In this episode of the Danish-language podcast Den Nye Standard, my guest is Mette Skjærbæk, founder and former CEO of Karmameju. We talk about stepping away from all day-to-day operations to set yourself free, and about finding balance in life.
Mette describes herself as a woman who has always been driven by nature and who wants to know the truth. When Mette moved home to Denmark in 1999 after ten years as an international model, she was inspired by her own creativity and by the green wave in New York. Combined with her inventive, hard-working mind, that was the starting point for Karmameju.
Green in business
In the episode, Mette takes us on a journey from starting a business with no experience to stepping away from all day-to-day operations, and the mindset it has required. When Mette and Julie started Karmameju, they had no experience. They didn’t know what VAT was, and they had no business plan. When she was young, Mette lost her father and both her grandmothers, and that became what drove her to get the most out of life. It shows in her business too, and in the culture at Karmameju. Mette believes that as a leader, she is responsible for making sure the company is bursting with passion and that every employee has the energy to find the right work-life balance.
Karmameju evangelist: setting yourself free
For the first ten years, Mette was CEO of Karmameju, but she didn’t feel she could use her skills to the full without compromising. Mette has always been adaptable and likes starting new chapters in life. So she brought in managers from outside and surrounded herself with talented people, so she could focus on the creative side. Mette spent the last 12 years as creative director, but the feeling of having to compromise never left her. So in autumn 2022, Mette chose to step away from all day-to-day operations, free herself from all management responsibility and give her creative ideas free rein. It’s a decision Mette would recommend to anyone who has been stuck in the same role a little too long. Today Mette calls herself a Karmameju evangelist, and her full focus is on developing creative ideas and spreading the word about Karmameju to retailers and everyone else.
Balance in life
According to Mette, we are responsible for our own happiness and joy. She uses the 80/20 rule to find balance in her own life. Mette has always been driven by a holistic approach to life, which is also reflected in Karmameju’s holistic approach to beauty. Mette believes we can influence both body and mind. That’s why she takes extra good care of her body during periods when her mind is struggling, through things like hydration, breathing and nature. That way she makes sure her body stays healthy. The holistic approach to balance really came to the fore in Karmameju’s campaign “Do You”. The campaign encourages you to remember your own needs and do what you feel like doing.