Soon: Pozńan
Thank you Shell for providing the last sim card making my launch country phone number collection complete. :-)
Here are my numbers. Only my SE plus one is active until I get three more phones. I will feel like a drug dealer with five phones. :-)
SE +46-708-670901 [always active]
(NO +47-906 46 589)
(FI: +358-40-4631547)
(DK: +45-603 114 94)
PL: +48-797 493 619 [active!]
/Morre
-- Post From My iPhone
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Left the cloud-heavy Denmark
Next: Poznan, PL
So I am on the road again after a very short visit to Copenhagen, DK. But I had time to buy a DK phone number, talk with some Danish models over the phone curious about MnS and spend the evening with the very talanted make-up artist Gabriella Tipsa Bruun.
She had some friends that really are the type of models many customers are looking for now: warm, good looking and over 30.
I hope to be able to recruit them to Models-n-Shoots but by experience I know many of them can not accept the truth that the get job offerings as a model: "No, I am way to old for modeling."
Ladies! Time to upgrade your ego! :-)
I leave you with a nice picture from DK close to the port.
Time to get back in the bus and hit the German roads towards Pozńan.
/Morre
-- Post From My iPhone
So I am on the road again after a very short visit to Copenhagen, DK. But I had time to buy a DK phone number, talk with some Danish models over the phone curious about MnS and spend the evening with the very talanted make-up artist Gabriella Tipsa Bruun.
She had some friends that really are the type of models many customers are looking for now: warm, good looking and over 30.
I hope to be able to recruit them to Models-n-Shoots but by experience I know many of them can not accept the truth that the get job offerings as a model: "No, I am way to old for modeling."
Ladies! Time to upgrade your ego! :-)
I leave you with a nice picture from DK close to the port.
Time to get back in the bus and hit the German roads towards Pozńan.
/Morre
-- Post From My iPhone
Location:Dersekow,Germany
Friday, November 05, 2010
Bømlo and Bergen: check
Tour now: Oslo, Next: Stockholm
The one who invented Norway did not like traveling. What other reason is there to destroy any quick driving with mountains, fjords and islands? On top of that, throw some rain and early darkness, and you have the west coast in Norway in a nutshell.
Or maybe go viking gods just want me to get my IFR pilot license so I can fly there, even in that weather. Stavanger-Bergen in the bus: 4,5 hours. With the plane: 30 min.
But I finally made it out to Bømlo and make real of Birgitta's invitation. It is not everyday you are on historic ground with a goat farmer. She is a good cook as well. :-)
I think you get it—it was a good stay!
I would have loved to take a tour on the island but I had to work. It is a lot of things to do before launch and during daytime I am booked with calling ad agencies trying to find job for our Talents.
The shoot was challenging. To rainy to be outside and no location close, so we had to stick to the house. But the goal for the shoot was to show different side of Birgitta, making her portfolio wider.
But on my way to Bergen I got some peaks of the island.
But soon it was dark as all my other legs. "Is that a mountain? Where's the road?"
After 4 bloody hours, thanks to ferries and funky roads I was in Bergen. Ready to shoot Tale with help from her friend Karoline.
But according to their fridge they where ready for something else. :-)
Once again, due to lack of time, darkness and rain, we tried get some portfolio shots in her apartment. We got two I guess and Karoline is rather talented not only in partying, but making chicken salad as well. Best one I had for years actually!
Then it was time (01:00) to head towards Oslo. I got to Voss and then I went back in the bus and went to bed. So today, no time for calls but a super-sweet drive in the mountains.
And here are the pictures!
I will be interesting to see if they work.
The one who invented Norway did not like traveling. What other reason is there to destroy any quick driving with mountains, fjords and islands? On top of that, throw some rain and early darkness, and you have the west coast in Norway in a nutshell.
Or maybe go viking gods just want me to get my IFR pilot license so I can fly there, even in that weather. Stavanger-Bergen in the bus: 4,5 hours. With the plane: 30 min.
