5th August 2019
About five years ago, I had a long walk with my wife in one of the most beautiful national parks in Denmark, Mols Bjerge. While walking for hours, we thoroughly discussed Copenhagen Optimization and whether leaving the safe-haven of Copenhagen Airport was the right move. The outcome of the conversation is well-known – Copenhagen Optimization was formed, and so far, so good.
A few weeks ago, I was back in national park Mols Bjerge. Remaining beautiful, the conversation this time was about what I have learned taking Copenhagen Optimization from a two-man show in a small office to more than 20 people today. We were around many different drivers ending up with three main drivers of the success we have had so far:
Passion – this is the main driver in all the many books I have read about start-ups and entrepreneurship. I can honestly and proudly say that I have not had a single day since founding Copenhagen Optimization waking up thinking – “I would rather do something else today than go to work.” I absolutely love what we are doing, making a visible difference in airports across the world – that makes me proud every day. We have built an amazing team making this possible, and it is the utmost pleasure to experience what great minds can achieve together.
Humility – I have not seen humility mentioned in a lot of the books I have read as a key driver of success. To me, it is vital. While having absolute confidence in what we do, every airport is different and the ability to ask the right questions and truly listen to the answers has made a massive difference for us.
Structure – sounds easy, but the structure is hard to perfect. I truly believe we have the perfect structure in Copenhagen Optimization. We did not invent how to structure a start-up but have had amazing advisors from day 1. The advisors turned into a more formal board, and it remains clear that while our journey is new to us, we are not in uncharted territory.
My aim for the next five years? To continue making a visible difference for airports across the world – and most importantly, waking up thinking there is nothing else I would rather do than making that visible difference.
