This is Eric. He has a real passion for sales and business development, which started early — he landed his first sales job at just 17 years old. 💼🚀

Originally from Germany, Eric moved to Sweden a few years ago and found a little paradise for himself and his two cats, Leni and Toni: their house in the Swedish woods, shared only with the occasional moose passing by. 🐈🌲🐈

Eric enjoys playing volleyball, working on his house, and heading north on new adventures. His ideal vacation doesn’t involve a beach and 30° Celsius. Instead, you’ll find him hiking through mountains, exploring islands, and soaking in the raw nature of the north.

Eric, name a person you admire. 

I think it’s hard to point to just one person, because there are traits and characteristics in many people that I admire. I guess a classic answer is your parents. I really admire my parents for both getting two university degrees while raising and providing for two children at the same time. 🎓👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

And this might sound a bit like I’m trying to score points, but I also genuinely admire Martin, my manager. He’s an incredibly compassionate, calm, and positive person, easy to talk to, and always available. Working in sales comes with a lot of pressure, but Martin stays passionate and understanding. He knows how to support each person’s strengths and how those diverse skill sets make us a stronger team.

What skills would you say are important to be successful in your role? 📉📈

Communication, without a doubt. Being able to clearly phrase what you want to pitch is important, but just as importantly, being able to truly listen and understand. Sometimes customers say one thing, but if you really listen, you realize that’s not what they actually mean. Then it’s about identifying their real pain points.

And you also need drive. 🔥 Anyone working in sales knows there are amazing highs, but lows are inevitable. To get through those lows, you need the will to keep pushing and not let failure stop you. Even if you fail a hundred times, there will be a success eventually, and that makes you better and stronger. But you need a strong drive to be capable of pushing through the lows in order to reach the highs.

Do you have any fears?

Plenty. Anyone who says they don’t — I wouldn’t believe them.

A very close fear for me is something happening to my cats. That would be devastating. One reason I moved into the woods was to share a little piece of paradise with them where they also have the freedom to move around, hunt, and climb trees safely, without any roads and cars around. It’s generally very safe here for them, but of course there are other animals that could pose a risk like owls and other birds of prey.🐾

What is your favorite movie of all time? 🎬

That’s hard. Now in the wintertime it has to be the Harry Potter movies: cozy, fantastic stories. I rewatch all of them at least once a year.

Name the top 3 best things with Younium (except for Martin 😉).

First, I would say trust. I feel trusted and respected to make the right decisions. This is a great feeling because I know I am being valued for my contributions and skills. 🤍

Second, I would say remote work. I work best in my own space and at my own pace; office atmospheres tend to distract me. Being able to work remotely of course also makes my remote lifestyle possible. I love that at Younium everybody gets to choose the best work conditions for them, whether that’s from the office or from home. I also really appreciate that through afterworks and seasonal parties we still get to socialize as a team. 🏡

Thirdly, I have to mention the openness to innovation and impact. I’ve worked in large corporations where decisions can take months. Here, if I see something that can be improved, I can come up with a plan, ping somebody, and just do it. That’s awesome! 🚀