Tell us about yourselves ...
It all started for us in January of 2000 when we met on an airplane from
Philadelphia, PA to Raleigh, NC … we were married 9 months later. 
I guess you could say that we know what we like and are not shy about
pursuing our dreams. We are both entrepreneurs by nature. Christer's
professional background is in establishing software companies, mostly
Swedish companies, in North America. Brenda was a management
consultant when we met and was a founding member of her consulting
practice at the time. 

By sheer coincidence, we both share a common Swedish background. Brenda is a 4th generation Swedish-American from Minnesota. Christer was born and grew up in Sweden. We weren't looking for a fellow Swede, but it was a fun surprise when Brenda spoke Swedish to Christer when they first met.

Both of us have enjoyed a great deal of travel as well as adventurous past times including rock climbing (Brenda) and ice hockey (Christer). Brenda does not get as much 'rock time' as Christer gets ice time nowadays, but has a dream one day of having a rock climbing gym … but that dream will have to wait a few years as two young children and two rapidly growing businesses are enough for now.

First and foremost, we are very proud parents. Kelly is five (and a half, don't forget the all-important half) and Anton is two years old. They are the lights of our lives. Every day is an adventure with these two spunky and fun-loving kids. Everything we do is meant to benefit them. We love being entrepreneurs and feel that we are setting a good example for them on how to reach for your dreams and love what you do.  We also have found a good balance.  While we do work the insane hours that most entrepreneurs have to, we also make sure that our focus during non-work hours is 100% on family. 

The story of Scandinavian Child …
The idea to move into children's products was a practical one. Brenda was about to have our first child and it did not make sense for her to continue with her hectic and often impromptu travel schedule as a consultant, while Christer also had to travel as a software company IT executive. With that in mind, we came up with the idea of creating a distribution company focusing on Swedish products. The inspiration for Scandinavian Child, specifically, was the Svan High Chair, which we first found at a store in Stockholm when we were pregnant with our daughter, Kelly. We loved the bentwood design and the practicality of being able to seat a child up to the table, while still being able to maintain the standard function of a high chair tray. Long story short, we contacted Svan, they called us back a few weeks later (on the day our daughter was born!) and Scandinavian Child was born! 

Our original business idea was to expand into other brands by doing what we had done with Svan; to tour around Scandinavia finding quality children's products to bring to North America. In fact, it did not work out quite that way.  From the day we launched, we have been inundated with great products from around the world, leaving us no need (or time) to leisurely tour Scandinavia in search of products. 

Scandinavian Child now represents several fine brands from around the world, with more in the works. In addition to Svan of Sweden (best known for the ergonomic high chair), we also represent Cariboo of New Zealand; featuring beautiful bassinets made from sustainable New Zealand wood, líllébaby; innovative soft products such as the recently launched EuroTote, and Monarch; nursery chairs designed with comfort in mind.

The story of Vincent Shoes …
Along the way, we have found some products that are great, but not a perfect fit for Scandinavian Child.  Such was the case with the shoes from Vincent - a big step for small feet. From the first time we saw them, we adored the collection of fashionable, yet durable children's shoes that are an absolutely must-have in Sweden. (Swedes are known for their fashion sense, but also for a strong demand for quality. What sells there, will inevitable do well in the U.S.) 

At first we just offered to help Vincent Shoe Store Sweden to identify a distributor in North America, but after a few visits with the team in Sweden, Christer decided he just had to do it himself. He shed his technology consulting work and set to work full time on launching and growing Vincent Shoes LLC. 

In very short time and using lessons learned from Scandinavian Child, Vincent Shoes was launched on-line in late-September 2006. Vincent has very rapidly developed a following in North America. It has been less than a year since the North American launch of the brand, and sales continue to grow from day to day both through our on-line store and through the many quality retailers that now carry the brand in the US and Canada. The best, however, are the many emails we receive from parents who are thrilled with our products, including flattering complaints that some children insist on sleeping in their shoes and parents begging us to make adult shoes also for them.

What do Scandinavian Child brands provide to families?
Scandinavian Child has a simple philosophy for our products - Designs Without Compromise. All of our products emphasize functionality, safety, and style.  In other words, our products have to be extraordinary in every way.  They have to function above and beyond the standard for their category (and many of our products are multi-functional).  You will not find products in our collection that are just 'cool looking'. They also must meet any applicable safety standard. We even make up standards to test to in a third party testing lab. And, finally, our products do not compromise on style. Whether it is your home style or your personal style, Scandinavian Child products should blend into your lifestyle.