But I finally made it out to Bømlo and make real of Birgitta's invitation. It is not everyday you are on historic ground with a goat farmer. She is a good cook as well. :-)
I would have loved to take a tour on the island but I had to work. It is a lot of things to do before launch and during daytime I am booked with calling ad agencies trying to find job for our Talents.
The shoot was challenging. To rainy to be outside and no location close, so we had to stick to the house. But the goal for the shoot was to show different side of Birgitta, making her portfolio wider.
But on my way to Bergen I got some peaks of the island.
But soon it was dark as all my other legs. "Is that a mountain? Where's the road?"
After 4 bloody hours, thanks to ferries and funky roads I was in Bergen. Ready to shoot Tale with help from her friend Karoline.
But according to their fridge they where ready for something else. :-)
Then it was time (01:00) to head towards Oslo. I got to Voss and then I went back in the bus and went to bed. So today, no time for calls but a super-sweet drive in the mountains.
I will be interesting to see if they work.
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Our new boss: Martin
Tour now: Bømlo, Next: Bergen
So I am off on the Customer Launch Tour but a lot off things are going on at home. The techies are making Models-n-Shoots better, right now fixing the last bit of VIP customer demo switch, and making easier interface for Talents to handle their Portfolio.
But getting closer and closer to launch, we better have someone keeping it all together so we recruited a boss to Models-n-Shoots Europe AB.
Please welcome my old friend and colleague Martin Pettersson!
We got to know each other in Linköping and got more and more contact since Martin is very interested in photography. So now and Martin worked we me as a project manager and assistant for shoot, especially on my Maltese shoots. You will find him in some of my behind-the-scenes pictures.
It was actually during all the work getting all shoots together with the right team that the idea started of doing a service/application to handle the process from searching to replies from models. So Martin has been around since the start of the project and was one of the first to become a share holder of the company when we started last year.
So Martin will adding strength to our sales department and take care of the paper work at home, while I continue to focus on the developing the service, finding VIP customers and the right Talents.
Rock on! :-)
So I am off on the Customer Launch Tour but a lot off things are going on at home. The techies are making Models-n-Shoots better, right now fixing the last bit of VIP customer demo switch, and making easier interface for Talents to handle their Portfolio.
But getting closer and closer to launch, we better have someone keeping it all together so we recruited a boss to Models-n-Shoots Europe AB.
Please welcome my old friend and colleague Martin Pettersson!
We got to know each other in Linköping and got more and more contact since Martin is very interested in photography. So now and Martin worked we me as a project manager and assistant for shoot, especially on my Maltese shoots. You will find him in some of my behind-the-scenes pictures.
It was actually during all the work getting all shoots together with the right team that the idea started of doing a service/application to handle the process from searching to replies from models. So Martin has been around since the start of the project and was one of the first to become a share holder of the company when we started last year.
So Martin will adding strength to our sales department and take care of the paper work at home, while I continue to focus on the developing the service, finding VIP customers and the right Talents.
Rock on! :-)
Monday, November 01, 2010
The Gay Police is leaving Stavanger
Tour now: Bømlo, Next: Bergen
I guess I will have a memory for life from Stavanger: the Gay Police.
It was not really planned.
After the shoot with Carita the apartment filled up with people ready for Halloween, while I was finishing work.
When finished, I shut down my computer, starting to actually talk with the fun people around, had a couple of beer and sharing some shots of Żubrówka, trying to catch up. But I dig not bring any outfit for the night!
Then me and Carita came up with the idea of me too having bunny ears, so we checked out her girl friends room. We did not find any but there it was... the police hat.
Since I got a Belstaff leather jacket the idea was set. I sneaked into the bathroom, put on the jacket with nothing under, added the police cap and went out to the living room with my new looks.
Everyone started to laugh and clapping hands. :-)
Since I do not live in Stavanger I just realized I really had to wear this getting out. (Not from the closet, fools!)
The effect was... intense!
I got high-fives, knuckle bumps and smiles the whole evening.
I could walk up to a group of people loudly announcing "Gay Police!", browsing them and then starting to remove the women with a "Not interesting!" and work my way towards the scared guys. :-)
And I got both men and women coming up dancing with more or less hands on my chest. :-)
There where a lot taking pictures, some quite nervously asking "Can I have a picture with you?" giving their camera to their friend. :-)
Next to me, around me and sometimes on me, was Carita dancing as well.
