Guest Blogger : Lori Webb
As I prepared to interview Danish entrepreneur, Liselotte Østerby, founder of the newly launched website, http://www.thefairpages.com, I hadn’t even thought about the significance our time together would bring.
Liselotte and I had been connected through a mutual friend, fellow American Expat, Bryan Traum and owner of Denmark’s first eco-lifestyle store, http://www.ecoego.dk Bryan had been working with Liselotte on the final elements of The Fair Pages and recommended (wisely) that I consider interviewing her for my forthcoming international book series, Entrepreneurial Profiles (link: http://www.entrepreneurialprofiles.com). The more I heard about the project, the more interested in it, I became.
One amazingly beautiful, summer day, Liselotte and I, were able to meet and decided to do our interview in The Royal Danish Botanical Gardens. As we walk among the lovely flowers, shared stories about ourselves, our businesses and our aspirations to impact the world, we began to connect.
As I completed the interview with Liselotte, her passion, conviction and dedication to her newly launched endeavor led her to make a statement that hit me so hard at my core that tears began streaming down my face. As she spoke about the increased need for sustainability, social responsibility and mind shifting for a better tomorrow, she made the concluding statement, “It’s not about how to make the first million (dollars) but, how to save the first million (people)!”
Much like my own project, Liselotte, has invested years towards fulfilling her dream to bring the fair pages to life. Now, it is launched and time for the next phase. It is an intense and scary period and when you have spent so much time creating something in virtual isolation it is a challenge to truly let it go and dare to let it flourish on its own merit. It is invigorating and at times lonely.
As we began to wrap up our conversation, I found myself reaching into my bag for a friendship stone to give her. A little startled, yet, clearly happy with the prospect of an unexpected gift from a new friend, she began opening the small package. As she admired the stones beauty, she held it up to the sun and more closely examined its patterns and how it changed in the light. I explained the background of the stone and how I wanted her to have it as an anchor that she could carry with her to give her strength on those inevitable difficult days that we, as entrepreneurs, often face.
By giving her the stone, I wanted to empower her with the knowledge that she mattered and that what she had done “already” touched at least one person- me. It was my way of saying I see her vision, I connect with her aspirations and that I would now be one of those in her corner rooting for her in good times and bad. I wanted her to know that I appreciated her for her audacity to try to change the world. Giving her the friendship was simply my way of saying thanks.
About Lori
I am Lori Webb and I am the founder of Indspark! I started Indspark! to combine my various professional and personal background to help entrepreneurs with a special focus on women and early phase business endeavors. I have worked in branding, fashion, media, retail management, customer service, design, communication and education. I hold a Master of Science in Information Technology (Design, Communication & Media) and a B.A. in Theatre and English. As an infomaniac, I am a dedicated lifelong learner and have a range of addition certifications from baby signing to creative thinking to natural heritage interpretation.
My diverse background provides you with a unique and thorough look at your brand (think: multi-sensory) as well as providing you with new perspectives (think: technology & trends) on how to create or improve its experiential reach.
I am also currently completing my first book, Entrepreneurial Profiles, which will also provide international “indspark” for entrepreneurial spirits worldwide. The book is a diverse and global look at 21st century entrepreneurship. There are now over 110 entrepreneurs connected to the project from around the world. The first book of the series will be out Fall 2010.
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