have any money yet to get an office or a warehouse space. That will have to come later. My father has always worked from home, and I will be in his office to start with.

For my first call I am honestly shaking. I have never been scared of talking to people, but now, for the first time, I realize how important this is. I have to sound professional and serious without really having any experience. I have to get them to grant me meetings. When I get the first meeting booked I am thrilled. I made it!! Then I get another, another and another. For next week I now have ten meetings booked. I hope my car will be ok for driving around…

In Hong Kong (13)

We step out of the plane. The air is hot and humid. The landing was almost scary. The airport is so small and you can almost see what people are having for lunch as you pass the high rise buildings on the way down. We get our luggage and take a taxi to the Kowloon side of Hong Kong. We just have enough time to check in and get our rooms before we need to go to our meetings. My father is off and I am anxiously waiting in the hotel lobby. Then I hear my name. “Michael? I am Peter. Welcome to Hong Kong!” I follow him out to a waiting car, gripping my bag with the samples I have brought, given to me by my carpenter friend. 88 PASA. That is what I am supposed to buy.

My newly found supplier is Peter Lee from Sonley Gloves. During our meeting I realize that I don't have a clue about anything. Luckily I have met an honest man. A man who would be my friend for many years and who would teach me a lot about gloves and glove business. At our very first meeting he shows me a whole range of gloves. I never knew there were so many. I order many more types than just 88 PASA. My purchasing days have just started.

In great memory

Today should have been another chapter in the story of my life in the glove business. I am so happy that I started this process, bringing out all the memories and the respect I have for my father.

In the morning of the 28th of April he passed away in his sleep after having been sick in COVID-19 for a couple of weeks. He was almost back in shape, but being almost 90, it was too much for his body in the end. 

I will continue my journey of writing about us and our story. There will be laughs, tears and memories of all the problems we had working together, father and son. But most of all there will be a lot of love. I will always be thankful for the tough times, but most of all for his belief in me. I have learnt so much from him and I have seen him being proud of me, as well as over my family. Together we made a small piece of history.

He was a big man and will be greatly missed!

The transformation! (12)

It is time to board the plane taking us half across the globe. My father is here in the seat next to mine. For the first time we are going on a business trip together. I take out my notes and look at the names of the companies that I am going to visit. It was hard work just to find them. The Swedish Business Council had lists and I found an export magazine where I got a couple of names. When I arrive in Hong Kong I will try to find the yellow pages. I must be able to find more suppliers that way.

The dinner on the plane is over and we take a whisky after the meal. Saying cheers - as equals this time. I can see that my father expects a lot from me. I have decided to take all the meetings alone, to show him that I am worthy of his support. My father has other meetings to attend. He has promised to show me around Hong Kong and I am so eager to see everything

The stewardess comes over to ask us if we want something else, but I close my eyes and drift away, dreaming about the trip I have waiting for me. Tomorrow I will take a step from being just a 22-year old man to be a true businessman. Hong Kong here I come!

The journey begins! (11)

I am back in my father's office. He looks at me with a patient smile. OK, he says. Your idea. You will be responsible for everything - finding suppliers, products, customers. The whole chain. I will help you with the money. I will lend you enough to fill a container. Time for research!

During the mid-eighties there is no such thing as the internet. I have to work in a totally different way. There is a magazine you can get with suppliers for different types of goods. Since my father already is buying from China I look for suppliers in the same part of the world. Yes! There it is! I find two or three suppliers in Hong Kong. Meetings are booked and I am ready to fly.

I have been in China and Hong Kong with my parents when I was younger so there is nothing strange in travelling to Asia. I feel like I own this. Now is my time to shine and come back with excellent gloves and show everyone what a businessman I am.

Finally I can give my ideas wings and see if it is better to be my own employer instead of working for someone else. What I don't know at this moment is that from now on it will always be me and gloves, like a life-long marriage. Me and my gloves.

The idea (10)

I am back at home, 22 years old, considering what I should do. Sometimes I talk to my friends to get ideas. One day I have my friend Mats on the phone. A friend from the military service days. He is now working as a carpenter. I listen to him talking about his job and all of a sudden I'm alert and my brain starts sending out strong signals to my body. He said gloves! Gloves - a thing that is used and thrown away. A product that workers need every day.

All of a sudden I am back at the family dinner table. Wait now! What was it my parents always said? Consumable goods..! Here it is and what a great idea! Gloves it will be.

I am ready to return to my father and present the idea. Hopefully he will like it as much as I do!