Here are some dialogs of the night:
-Is she your girlfriend?
-No, I am only her bodyguard.
-Really!?
-Yes.
-Can I dance with her?
-It is up to her but I will be watching.
Well, pretty much everyone ask me before even talking to her. Hahaha! Poor guys! :-)
And of course I intimidated the security guards on my way out of the club and at Burger King.
Now, it is time to pack my gear and head off to my next tour stop: Bømlo, a small island between Stavanger and Bergen.
See ya!
/Morre (not gay enough)
I guess I will have a memory for life from Stavanger: the Gay Police.
It was not really planned.
After the shoot with Carita the apartment filled up with people ready for Halloween, while I was finishing work.
When finished, I shut down my computer, starting to actually talk with the fun people around, had a couple of beer and sharing some shots of Żubrówka, trying to catch up. But I dig not bring any outfit for the night!
Then me and Carita came up with the idea of me too having bunny ears, so we checked out her girl friends room. We did not find any but there it was... the police hat.
Since I got a Belstaff leather jacket the idea was set. I sneaked into the bathroom, put on the jacket with nothing under, added the police cap and went out to the living room with my new looks.
Everyone started to laugh and clapping hands. :-)
Since I do not live in Stavanger I just realized I really had to wear this getting out. (Not from the closet, fools!)
The effect was... intense!
I got high-fives, knuckle bumps and smiles the whole evening.
I could walk up to a group of people loudly announcing "Gay Police!", browsing them and then starting to remove the women with a "Not interesting!" and work my way towards the scared guys. :-)
And I got both men and women coming up dancing with more or less hands on my chest. :-)
There where a lot taking pictures, some quite nervously asking "Can I have a picture with you?" giving their camera to their friend. :-)
 | |
| Picture courtesy of © Kristian Langhelle |
Here are some dialogs of the night:
-Is she your girlfriend?
-No, I am only her bodyguard.
-Really!?
-Yes.
-Can I dance with her?
-It is up to her but I will be watching.
Well, pretty much everyone ask me before even talking to her. Hahaha! Poor guys! :-)
And of course I intimidated the security guards on my way out of the club and at Burger King.
Now, it is time to pack my gear and head off to my next tour stop: Bømlo, a small island between Stavanger and Bergen.
See ya!
/Morre (not gay enough)
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Carita shoot in Stavanger
Tour now: Stavanger, next: Bergen 2-3 Nov?
I guess the hotter pictures of Carita can not be shown on Facebook so I better but them here.
After a Nescafé coffee and a Solo (NOK 55) in Stavanger we headed out in the woods to get some nicer fashion and face shots to widen Carita's portfolio. Yup, customers do not really see you for a type of job if then do not see that style of photo in your portfolio.
Thankfully I brought my life-support machine: the Longbaord.eu crappy VW bus. That can be used both as a set-up table and a change room.
To keep the model's skin from changing color when getting cold-bring a robe. The models look weird but it works. And hey, you're not the one looking dorky. :-)
You should always bring a fake purse. :-)
Then we went home and decided to shoot at her apartment. To get a better portfolio she wanted nice and dark pictures, so the ones at home needed some soot make-up. She is brave having me in the house.
The shoot went very well but I was a slow starter since I was darn hungry. But Carita took care of that just before the party arrived. Good wife! :-)
Pasta and minced meat. Yummy!
And here is the result of the today's shoot. The low-quality two are shot with my pocket camera, Canon Ixus 75 in her bathroom. The other ones are shot with my Hasseblad.
I guess the hotter pictures of Carita can not be shown on Facebook so I better but them here.
After a Nescafé coffee and a Solo (NOK 55) in Stavanger we headed out in the woods to get some nicer fashion and face shots to widen Carita's portfolio. Yup, customers do not really see you for a type of job if then do not see that style of photo in your portfolio.
Thankfully I brought my life-support machine: the Longbaord.eu crappy VW bus. That can be used both as a set-up table and a change room.
