This article was originally published in a Norwegian online magazine Shifter.no focusing on entrepreneurship.

How often have we not heard expressions like “Go full throttle, always,” “never give up,” or “those who give up never win”? There is a widespread belief that true winners never give up. But what does this entail in the world of entrepreneurship?

I’m diving into this article with a cup of coffee in one hand and the unfiltered experiences of steering Tørn through the startup wilderness in the other. Now, don’t get me wrong — Tørn has been on a roll, doubling its revenues year over year, building two Nordic markets in just three and half years, and reducing the waste in the industry by nearly 4000 tons. But, here’s the kicker: securing funding has been, well, a journey filled with twists, turns, and more than a few bumps.

I’ve never been one to idolize people, but I’m all for appreciating good personality traits, values, and convictions in people that resonate with me. Recently, a short video featuring Sam Altman caught my attention on LinkedIn. He emphasized the crucial entrepreneurial trait of resilience — the ability to persevere in the face of the inevitable adversities encountered in any entrepreneurial journey. It struck a chord with me, prompting a reflection on a nuance often overlooked in discussions about persistence.

Have you ever wondered what makes life worth living? It’s a question that often arises as we navigate the complexities of adulthood.

Karl Ove Knausgard beautifully captures the essence of this inquiry in his book “Autumn”: “What makes life worth living? No child asks itself that question. To children life is self-evident. Life goes without saying: whether it is good or bad makes no difference. This is because children don’t see the world, don’t observe the world, don’t contemplate the world, but are so deeply immersed in the world that they don’t distinguish between it and their own selves.”

I have to share something that fills my heart with joy. One thing I greatly appreciate is living in the middle of Oslo city, surrounded by nature’s beauty and the city’s cultural wonders. From the nearby forests, hills, and waterfalls to the sea, Oslo has a way of making you thankful for life’s simple pleasures.

Jeg har aldri vært naturtalent når det kommer til håndverk og reparasjoner, men jeg har en mann som har vært omgitt av Gjør det selv eller Do It Yourself (DIY) fra barndom. Hans interesse ble vekket i oppveksten da han jobbet sammen med faren sin, en DIY entusiast, i hans verksted og hjalp ham med diverse prosjekter. Denne interessen har fulgt ham gjennom hele livet. Ingen oppgaver eller prosjekter er for vanskelige for ham, selv om han aldri har gjort det før. Han leser, lærer og fikser.

Amid ongoing debates about remote vs. in-office work, especially here in the Nordics, it’s crucial that we, as managers, start asking the right questions. The past year has shown us the convenience and flexibility of working from home during the pandemic. Don’t get me wrong; I value convenience, but it should never come at the cost of productivity, efficiency, and collaboration — essential for startups and companies alike.

As a physicist, I often find myself thinking about how the basic rules of physics can shed light on all sorts of situations, whether they’re about work, social interactions, or personal experiences.

The other day, I was chatting with a friend who just started a new job. She was sharing how her new boss keeps giving her new tasks on short notice, and she wasn’t sure how to handle it. The conversation at the table quickly turned negative, with everyone saying she should stand up to her boss. I stayed quiet because I had a different perspective on the matter. I actually didn’t see anything wrong with how her boss was acting. I spent some time pondering this and couldn’t help but relate it to the laws of physics.

Product management is about dealing with the relative balance of desirability, feasibility, and viability when it comes to developing a product. Desirability refers to the features and functionality that customers want, feasibility refers to the technical and practical aspects of producing the product, and viability refers to the financial sense of developing the product for the company and its potential success.

Luck is not a mysterious and unexplainable phenomenon. I find it a probability game that plays out in two stages.

I believe that the world around us is filled with new ideas, thoughts, and opportunities, floating around us, everywhere, and at all times, nudging us to interact with them. The success of the interaction ultimately boils down to how open we are and how and if we take notice. The next stage of luck or probability plays out in how we respond to and handle received ideas or inspiration and what we make out of these.

The creativity process has always fascinated me and my ideas about what creativity is has changed over the time. I have come to define creativity as something that takes shape when one has self confidence to explore a space of given constraints using your talent(s) applied through self discipline and fearlessness.

If you think about it, most of these ingredients in creativity are acquired and not something you are born with.

I made a tough decision and declared in August last year that I was closing down my startup Parampara.co, a marketplace where people could buy quality secondhand clothing from professional stores from all over Europe.

That was a weird period. My head and heart were still processing experiences from the last few years, while I was also trying to figure out my future path.