Getting Better Magazine 2015 new by Guldsmedenesnetbutik.dk

GETTING BETTER MAGAZINE 2015

”We are building for you” it sometimes says on the signs when you drive through Europe on summer holiday. It can be very annoying when you just want to go on holiday! The irritation continues right up to the point when you understand that the roadwork is actually done to give the road users better road conditions. Then you begin to focus on the possibilities instead of the obstacles – and you begin to appreciate what the workers are doing on the roads for us.

This magazine has been produced in our News Room while we were together at Getting Better and we hope that you will use it to remember the exciting and educational features from throughout the days.

In the same way, our team in Denmark has worked hard on developing tools, presentations and new possibilities that we want to share with you during this year’s Getting Betting in Holstebro. They have worked hard to create value for you – our international sales organization.

Lotte Littau, Peter Nørgaard, Anders Lindhardsen

To participle in Getting Better gives you two possibilities: You can either lean back and enjoy the presentations and spending time with your colleagues, or you can choose to sit at the edge of your chair and do your absolutely best to understand and learn so you can make use of the possibilities that you can take home with you. We cannot choose for you, but we do hope that you will exert yourself to use the possibilities that Getting Betting gives you.

To us it has been very exciting to spend two days with 90 great colleagues from 10 countries. Thank you very much for coming – and now to the point: Let’s get better together!

We have worked hard to get the best year economically in the history of Creativ Company – and that is worth celebrating! At the same time we know that we have to get better at working together so that we can obtain our common goals and create value for all of us

CCO Anders Lindhardsen opened Getting Better 2015 with a look on the economic results of the latest year, which has been the best in the history of Creativ Company. “We are building for you, has been one of the main headlines for the past year. The expansion of the buildings in Holstebro, changes in the organisation, warehouse, servers, C5, web shop, fairs and catalogue plans have played a huge part to all of us”, Anders Lindhardsen said. “We had a very ambitious goal at the start of the year, and I am very proud and thankful that we could do this together. But I am not as satisfied when I look at the way, we reached the goals. We had to work hard because we sometimes focused too much on our individual goals and forgot that we are one big organism that has to work together in order to gain success. Never the less I am very optimistic about our ability to take advantage of the opportunities and improve our performance in the future”.

Mustt-win--battlles Anders Lindhardsen focused on the three must-winbattles that were the goals of the year:

Consolidate and scale: “We implemented many investments to consolidate our business and secure our future growth. At the same time we exceeded our sales targets and we achieved a fantastic result”.

Grow active customer base: “We got almost 13.000 customers more than the previous year – a 20% growth rate! This is really positive, but we were not able to completely close the back door which means we still lose a part of our customers. Now we are working with E-business tools that will help us get hold of the customers who leaves us elsewise. Another really important tool supporting the same strategy is the increase in catalogues towards especially private and B2B customers, but also schools and institutions. We are aware of changes in customers behaviour and this is why we have to be visible as many places as possible”.

World class ability to launch products: “We have always had big ambitions when it comes to our assortment, and last year we had even bigger ambitions. Sadly we did not achieve our own goals even though we are moving in the right direction. Our potential in this area is great and especially alignment between purchase, marketing and sales is the keyword to get the most out of launching new products”. Anders Lindhardsen concluded with requesting that everybody takes part in the responsibility of achieving our goals. - Thank you all for being a part of creating an amazing year – and thank you because you want to be a part of achieving even more the coming year.

CFO Michael Drost took stock of the economical results after a great financial year. Construction, dollar rate and a good growth left its mark on the year where we had a 9% growth rate

strong cost control and we have had profit on currency contracts which have been significant this year. Meanwhile we have succeeded in keeping our costs low when it comes to payroll expenses and other fixed expenses”.

Michael Drost went over the most important numbers and tendencies for the financial year of 2014/2015, and as the person responsible for the accounts, he is content with the development. “Last year’s performance was excellent, no doubt about it. And there is a lot of future potential”, Michael Drost said.