To keep the model's skin from changing color when getting cold-bring a robe. The models look weird but it works. And hey, you're not the one looking dorky. :-)
You should always bring a fake purse. :-)
The shoot went very well but I was a slow starter since I was darn hungry. But Carita took care of that just before the party arrived. Good wife! :-)
And here is the result of the today's shoot. The low-quality two are shot with my pocket camera, Canon Ixus 75 in her bathroom. The other ones are shot with my Hasseblad.
By Oslo-Hi Stavanger!
Tour now: Stavanger, Next: Bergen 2-3 Nov?
Steven too has a lucky sofa too!
The last day in Oslo I got hold of 10 more ad agencies that want to try Models-n-Shoots and take a peak at our Talents there.We better get more Norwegian Talents!
I'm glad Steven is used to open offices so my talking did not disturb him, while he was coding the next version of Norwegian Fashion. Poor guy—he has a lot of thing to do before heading of to UK.
But we had time to get out and buy stuff for his studio. He wants to build blockers for the background lights with Styrofoam. Even if it does not work (it will) he does at least lock strong when shopping. :-)
I was hungry as hell, so we went for a sushi at Økern center and Steven got some vine for the night. And guess what!? They have boxes for dogs there!!
You godda be kidding me! Would you put your dog in there and pay NOK 10 for it?
I guess a dorky photographer is OK to put there...
Hmm... That is maybe the second-but-last resort as a night stay on the tour. First there is friends sofas, then the shag wagon, then a dog box and last hotel. That's life on a high-tech, low budget tour. Really, we want to save the money for a PR campaign to get even more job offerings for our Talents.
Then CET 15:20 (13:20Z) we threw in the bed in the bus and I sat off towards Stavanger. Then 45 minutes after Drammen the traffic was stopped for a traffic accident ahead. What to do? Well, I just went back in the bus and took a nap. :-)
Then CET 01:05 (23:05Z) I reached Stavanger, or actually Sandnes where the lovely model Carita was waiting with warm baguettes and a sofa.
Now she's getting dressed for the shoot. A beauty! Blond curly hair, great smile and long legs. Time to work on getting the pictures she wants!
/Morre
Steven too has a lucky sofa too!
The last day in Oslo I got hold of 10 more ad agencies that want to try Models-n-Shoots and take a peak at our Talents there.We better get more Norwegian Talents!
I'm glad Steven is used to open offices so my talking did not disturb him, while he was coding the next version of Norwegian Fashion. Poor guy—he has a lot of thing to do before heading of to UK.
But we had time to get out and buy stuff for his studio. He wants to build blockers for the background lights with Styrofoam. Even if it does not work (it will) he does at least lock strong when shopping. :-)
You godda be kidding me! Would you put your dog in there and pay NOK 10 for it?
I guess a dorky photographer is OK to put there...
Hmm... That is maybe the second-but-last resort as a night stay on the tour. First there is friends sofas, then the shag wagon, then a dog box and last hotel. That's life on a high-tech, low budget tour. Really, we want to save the money for a PR campaign to get even more job offerings for our Talents.
Then CET 15:20 (13:20Z) we threw in the bed in the bus and I sat off towards Stavanger. Then 45 minutes after Drammen the traffic was stopped for a traffic accident ahead. What to do? Well, I just went back in the bus and took a nap. :-)
Then CET 01:05 (23:05Z) I reached Stavanger, or actually Sandnes where the lovely model Carita was waiting with warm baguettes and a sofa.
Now she's getting dressed for the shoot. A beauty! Blond curly hair, great smile and long legs. Time to work on getting the pictures she wants!
/Morre
Thursday, October 28, 2010
My wife, dog and customers
Tour now: Oslo, Next stop: Stavanger, tomorrow-1 Nov
-Is that a child I hear in the background!?, Eric expressed in the Models-n-Shoots' phone conference.
-Yeah! I just moved in to a house with a pregnant wife, a kid and a dog. I got a package deal.
-OK..., was the only comment before Eric continued the meeting.
I guess the crew at home is used to me being on tour. :-)
A later comment was "That explains why you spend so much time in Norway!"
