Meet Monica Born, co-founder and CEO of Superfront
Monica Born is the co-founder – together with her husband Mick Born – of Swedish design brand Superfront.
Based in Stockholm, Superfront creates innovative, design led products for the upcycling of a range of Ikea furniture including kitchens, sideboards, wardrobes, and chests of drawers. Superfront has also made it possible to create vanity units based on Ikea Metod kitchen cabinets.
The company was launched in 2013 with a desire to create sustainable quality design at a reasonable price. With Superfront, you either take an Ikea frame you have at home or choose a new cabinet from Ikea – and then customise it with Superfront sides, fronts, tops as well as handles and legs.
Considering that the central business idea is to recycle, Monica and Mick decided to continue the production of doors for the Faktum kitchen cabinet frames, even after Ikea sold their last Faktum cabinet frames in 2016. So long as there are fully functional Faktum cabinets out there, they believe people should be able to reuse them and create something beautiful that can live on.
True to her entrepreneurial spirit, Monica is the CEO of Superfront, but also doubles as head of marketing, while working as a creative on the designs together with her partner Mick.
There’s always a lightbulb moment before the beginning of a new venture. What was that moment for you?
For us, it happened at a baptism celebration at a flat of one of our friends in late 2011. We saw that they had customised an Ikea sideboard – just like us and many of our other friends had done to achieve a unique looking piece of furniture at a reasonable price. We immediately realised that there was an obvious demand for beautiful and affordable furniture, and that this could be achieved by creating designs made to fit Ikea’s existing cabinet frames. We also loved the idea that such a design concept could also encourage people who already have older Ikea furniture in their homes to keep it and create something new from it, instead of just throwing it away; that it would prevent unnecessary material consumption and encourage circular consumption. Considering the amount of Ikea furniture out there in the world, we realised that this could make a true difference in terms of reducing waste and – in doing so – help reduce carbon emissions.
How do you set yourself apart from other businesses in your industry?
Mick and I come from the creative side, as we both used to work in advertising. I believe this shows in our products and how they are presented. We are not producers, who suddenly decided to “make fronts for Ikea cabinets” and create a generic product that might sell. Our design is born from passion, and I think this is exactly what has helped us grow exponentially over the years.
How do you prepare for all the unknown obstacles when running your business?
It’s impossible to prepare for all obstacles, but much is gained if you stop looking at them as problems. Instead, think of every problem that you manage to solve as a value that you add to your company. Also, use your network of friends and acquaintances when it comes to areas you are not that familiar with. Then hopefully you can repay them by sharing your own expertise. I always ask people I know well if they are into something I don’t know much about. There is always so much more to learn.
What inspired you to launch your business and what is the end goal?
Both Mick and I love design and our vision is that our products will allow more people to surround themselves with beautiful and sustainable design. Beauty should not be super expensive. Another crucial goal is to double the life span of every Ikea storage furniture in the world by giving people the opportunity to make something new out of it, with just a small amount of new materials.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?
Always make sure that you have agreements with all your partners and that they are written by a lawyer with expertise in that specific legal field. Another tip is to start collecting data on your business from day one, if possible, as it is extremely valuable to the growth of a business. Data can give you great insight and help you shape your future plans. Also, you need to take a chance sometimes. You need to believe in what you do!
What are your thoughts on failure?
There will always be some failure for those who dare to try. But those who dare also have a bigger chance of succeeding. Furthermore, failure comes with a lesson, and each failure gets you closer to what is right for you and your business. Failure also helps you grow as a businessperson.
Working with a co-founder can be tricky, so understanding and compromise is important. How have you both found the process of building a business together? What makes it work?
I believe that Mick and I have a very similar view. We want to create excellence that isn’t volatile – both when it comes to design and branding – so there is not much to argue about there. And I also think that we are quite pragmatic when it comes to assigning certain tasks, as we understand that each of us has their own area of expertise. Ultimately even if we disagree, we always do what is best for the company. However, being married to your business partner is risky, as you might end up talking about business after working hours as well, which can be tiring. I personally find it quite hard to stop my desire to speak about our business when I get an idea – and that can get stressful if your partner is not in the mood for work talk!
With all the success stories around entrepreneurship and how innovative people have to be to take the leap. How do you think you’ve innovated your sector and why?
Today over 20 million tons of furniture is being thrown away each year – in the US and EU only. This has to stop. With this in mind, the fact that our products offer the possibility to at least double the life span of existing Ikea furniture with little new materials is revolutionary in my eyes. I think we create something that is beautiful, affordable but most importantly can make a real difference in terms of emissions, as we salvage worn furniture that would have most likely been thrown away otherwise.
How did you fund the launch of your business and what creative strategies did you use to execute a minimal cash flow?
We funded our business with our private savings and have been growing organically since the beginning. Our knowledge of brand building was of course very valuable and has been so throughout the whole journey. It made it possible for us to create most things surrounding the brand ourselves, such as copy, art direction, pictures, press releases and so on – something that could have cost a lot if we had to hire professionals for these things. Also, from the very beginning, we have based our business on a made-to-order model, meaning that we don’t have to invest in a warehouse of stock.
What would be your top marketing tip, to grow a business that is niche?
Firstly, create a product that people will talk about because it is clever and stands out for its high-quality. That is the foundation for a strong brand in the long-term. Then, make sure you provide all media and influencers with materials that helps them create a great end product – i.e. – try to identify what to place emphasis on for each specific media title or influencer, as it needs to be relevant for their readers and followers.
It could all come down to which pictures you share, or which quotes you provide them with. If you work with a visual product, make sure to create a lot of eye-catching visuals, also in line with potential themes for the magazines as this will increase the chance of getting coverage. Finally, collect as much data as you can from the very beginning so that you know your customers, so that once you can afford to buy marketing or advertorial opportunities in magazines and social media platforms, you can spend that budget wisely. The more you know, the more accurate you can be in your communication.
What impact would you like to have on women around the world through your business?
I would like to be an inspiration to women to start their own companies, especially since there are many reports showing that female founded companies are more lucrative than the companies founded by men. Women have proven that we are good at running companies. Personally, I endeavour to open the eyes of investors, who are still a little bit of a men’s club, to the fact that they should invest more into female-founded businesses. In Sweden only 2% of the invested capital goes into female founded companies – an imbalance that feels far from logical and rather medieval. Investors would most likely have a greater return if they balanced their investments better.
