Three years ago, Angie Lim seemingly had it all. She had a dream job, working as a marketing director at an adventures holiday company, and to top it all off, it was in Costa Rica, a country that regularly wins ‘happiest country in the world’ accolades.
But then she made the biggest decision of her life. She quit her job, sold her assets, and said goodbye to her friends and family. She had a personal awakening that propelled her to embark on a journey in pursuit of happiness beyond monetary and material means. Today, she looks back and is grateful for the decision that eventually led her to Denmark to be with her partner, the love of her life. None of it would have been possible without the internet.
“I am in love with the internet,” says Lim. “It is the only thing connecting me with friends and family. It is the only thing that made my long distance relationship with my Danish partner work. It is my greatest source of news from around the world. And it is the one true asset that has helped me start my entire business in Denmark.”
Lim isn’t exaggerating. Her women’s beauty products business, BirgitsBox.dk, would have been impossible without it. It helps its members get in touch with the kinds of products the major cosmetic companies don’t want you to know about – you know, the ones that won’t kill you!
Research has shown that women use on average between six and 20 beauty products daily, and many of the ingredients in these products, like parabens, have been linked to diseases like breast cancer, yet cosmetic companies continue to use them.
BirgitsBox’s mandate is to change that. Every season – you’ve missed spring, but it’s not too late for summer – it sends it subscribers a range (normally five or six) of full-sized, certified organic/natural and toxin-free beauty products at a discounted price.
“It shouldn’t have to cost you a fortune to find healthier, cleaner beauty alternatives and we want to make it accessible for everyone,” explains Lim.
Accessibility was a key factor that enabled Lim to set up her business in Denmark. She began by registering her business online with Virk.dk and signing up for courses on how to start a business with her council – in this case Copenhagen. She was impressed how quickly the council kick-started everything. An email to the council resulted in a business consultant responding almost immediately to tell her everything she needed to know.
And capital wasn’t a major issue either. A recently adopted Companies Act allows entrepreneurs to start their own businesses with an initial capital of only one krone – instead of the required 50,000-80,000 kroner normally required for liability companies. And the initial investment wasn’t that big either as Lim was able to create a virtual storefront to test the validity of her idea – a luxury you certainly don’t have with a physical store.
She then came up with a name for her business, checked if the domain was available, created a simple landing page using a blogging platform like Tumblr (“or I could have bought a premium WordPress theme with many free plugins to enhance the site”), sent it to friends and networks and asked for their honest opinion.
“I sent out a simple survey with 10 questions asking whether people would be interested in the service, then created a website using a template,” she recalls. “While I was building the website, I set up a quick email sign up page that would allow people to enter their email to be notified once the service was officially launched. As soon as we were ready to launch, we already had a Facebook page with likes and emails ready for our first marketing campaign”.
Networks, namely online communities, have been key to Lim’s success. “Whether you are looking to find partners for your venture, to get advice on a specific topic or look for networking events, you can be sure, as with any community, you get out of it, what you put in,” she says.
Lim wasted no time in finding a group relevant to her industry (by searching through meetup.com, eventbrite.com or LinkedIn) and she is currently a member of Iværsætter Netværket LinkedIn Group, which has over 4,000 active members interacting with discussions mostly related to entrepreneurship. “Surround yourself with constant inspiration and champions, to ensure that you are continuously working towards your idea,” she advises.
In between preparations to send out the summer box in June, Lim is creating more content for her website – mainly product reviews and ingredients. “I hope to be able to build our Facebook and YouTube channels vigorously to grow both our online community and membership bases,” she reveals. “Who knows, maybe we could be looking at our own organic skincare line one day. Only time, sweat and hard work can tell.”
To subscribe to the service, visit www.birgitsbox.dk, which is available in both English and Danish and contains links to Angie Lim’s blog (www.angielim.com) and her Instagram andTwitter accounts.
Factfile | Tools for setting up a Quick Page (mostly, for free)
– Choose and buy your web domain: webhosting.dk or gigahost.dk
– Create a simple ‘sign up page’ with LaunchRock
– Start a blog to tell your customers what you are up to using Tumblr or WordPress
– Share your updates from your blog on your new Facebook page
Factfile | Angie’s Guide to starting your business
– Register your business with Virk.dk
– Sign up for Introductory Business Courses
– Join the Copenhagen Business Startup Program for International Entrepreneurs
– Get information about starting your own business from Entrepreneurship in Denmark and the Danish business authority
Factfile | Recommended programmes and co-working spaces in Copenhagen
MobilityXL by Startupbootcamp – Located at the Symbion offices at the Orbit, Mobility Accelerator Programme for Mobile Startups.
Why it’s great: it has a cross European mentorship and opportunity for a $1 million loan by the end of the programme.
LaunchPad Denmark – Accelerator programme for early stage startups or startups with high growth potential.
Why it’s great: access to local mentors in Denmark, office space and focused on entrepreneurs outside of Denmark.
The Hub Copenhagen – Co-working space in Copenhagen for entrepreneurs, consultants, educators and doers who create businesses or initiatives with social and sustainable impact.
Why it’s great: The hub is part of an international community with working 30+ open locations across five continents.
Symbion – Shared office space with regular events for entrepreneurs. Symbion currently has a network of 250 entrepreneurs and small businesses in areas of IT, cleantech, life sciences and knowledge-based consulting.
Why it’s great: large local Danish presence and office spaces.
Founder’s House – Shared workspace for tech and web start-ups. Workspace is invitation-only.
Why it’s great: they throw great parties for networking, so it helps to follow them on Facebook for updates.
Factfile | Recommended online resources, communities and groups
StartupDigest – Curated email of startup events sent every Tuesday by Nick Hawtin from CONNECT Denmark.
Why it’s great: gives you an overview of all events in Copenhagen – networking, pitching, social, technical and more. Free to subscribe.
Foundable – Recently launched platform to offer an overview of entrepreneurial events and all relevant resources available to entrepreneurs via their partners and network.
Why it’s great: it’s in English and targets a very international entrepreneur community.
Iværksætter Netværket Danmark, LinkedIn Group – Active online group of entrepreneurs and business owners (4,259 members), with various discussions and opportunity to ask questions about your own business. They also host a variety of courses for their network, listed here on their website.
Why it’s great: there is always someone ready to answer your question or point you in the right direction.