Actually, we are extremely lucky to have a lot of nice people helping out on Customer Launch Tour. This time it was Cecilia who gave me an office, a room, the one day hang-around, Mari, her sister's daughter and her all-time hang-around dog. Good for a low budget—high-tech tour.
Also, included in the package deal was a lovely view from the bathroom window in the morning!
Cecilia lives in a small house 30 min outside Oslo and I was soooo nice staying there! I just love to be out on the countryside sitting having talks at nights.
So in a sofa was where I started chasing jobs in Norway for our Talents of Models-n-Shoots. With my iPhone headset plugged into my Mac I could call via our switchboard in Sweden (I love today's tech!) and get hold of ad agencies in Norway. All I need to work is basically electricity and Internet access. I rather stay in a cold-floored house in Norway with a lovely "wife" working from a sofa, than being stuck at some luxury office wearing a suite. But I miss the fun crowd a the office at home.
The calls went good!
We got interest from ad agencies in Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen and Trondheim and next week we will let them in to Models-n-Shoots.
They have all different wishes for models, but a lot of them are looking for "generally good-looking persons with something special". Time to start hunting!
Another thing I learned about Norway: if you mix banana (36%) with sugar and some acid, you get a bread spread for kids. Nope, it does not taste good, but if you taste thoroughly you can actually taste some banana. :-)
Time to prepare for tomorrow's calls to customers in Norway and pack for going to Stavanger.
Cheeers!
/Morre
-Is that a child I hear in the background!?, Eric expressed in the Models-n-Shoots' phone conference.
-Yeah! I just moved in to a house with a pregnant wife, a kid and a dog. I got a package deal.
-OK..., was the only comment before Eric continued the meeting.
I guess the crew at home is used to me being on tour. :-)
A later comment was "That explains why you spend so much time in Norway!"
Actually, we are extremely lucky to have a lot of nice people helping out on Customer Launch Tour. This time it was Cecilia who gave me an office, a room, the one day hang-around, Mari, her sister's daughter and her all-time hang-around dog. Good for a low budget—high-tech tour.
Also, included in the package deal was a lovely view from the bathroom window in the morning!
So in a sofa was where I started chasing jobs in Norway for our Talents of Models-n-Shoots. With my iPhone headset plugged into my Mac I could call via our switchboard in Sweden (I love today's tech!) and get hold of ad agencies in Norway. All I need to work is basically electricity and Internet access. I rather stay in a cold-floored house in Norway with a lovely "wife" working from a sofa, than being stuck at some luxury office wearing a suite. But I miss the fun crowd a the office at home.
We got interest from ad agencies in Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen and Trondheim and next week we will let them in to Models-n-Shoots.
They have all different wishes for models, but a lot of them are looking for "generally good-looking persons with something special". Time to start hunting!
Another thing I learned about Norway: if you mix banana (36%) with sugar and some acid, you get a bread spread for kids. Nope, it does not taste good, but if you taste thoroughly you can actually taste some banana. :-)
Cheeers!
/Morre
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Chilling in Oslo
Tour now: Oslo, Next stop: Stavanger, next weekend?
Back in Oslo!
Strolling down leaf-covered streets breathing chilly air with the lovely Iren and the not so lovely Steven by my side, having sushi for lunch and assisting a photo shoot. What is that called? Just another day at the Models-n-Shoots Customer Launch Tour. :-)
Steven is planning to go to some kinky club tonight so we ended up some funky shops... Gay captain anyone? :-)
After coming back from lunch me and Iren planned a shoot. I do not mind spontaneous shoots and the often turn our really cool (see below) but I really like to go through a model's portfolio and see what is missing, finding out what picture/style the shes really wants to have. That takes planning, so just spending an hour surfing the net and talking styling, clothes and colors will most likely be worth it.
Steven had bough some new gear and booked a sweet little blond to play around with. Eeeh... I mean, practice and shoot some great pictures. Since I was off work I could just hang around, hold the fan and generally be annoying. But I was nice and opened some beers for everyone too.
Just another day at the office. :-)
And after the shoots more beer where used and things went bad...
