Bulls n Bears Entrepreneurship Zone :: The journey so far: Jonas Schwarz Lausten, co-owner, Nordic Hotels

Fri May 10 09:04:07 CAT 2019

 <mailto:info at bulls.co.zw> 

Jonas Schwarz Lausten is the co-owner of Nordic Hotels, a collection of
boutique hotels in Nigeria: The Nordic Villa and the Nordic Hotel are both
located in Abuja, and the upcoming Nordic Hotel is in Lagos. Together, the
hotels have a 125-room capacity.

1. Tell us about one of the toughest situations you’ve found yourself in as
a business owner.

Back in 2011, when my partners – Nwaya Chukwuemeka Collins, Anders Mogensen
and my brother Christian Schwarz Lausten – and I opened the first of our
Nordic Hotels branches in Nigeria, we literally had no clue what we were
doing.

All we knew was that we wanted to fill the gap in the accommodation market
and offer a value-for-money product with Nordic designer furniture,
complimentary internet and clean bedsheets in a home-away-from-home
environment. We call it the “Nordic feeling”.

I’m sure we’ve reinvented the wheel 1,000 times during the years without
knowing because we were – and are – not trained hoteliers. That, to a large
degree, has probably also been our strength, not being bound by certain ways
of doing things in the hotel industry.

Furthermore, as a Dane living in Nigeria, it’s been challenging to adjust
and understand the cultural differences. But I feel privileged – I learn
something new every day.

2. Which business achievement are you most proud of?

It’s a non-Danish thing to be open about your achievements, but, having
lived so many years abroad, I dare say that my partners and I are proud of
our team at Nordic Hotels, Nigeria.

We now have more than 70 young Nigerians on our team [and] 90% are younger
than 30. [The young people had] no prior hospitality experience before
joining us and they’re winning one award after the other and competing with
some of the biggest international-branded hotels. To have brought the team
to that stage is something we’re super stoked [about] and proud of.

Winning the prestigious TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award, which has
only been given to 1% of all hotels in the world seven times is quite an
achievement. We take pride in (almost) having disrupted the hospitality
industry in Nigeria.

We have a high level of service and will go that extra mile – or even three
if needed – for our guests, to ensure that their experience is world class.
We’ll help guests find other restaurants in town or help them find shops,
where [they can] buy new clothes or something else. It’s as if we have a
personalised concierge service.

I am happy to announce that we are now bringing the Nordic feeling to
Lagos. Nordic Hotel Lagos will have 64 rooms in our cool Nordic design
style, with conference and meeting facilities, a restaurant, bar, fitness
[facility] and a beautiful pool. Everything, right in the middle of Victoria
Island. I’m so excited about this hotel and can’t wait to open its doors in
early 2020.

3. Describe your greatest weakness as an entrepreneur.

Weaknesses are inevitable, not only as an entrepreneur but simply as a
human being. I do believe that weaknesses can be turned into strengths as
well. I’m a Dane living in probably the most different country culture-wise
from Denmark.

Now, where that may be a weakness, I see it as a strength. I bring
something else to the table. More importantly, I believe it’s crucial to
have the best people possible around you.

Since we began Nordic Hotels back in 2011, my three excellent business
partners and I have worked closely together to create this success story. We
complement each other with different competencies.

On a more practical level, I must admit that I do worry a lot – about all
kinds of things. Also here, our partnership is, indeed, valuable. We use
each other to spar with, challenge each other and come up with solutions.

4. Which popular entrepreneurial advice do you disagree with?

Many people talk about how many companies you have to fail before you’ll
have success and I’m sure it’s true for some. We have failed a tonne of
times, but never to the degree where we would have to throw in the towel. We
have had a strong setup and a culture of trial and error, so we’ve pulled
through those tough times when we’ve messed up.

At one point we had to close one of our hotels due to major issues with the
building, however, we came out positively and found a new building, which
became 10 times better and nicer.

5. Is there anything you wish you knew about entrepreneurship before you
got started?

I guess it was a good thing I didn’t know much about starting your own
business in Nigeria, or else I might have run away! Luckily, it has always
been rewarding and exciting, to this day.

My educational background is a master’s degree from Copenhagen Business
School, where I studied entrepreneurship and innovation, which provided me
with an analytical toolbox.

But to be an entrepreneur equally takes a positive mindset and pure
willpower to get stuff off the ground. You can study it and read cases, but
to execute is an entirely different story.

6. Name an untapped business opportunity in Nigeria.

Anything [in] agriculture is super interesting. Coffee production in
Nigeria is something I’ve been looking at. However, I’m not a farmer and
know nothing about soil or crops, but coffee is the second-most traded
commodity after oil.

Before oil became the moneymaker in Nigeria in the ’70s, Nigerian coffee
exports were 3-4% of GDP. Today it is nothing.

Fast-moving consumer goods businesses are interesting as well. Products for
the masses are intriguing, but it’s a tough game in terms of branding and
marketing.—Howwemadeitinafrica 

Jonas Schwarz Lausten

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