Our products also place a strong emphasis on family-friendly and child-friendly designs from our Svan High Chairs that help a baby sit up at the family table to the fact that all of our cushions are PBDE-free, plastics are phthalate-free, and finishes are lead-free.

Challenges …
We have faced many challenges along the way including the usual growing pains around growth and cash flow.  Also, since we started from very small work-at-home businesses, we have had to be masters at a wide range of skills from sales to distribution. 

One lesson we had to learn is that not all products are for every family or child, and that is okay. As much as we think all of our products are phenomenal, different children simply have different preferences. Take our children as an example; one absolutely lived in a close-fitting carrier while the other didn't at all like to be constrained. You just won't know what a child will like until they try it (sometimes several times). 

What does Vincent provide to families?
Hmmm … have you seen the shoes?  They are just great - we call them fun, fashionable and functional. These are the first shoes we have seen that are not worn out before they are out grown. Not to mention, our kids love to wear them. Vincent shoes are comfortable and practical, yet stylish. Even our two year old boy has very specific opinions about which pair he should wear each day. Other features, such as free exchanges and an online shoe fitter to find the right size make shopping with us very easy. And don't forget to read the stories - the Designers' Notes - about each style of shoe. You will love to learn what inspired the designers to create each style and they convey an important part of Vincent's "personality." (And, yes, we couldn't help naming some of the styles after
our children :-) 

Advice for working parents…
Create a close network of support. With our families living far from us in Minnesota and Sweden, we have created an extended family of friends including great neighbors, friends and babysitters. We also rely on our live-in au pair who is part of our family (note: the au pair program is a very cost-effective form of childcare if you are willing to share your home with an exchange student). Having in-home childcare was ideal when we worked from home. We still managed to keep our work life separate, but could take breaks for meals and boo-boos. 

If you are working from home, do not chide yourself into thinking you can take care of the children and work at the same time. I (Brenda) learned this lesson from Oprah when she interviewed Julie Aigner-Clark (founder of Baby Einstein). I am so glad I took her advice!

While we loved working at home (we have both since moved into office space as our companies grew), it was still very important to separate work from home life. If you choose to work from home, make sure to carve out a work area where you can close the door and fully immerse yourself in your job. Similarly, when you 'leave' at the end of the day, try to take a full break and focus on the family. You can always return to work after the children go to bed.

Another piece of advice is to stay focused. Once you start a business, it is amazing how many opportunities will become available. It is enticing to take advantage of all of them, but it is critical to stay focused.

Ideal workday…
Breakfast with the kids, coffee, get ready, coffee, office, coffee … you get the picture. We typically work a full day at the office, come home for dinner, playtime, and putting Kelly and Anton to bed. Family time is the best part of the day.

Once the kids are in bed, we often flip open the laptops, but we also make 'date night' a priority. Quality time together is as important as anything else. After all, when the kids leave the nest one day, we want to still like each other. Our favorite date nights are spent watching the Carolina Hurricanes (hockey) … and talking about kids and work in between periods. It is so nice sharing common work interests because we are each so excited about what the other is doing and love to bounce ideas off of each other.

Fun Facts …
The Sage colored Svan Chair cushion was inspired by the paint in our kitchen. It has consistently been a customer favorite.

The Anton and Kelly shoes in the Vincent collection are inspired by and named after our children. The Kelly shoe personifies Kelly's obsession with all things girly and the Anton shoe was our favorite early walker when Anton was a toddler.

While we grew up in different countries, unbeknownst to us our paths crossed several times before we met. In fact, Christer almost rented an apartment from Brenda's uncle in Sweden about 15 years before we met.

Favorite product in our collections?
This is a hard call since our children have 'product tested' everything in the collection and we don't carry anything that we don't absolutely love. However, we have the most fun on our Svan Scooters. They are the one toy in our home that is used every day and we are frequently seen racing them around the house, with our kids always beating us…

Favorite places to travel …
We love to travel and just in the past month we have visited Sweden, Latvia and New Zealand. Each place brings something new and interesting to see and experience so it's hard to pick a favorite place or places; beyond our favorite trip to Sweden every summer, we enjoy each new place in its own right and have rollerbladed and/or rock climbed in nearly every country we have visited, especially before we had kids. We strongly discourage rollerblading in the bumpy, tram track laden Oslo streets, but it is an amazing transportation vehicle in Paris under the Eiffel Tower and along the Seine River!

Traveling with children?
Do it! We love traveling with our kids. But be prepared that anything can and will happen. Just keep in mind before you leave home that you will have no down time until you reach your destination. (Hint - bring a spare change of clothes for any long airplane trip, for everyone in the family!)

Who was your childhood hero?
Christer - Superman
Brenda - Princess Diana