After Steven was ready I borrowed Therese for an impossible shoot. No real styling, a crappy bathroom with no light, a pocket camera, Canon Ixus 75 and 15 minutes.
You see the result below.
Wadda ya say?
Back in Oslo!
Strolling down leaf-covered streets breathing chilly air with the lovely Iren and the not so lovely Steven by my side, having sushi for lunch and assisting a photo shoot. What is that called? Just another day at the Models-n-Shoots Customer Launch Tour. :-)
After coming back from lunch me and Iren planned a shoot. I do not mind spontaneous shoots and the often turn our really cool (see below) but I really like to go through a model's portfolio and see what is missing, finding out what picture/style the shes really wants to have. That takes planning, so just spending an hour surfing the net and talking styling, clothes and colors will most likely be worth it.
Steven had bough some new gear and booked a sweet little blond to play around with. Eeeh... I mean, practice and shoot some great pictures. Since I was off work I could just hang around, hold the fan and generally be annoying. But I was nice and opened some beers for everyone too.
Just another day at the office. :-)
And after the shoots more beer where used and things went bad...
After Steven was ready I borrowed Therese for an impossible shoot. No real styling, a crappy bathroom with no light, a pocket camera, Canon Ixus 75 and 15 minutes.
You see the result below.
Wadda ya say?
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The smoke is killing me softly
-Dear Morre, what is your most vivid memory of Warszawa this time?
-Smoke!
My god, they smoke a lot in Poland!
In restaurants, in bars, in taxis, in the apartment, in my lungs!
But I love Poland! I love strolling around in a different county looking at all the small differences. The small little pretzel stand outside the subway, the old ladies selling lilies to dating kids, the worn down blocks next to the super-modern shopping mall, the gangster rappers and the beautiful models of course!
I was in Warszawa for a reason: to start-up our Models-n-Shoots guy there.
Poland is a big country with lot of talented models, make-up artists, hair stylists, photographers, fashions stylists and retouchers. But they have crappy model portals with 90% bad "models" so the good ones get lost for the customers. The model agencies are few so a lot of Polish models are freelancing.
I hope they will find Models-n-Shoots to be a safer and better place to get job offerings and negotiate the salary. Tomorrow our Piotr will start calling customers and recruit models needed. I am sure he will do a good job. He was nervous though. At a little negative as all Poles. So he took a smoke. :-)
I am always amazed about all the nice people I meet while touring. Since we have to save every penny for the upcoming market campaign it is a very low-budget tour. Wizzair helps, but most important are people like Hiram and Poitr with room mates. They borrow me a bed or a sofa, we share meals and sit at the table with three computers working with coffee at the side and smoke stained air around us and jumping around are the mad cats. Then the lights go out. Another day in Poland. :-)
-Hi! Can I help you?
-Yes, I think my bus is trying to kill me.
The customer support guy at Volkswagen in Gothenburg looked strangely at me.
-You see that old crap of a VW bus?, I said pointing at the Longboard.eu bus, I think exhaust smoke leaks in to the ventilation system sending poisonous carbon monoxide to my lungs. I feel really funky in there after a while
-That does not sound good. Please come in tomorrow morning and the service guys will take a look at it.
So there you have it. If you take away the smoke from our tour, we are left with a crappy old bus full of camera gear and an emergency bed, friends with hospitableness and a mission to find jobs to talented people in five countries.
Wish me good luck.
And buy me a beer when I pass your town. :-)
Time for dinner with Hiram!
Later folks!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Out of cash in Warszawa
Did you also know that the most cabs in Warszawa do not accept cards and have quite angry cab drivers?
So the cab driver stop at an ATM just before my destination, Piotr and my bag stayed in the car while I ran over to the hole in the wall.
"You have reached you maximum daily withdrawal limit"
- WTF!? You are not my mum! Gimme my PLN 100!
"Would you like to try with a lower amount? Recommended: PLN 20; PLN 40"
-OK, I'll pick 40 then.
"We cannot serve you less than PLN 100 bills. Would like to have that instead?"
- Gaaaaaah!!!!
