Who Am I?
Background
I was born in Annecy, France, where I lived until I reached 20.
After 2 years spent studying logistics and quality at the local IUT (QLIO Program) I moved to Gävle, Sweden, to complete my 3rd year and obtain a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management.
I then started a 2-years program (“Innovation & Business Creation”) at Jönköping International Business School leading to a master’s degree in Business Administration. I also had the opportunity to study 4 months in South Korea during that period.
I never really enjoyed going to school, though the university years certainly were much more interesting than the regular school years since I could pick what I wanted to study, and after going to Sweden I had the chance to meet amazing people from all over the world.
However the point is that I always saw school and university as an excuse to cover necessities (legal status, social contacts…) while what truly mattered was what I was doing on the side: composing music, writing my book, shooting short movies, traveling, learning languages… Although school did open up great opportunities: I went to Sweden the first time through a program from my high school, I was able to stay in Sweden and even go to Korea because of my studies, etc.
It is then no wonder that I grew tired of this lifestyle. So when I finally completed my studies in June 2012, I decided I would do what I like 100% of the time. However for this to be sustainable it would have to generate an income…
Lifestyle Design
After graduation I started by looking for a job I would love doing. Yet after one year of unsuccessful search I discovered starting my own business was a better idea: it fitted better my need to choose where to go, to be flexible in my schedule, to make my own decisions, to do things my way, and so on. However to reach my goal I had to find something I enjoyed doing and that I could sell.
I then began with the idea of helping companies with innovative products or services abroad to export. At the same time I began teaching French at Volvo, and I had many more ideas in mind. That is probably why after a while I understood that my company was nothing more than a legal structure to handle money, and as such running my own business not only suited my personality but it also allowed me to pursue every activity I found interesting without the need to choose some over others; whereas a job or my initial idea of providing export support were like “bundles” of fixed things to do, that new perspective meant I could combine everything I liked as long as I made sure there were enough money-making activities in the mix.
It took me several years of trials, errors, successes and introspection to truly turn this understanding into a way of life, and if you’d like to know more about this way of looking at things I strongly encourage you to watch the TEDx Talk I gave on the topic, and/or read the (extensive) blog post I wrote!
Finally, after 10 years spent in Sweden, I moved to Kyoto, Japan, where I reside since March 2020. If you’d like to know more about that and about Japan, check out some interviews I gave.
My professional journey so far has been quite varied: