#9 Saying Yes: How One Small Decision Sparked 30 Years of Entrepreneurship
Yes. Such a small word—yet it has the power to change the trajectory of your life completely. This week, I celebrate 30 years as an entrepreneur. One yes led to another and, eventually, to a career I could never have predicted.
It all began during a summer job at the Ringhals nuclear power plant on the west coast of Sweden in 1994. The summer was almost over, and I was preparing to return to university for my second year. As we were heading out to the parking lot after a full workday, my manager, Roger Wallfors, casually asked:
– There’s still a lot that needs to be done on this project. Shouldn’t you start a company so you can keep helping us?
– What? I asked, not sure if I’d heard him correctly.
– Yeah, why not start a company? Become a consultant. You can continue helping us develop the system.
I froze. It’s funny now to think about it, but back then, starting a company was nowhere on my radar. I hadn’t really considered entrepreneurship before—yet something about Roger’s question made me pause and think. Could I really do this? Could I, a second-year university student, become a consultant?
But then, without knowing exactly how I would make it work, I said yes.
Looking back, I’m not entirely sure why I said yes so quickly. Maybe it was the influence of the consultants like Jörgen, the Microsoft Excel (!) specialist, who had worked with our team. Or maybe it was simply because I liked the work—and the people—enough to want to keep going. Something about Roger’s confidence in me made me think I could figure it out.
I had already spent a few summers at Ringhals, starting with administrative tasks and later working on a system to visualize crack formations in steam generator tubes. My home computer experiments with the Sinclair ZX48k, Commodore 128, and Amiga, combined with my studies in user-centered design and system development, had given me enough skills to contribute something valuable. But the idea of starting a company? That was an entirely new challenge. I had no idea what I was getting into.
Still, I said yes—and that’s how MDA Konsult was born. The name came from my university program, Människa, Datateknik, Arbetsliv (People, Computers, and Work). I designed a logo—MDA in red letters on a blue background. Yes, I was terrible at naming companies, and no, I didn’t know anything about color blindness or accessibility at the time. But none of that mattered. I was excited, and my very first company was starting to take shape.
Then Roger threw another challenge my way.
– Great, he said. Now you have to negotiate your rates.
– Uh, what? I said, my earlier confidence beginning to falter.
– You’ll need to talk to Per-Olof, our purchasing manager. Draft something, and I’ll take a look to make sure it’s fair.
I remember walking into that room for my first-ever price negotiation, my heart pounding in my chest. I was nervous—no, terrified. What if I said the wrong thing? What if I underpriced myself or made a mistake that exposed how inexperienced I really was?
But in the end, it wasn’t much of a negotiation. Per-Olof and Roger had likely worked everything out in advance. I don’t know for certain, but I think they had set me up for success before I even walked in. And just like that, I had my first contract as a consultant.
That was my first real taste of entrepreneurship. And it wasn’t just about seizing the opportunity—it was about learning to trust that I could figure things out as I went along. That’s been a theme throughout my career: saying yes and then building the plane as I fly it.
A year later, when I started my second company, Infomedia, this time with Helén, Peter, Kicki, and Tony, the “yes” came much more quickly. By then, I had learned how to navigate paperwork and processes, and felt more comfortable managing clients. With each small step, I grew more confident. In 2002, when Ingrid, Mikael, Mijo, and I founded inUse during the dot-com bust—when companies were downsizing and the market was collapsing—it felt like the most rational thing to do (especially since the four of us wanted to keep working together after being laid off by our employer). And three and a half years ago, when we started Ambition, I said yes again. But those are stories for another day.
Looking back, here’s what I learned from that first, uncertain yes—and how it could shape your journey too...
Say YES to the unknown. The hardest part of any journey is the beginning, and that first yes can be scary. But here’s the truth: you don’t need all the answers up front. Uncertainty is part of the process. By saying yes, you open the door to possibilities you can’t see from the outside. Sometimes it will be messy. Sometimes things won’t go as planned. But you can always change course later. The key is to start. You can’t learn or grow unless you’re willing to step into the unknown. Some of the best decisions I’ve made were the ones where I didn’t have everything figured out. The yes was the spark—and everything else fell into place after.
Find your Roger. Everyone needs a mentor—a Roger—someone who sees potential in you, even when you might not see it yourself. A good mentor doesn’t just guide you; they challenge you, push you into uncomfortable territory, and help you grow. Roger pushed me into situations I wouldn’t have dared to enter on my own, but that’s where the real growth happened. If you don’t have a Roger in your life, seek one out. Surround yourself with people who elevate you and aren’t afraid to push you. And if you can’t find that person where you are, maybe it’s time to rethink your environment.
Be a Roger. As you gain experience and access to opportunities, the natural next step is to share both the experience and the possibilities with others. Someone, somewhere, needs your guidance. Be the mentor who both supports and challenges the next generation. After all, if everyone needs a Roger, more of us need to step up and become one.
Success is rarely built in isolation. It’s a series of yeses, mentors, and moments where you step up and, eventually, give back. The greatest impact we can have is not just on our own careers, but on the people we help along the way.
So, say yes to the opportunities that scare you. Find your mentors, and when the time comes, become one yourself. That’s how we grow—not just as entrepreneurs, but as people.
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Note. I’ve never been a big fan of the word “entrepreneur.” It comes with too many stereotypes—like the myth of the lone underdog beating impossible odds, the unhealthy obsession with work, or the “move fast and break things” mindset. But let’s be honest, saying “starting and running businesses” is just too cumbersome to repeat throughout this piece.