I call the bank in Sweden while walking towards the cab and ask about what the heck a daily limit is. Then the tell me that I do not have a daily limit but all cards in Sweden has a weekly limit of SEK 15.000 of cash withdrawal and I have reached it.
I kindly inform the lady that thanks to their service being down this Saturday, I could not pay in the shop, but had to pick out a lot of cash.
-Well sir, we cannot do anything about that limit, sir.
-Hey! You are my bank and I am in Poland with the only card I have and thanks to your bad service, times two, I am f*cked?
-That is pretty much correct, sir.
Now I was getting closer to the cab and the driver looked less than happy... Piotr tried to calm him down, but he was, well... outspoken.
Thankfully there was a bank open next to us, so I ran in while again calling my bank in Sweden. This time it was someone more solution oriented. I asked if they could send money, but her tip was to ask if I could withdraw money with the card at the teller.
-Does that make a difference?
-Maybe. Sometimes those withdrawals are registered as a purchase, not as cash withdrawal.
And hey! It worked!
I tipped of the driver and after bringing out my bag, Piotr told me that the cab driver wanted to call the police but when checking Piotr, the driver noticed he was a VIP and waited without more drama.
Why the cab? Well, we had a meeting with Models-n-Shoots' great design agency. I should have met two people, but Agata told me that a lunch delivery the other day had put a lot of the staff IN HOSPITAL! That is some heave food poisoning if you end up in hospital!
I hope they survive and get ready to make our service better, easier and nicer.
Now I am now back in the 3-persons-chain-smoking apartment near the Palace of Culture, smack in the middle of Warszawa. Nice people. Bad air. :-)
Next stop: Gothenburg 19-21, maybe 22 November
See ya!
Oh! The saint? It is not me. It is the local saint in the court yard of Piotr's apartment.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Models-n-Shoots: start, stop, now lift-off again!
The text message sent by our investor was perfectly clear. I had less then 25 hours on me to save the whole project.
A week before things where different.
Eric, Pawel, Bobby, Asim and Zesi had all done great job and it was time for me to meet the first customers before the imminent lauch.
I grabbed my phone, booked some meeting and head towards Oslo in my worn-down Longboard.eu VW bus.
I was a bit nervous since this would be the first time we showed the Assignment Broker parts of Models-n-Shoots.
But the feedback was great! They loved it and maybe what we planned and built for the last 2,5 years would fly!
But one thing was missing: money. Our Chairman of the Board who was elected in May had put finding money on top of his to-do list. Now it was September and no firm deal was done. The company was running super-low on fuel... Voices started to rise about fixing it and then all went haywire from there:
- The CoB broke up Friday evening by text message "Good bye! You do not have to call."
- The investors panicked and look into reconstructing the company
- Then when I was in Stockholm for customer and investors meeting, they just wanted to kill us.
The day after the SEK 2 million text message, I was offered to buy the investor's shares for like nothing, promising I took full responsibility for the whole company or choose to accept bancrupcy. I bought their shares.
So there I was. In Stockholm with cool project ready to launched but out of money. So we really needed a new investor.
On top our list we have: Solve the problem.
And with a lot of help and support from my friends - we did!
This Wednesday at CET 23:30 (21:30Z) in a nice restaurant in Stockhlm the deal was finally made.
The due-diligence had been conducted, a mile long list of bullets have been solved, and the massive amount of papers where singed. All we waited for in the restaurant was to hear from our accountant. My dear iPhone received the email at 22:41 and the investors lawyers approved his comment at 23:17 by email, and when seeing that, I showed the investor and we shook hands!
Gaaaaaah!!!! Four mad weeks and three of them with intense stress and pressure was over!
But there is no time to celebrate. We are long overdue of launching Models-n-Shoots: helping the customers save time and getting job offerings to Talents.
But our plan to fix that is summarized in: Customer Launch Tour
I guess most of forthcoming posts will be about that.
So sorry for not being able to have the launch party the 23:rd of October, and not taking care of the Icelandic/Linköping photo shoot. But these events will be re-planned as soon as possible.
See ya out there!
/Morre
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