Alice and Mikael Olsson have worked as photographers, journalists, and PR managers in their working careers. And their hard work has delivered great achievements in the public arena. But having tried their hands in different directions, the siblings realized that they wanted something more, something that could be theirs. So they decided to open their own photo studio and make their dream business come to a realization. The goal was to open an inexpensive family photo studio in the city center.
The journey of Studio Lagom
Alice and Mikael have already had a small team of friends that agreed to work with them and develop their business plan. The main question they had during the entire process was the lack of funds to start their small business. So the first thing that came to Alice’s mind was to get a loan from a company that provides money to people who want to open small businesses. Meanwhile, Mikael was busy working on finding affordable but professional equipment that they could buy and start the first steps of their business once they received the funds. In one of their interviews, Alice has stated that it was hard to find a company that provided a loan to someone who has no business history. And after long research and inquiries, they have found the website that compares Swedish lenders and loans – Foretagslan Finance – with all the necessary information and companies they needed to get the loan.
The first business loan was confirmed by Svea Företagslån, giving them the funds to rent the place they had in mind for the photo studio. All that was left was the equipment to start their first steps as business partners. Krea Företagslån approved the second loan for the equipment and other minor expenses. For the record, the siblings found out about Svea Företagslån and Krea Företagslån and the terms of their loans on the aforementioned Foretagslan. After approval of the loans, they were ready to go. It was when Studio Lagom opened its doors in the center of Stockholm.
According to Mikael, it was very difficult to get a loan from the companies, as they had no history, no experience, and no guarantee that all their plans would work. And after being rejected by different companies, they became very disappointed and upset. So those two companies were their only hopes. They provided all the necessary documents to the companies for the loans. After reviewing their requests, the companies agreed to sign the contract with them.
Once they got the confirmation emails about the loan approvals, they celebrated that day with family and friends. They said it was one of the happiest days of their lives, and they realized that a new chapter of their lives started from that moment. Mikael also mentioned that he noticed tears of happiness in his sister’s eyes. “That day was truly an exceptional day,” he concluded.
The secret behind the success of the photo studio
Once the siblings opened their photo studio, they imagined people would start hiring their services, taking photo sessions in their studio. But that was not the reality at first. In an interview for a local magazine, Alice even mentioned once, “At one point, I thought that all our dreams and efforts were useless because we didn’t have what we expected when we first opened the photo studio.” Mikael also added, “I assumed that the hardest part would be to get the loan and start the business, but in reality, the hardest part was to run the business and get the first job.”
So they decided to start shooting the events of their friends for free, to have a portfolio and become more experienced in the industry. Mikael was responsible for the shooting and editing part. And his sister was doing the management and arrangements of the orders. After shooting a couple of weddings and birthday parties, Mikael’s name burst into the wedding industry loudly and brightly. In just a few months, he began to shoot large-scale events taking place, both in Stockholm and abroad. Alice and Mikael were surprised how quickly they started to have big orders, and Studio Lagom was known all around Sweden. Over time, they decided to extend their opportunities, changed their offices to a more spacious place, with more rooms for various photo sessions. Moreover, they expanded their team and added more services to what they offered initially. Now, not only does the company provide wedding and event photo sessions, but they also have baby photo shoots in the studio, family portrait photo sessions, etc. And just like the name of their studio, their services are not too little or too much. It’s lagom – just the right amount.
Now, when you ask Alice and Mikael if they would change anything in their actions while opening their business if they could go back in time, their answer is no. The siblings love their job, which has become an unconditional part of their lives. They say that every difficulty and every obstacle they faced during their business opening journey were great lessons to learn. And they would not change that experience with anything else.