The founder of Scandinavian lifestyle brand Style:Nordic recently wrote CAN!, a book about being an entrepreneur in Singapore. He talks to Hidayah Salamat about starting over and being in love with life.

When I landed in Singapore, my first impression of the city state was that it was cosmopolitan, abundant and warm.

When the first container carrying my Style:Nordic products and private stuff arrived at the harbor, I cried. I was so excited about the new life I was about to start.

I didn’t have a book to show at my own book launch! The printer couldn’t make it in time so I had to present with flash cards bearing quotes from the book.

“Stay calm and bide your time” has got to be the worst advice anyone has ever given me. I can understand it, but as an entrepreneur, I’d rather do something about the situation.

I don’t have an actual bucket list, but I definitely want to have more experiences, both in business and relationships.

I don’t leave home without my phone, keys, wallet, good spirit and a smile on my lips.

I think the education system in Singapore follows too much of a “stuffing a sausage” kind of style. Instead of giving students a context with which they can relate to in their learning, they just teach you stuff without explaining how best to apply it.

I’ve already showcased Scandinavian design in Singapore; now I want to do it the other way round—show Europe what Singapore is about!, my first impression of the city state was that it was cosmopolitan, abundant and warm.

I get annoyed by people who aren’t curious and willing to see things in a new perspective. In today’s society, we all need to be open-minded and receptive to changes. I think Singaporeans are generally more open than Europeans.

I had surgery last July that made me understand I’m not going to live forever. A month later, my dad passed away. 2012 wasn’t an easy year, but I still love life.

Even if you plan things and projects right down to the minute, you never know what’s going to happen.

I don’t like New Year’s resolutions. But if you do make resolutions, you should stick to them. Be decisive. Own them and earn them!

I measure personal success by how much I can share it with others... the more, the merrier.

People who do something with their ideas are very admirable. We always learn something by acting on our ideas, for better or for worst.

I usually fall for someone who’s got a bigger brain than mine, someone I can learn from and have discussions about life with. Also, someone who can make me smile. 

I’ve decided to move back to Sweden. I talked about it in my book but in a nutshell, I was starting to get the “been there, done that” feeling.

Being kind and honest is really quite underrated in today’s society.

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