This episode of the Danish-language podcast Den Nye Standard welcomes Pernille Lotus, CEO and co-founder of WeAreCube Danmark. We talk about her personal drive, about merging and selling her business, and about finding balance in life.
Pernille describes herself as a motherly, inspiring and transparent leader. People who don’t know her rarely associate Pernille with those qualities, so new employees are often surprised by her open leadership style and her warmth.
The woman who started influencer marketing in Denmark
In the episode, Pernille takes us from defining a new industry in Denmark to selling her business for millions, and she talks about the mindset she’s had to hold on to along the way. Pernille had a tough upbringing. She was abandoned several times and had to grow up before her time. There wasn’t much money when she was growing up, so money became a motivation and a goal in life. She had to develop a number of survival strategies, and today she believes they’ve made her the hard-as-nails businesswoman she can also be. But she can’t say when enough is enough, or when she’s made it. One thing is certain, though: money is a constant driving force.
Pernille always knew she would run her own business, and she describes herself as the woman who started the influencer marketing industry in Denmark. When Pernille started SMAC Agency, she dreamt from day one of “being” Cube. So she built the whole of SMAC Agency to resemble Cube. The Swedish influencer marketing agency was her biggest idol, so when the chance came to merge with them, she didn’t hesitate. The journey wasn’t all “a walk in the park”, though. They ended the first year 14 million in the red, but Pernille describes the journey as a real learning experience and one she wouldn’t have missed.
50 per cent spiritual, 50 per cent CEO and materialist
Can you be both spiritual and a materialistic CEO who cares about her appearance? That’s what Pernille is experimenting with today. Over time, Pernille has found that she becomes the best leader and the best version of herself by making room to be afraid and by remembering to meditate and take ice-cold dips. Meditation has become such a big part of Pernille’s life that several of her employees meditate with her, so it has become a natural part of the culture. Even though Pernille has sold her business to a listed company, she won’t change who she is. She knows she was chosen as part of the top management for a reason, so she stays the CEO she has always been. Pernille has learnt to prioritise herself, and that’s where she finds balance in life. Pernille is a millionaire today and has achieved great success, but the journey is far from over. She works on her personal development all the time, and that’s why she’s still standing today.