Today I can smile at how I was back then. As a dog after a bone. So happy to have found something, but maybe not so many thoughts around the whole thing. No planning, just the product. The glove journey started right here, but the road would be long and winding. Something I did not realize at the time :)

The challenge! (9)

I sit relaxed in a big chair in my father's office, telling him about my idea of starting to work in our family business together with him. Waiting for him to jump for joy. But nothing goes as expected.

I am met with silence. And then - a big NO. I am in shock. What just happened? My father is a smart man. He understands that if I come back, just starting off with the same things he does, there will be fights and disagreements. His answer to me is to go home, find a business idea of my own, plan it and then come back to him for new discussions.

I have taken everything for granted, always succeeded in getting a job. This is the first time I get refused, and by my own father. My reaction is dismay, disbelief and I can hardly take it in.

But my father wants more for me. He teaches me not to take life for granted but to earn it. To stand on my own two feet. And when I am ready, he will listen, give advice and help me. But I have to do my lesson first. I will rise to the challenge. I will not let him down!

Wanting to break free (8)

I am still working at Coop but now in a new place. In charge of vegetables and fruits in a bigger store in a bigger city. New and exciting fruits are being available that no one has ever heard of: starfruit, rambutan and litchi. I want to try everything but the management is not always so keen on my ideas. I realize how frustrated it makes me feel. Slowly I start to understand that maybe I am not a guy who should be employed by someone else. Not being able to go where I want with my ideas without permission is making me feel strangled.

In a big organization you need to follow the rules and the decision-making process has to follow a certain course. My thoughts cannot flow freely and my ideas are taking time or being stopped. It is, again, time for a change.

After a lot of thinking I am back in my parents' house asking for a talk with my father. I feel confident, knowing that he will be so happy with my decision to come back and work with him. I throw myself in a big chair and start telling him about my decision and our new future...

M-i-c-H-a-E-l (7)

It is 1970 and I have just started school. Excited and a bit nervous, with my new school bag over my shoulders, I walk in to meet my new friends. In the class room our teacher is checking who can read and write and we are then divided into two groups. Today I am asked to go up to the blackboard to write my name. I know how to do this and I confidently walks to the front of the class. M-i-c-H-a-E-l. There it is. The teacher frowns and I hear giggles from my classmates. I know it is correct and understand nothing.

A couple of years later I am asked to stand in front of the class reading from a book. The letters dance in front of me and it looks like they are jumping around, changing positions. I stutter when I read and have to take it slowly. Again, says the teacher. Again and again. My classmates are laughing even harder. The letters are like ants crawling around the page.

Did I get broken? No, but I got tough. I became one of the boys at the back of the class room, not wasting too much time learning things. Today I know what caused the problem - Dyslexia. In many ways children are better off today because the help and understanding is there. Me today - I am so happy that I can listen to books instead of reading them!

Outside the box (6)

I am fifteen and my mother and her friend is forcing me and a friend to take dance classes. Not just any! With girls... My hands are sweaty, I have two left feet and the girls I dance with don't look too impressed. The worst is that my mom is waiting outside so we cannot sneak away from class.

Fifteen years later I am about to get married. My wife-to-be asks if we can take dance classes. To be able to do the bridal waltz perfectly. Ironically she books us in to the same dance school as I went to when I was younger. Slowly we learn the steps, the posture and the turns. We practice at our warehouse. We practice and practice and practice. So comes the big day. I am not sure what makes me more nervous - the wedding or the dancing. After dinner it is time. We walk into the middle of the dance floor. Head high, shoulders back. The music begins and we start dancing. We slide and turn and make our moves, expecting our parents to join us after a minute. No one moves. They let us finish and then later, everyone cheers.

I am so far out of my comfort zone, but still I make it. I feel like there are no limits now. No limits to what I can do.

Making it on my own! (5)

I have a new job. Working in a grocery store. My time is divided between being in the store and taking a course preparing me to become a store manager. There are a million things to learn. How to take care of the dairy section, how to cut meat, which fruits cannot be next to each other. And customers, so many questions, sometimes happy, sometimes angry and sometimes sneaky. Some of them almost become my friends. Slowly I learn how to act and tackle people. One of my most valued lessons. If you can handle customers in a good way, then you can succeed with almost everything.

Starting working in a grocery store was my way of getting away from the family business, After some time I realize that my grandfather on my father's side used to own a grocery store. My father worked there as well. So much for trying to do something new!! Success rate zero. But as with every job I have tried so far - valuable lessons to learn! This job made me aware of the importance of customer care, something I have benefited from during the rest of my life.