The year also offered a lot of big investments, for example the big expansion of the buildings in Holstebro and the purchase of 25% of the shares in Sinelli Oy in Finland. “We came out of the year with a total turnover of approximately 27 mio. euro, which is an increase of no less than 9%. If we look at the countries, there is an impressive prosperity, and I want to especially highlight the UK and Finland, who have created extraordinary results”, Michael Drost said.

Some of our challenges have, among other things, been that our gross margin 1 has fallen from 64,5% in 2011/12 to 61% in 2014/15. The main cause is that the US dollar rate has gone up with 15-20%. Since most of our products are bought in US dollar, this has had a big effect on our gross margin 1. “Another reason is that our B2B sale is growing, and today it amounts to 50% of our sales. There is a smaller profit on this customer group so of cause it will be visible on our gross margin”, Michael Drost said.

So olid d ecconomy with a lo ot of inv vesstment He focused then on the reasons for our good economy. “Over all we see the effect of our business model that is working. We have improved our credit control and we have created cash flow. Moreover we have a

Sh hiftiing g of th he customer seg gmen nts The composition of the customer segments have shifted during the last couple years. This is a fact that we consider when we prepare budgets and strategies. “The sale to institutions constituted 46% of our combined sales two years ago, and today it constitutes 38%. The sale to B2B customers have increased from 40% to 47% while the sale to private customers have stabilized at approximately 15%”, Michael Drost told and concluded with an optimistic glimpse of the future. “Together we have done a really good job, and I hope that we, together, can achieve the big potential of our business.”

For a long time we have wished to improve our reservation system so that we to a greater extent can meet our customers’ wishes of having the right products delivered in the right quantity at the confirmed date. This is why we have developed a new function in C5 which will secure that all customers can trust our data from C5. “The new system reserves the quantity according to available today up against the exact sales order – and suggests best delivery date compared to the quantity. Sales orders will at all time have the reserved quantity for the confirmed delivery date. Also the system is equipped with a delivery alarm that for example gives notice if the delivery is delayed”, purchasing manager Susanne Pedersen told.

In the new system it will be possible to make forecast orders in the same way as normal sales orders where items are reserved. You can also make an offer without reservation of items. These new opportunities will be added in the reservation system in June 2015. Susanne Pedersen pointed to the fact that to get the new system up and running, it is important that everybody has the right data discipline and use the system in the same way. “From now on we will all have access to the same information, but we are only as good as our colleagues, so remember to only reserve the amount you need to have – not nice to have”, Susanne Pedersen concluded.

When R&D director Vivi Brødbæk announced that she was moving to the US with her family, it was anxiety provoking at first. At the same time it opened up for new possibilities and amongst other things it has resulted in the making of a new strategic assortment group that consists of director Peter Nørgaard, purchase manager Susanne Pedersen and CEO Lotte Littau. Moreover, marketing and purchasing will be working closer and smarter together. “For this to work well, we need inputs from all of you. We divide the year in 4 quarters which will help us scheduling. Deadline for inputs for 1st quarter is week 15. For 2nd quarter it is week 32 and for 3rd and 4th quarter the deadline is week 2. This means that we are planning almost a year ahead when it comes to inputs for new products”, Lotte Littau said. She pointed out that it is important to keep an eye on Creativ News, which is sent via e-mail every Monday to everyone. Here it has been closely described when the deadline is and who to contact. “When the product group has gotten inputs, we choose the products we want to focus on. We will work closer together from the start in choosing new products so that it will become an integrated process between you from the countries, the product group,

purchasing, and marketing. We are developing a structure which is more transparent so that it will be possible to tell who is responsible and where you can contribute. The structure might seem tight, but this means that we can be more flexible and make decisions faster when it comes to pulling in new products”, Lotte Littau said. She also told that Creativ Company is in the middle of expanding with two new colleagues who will focus on developing new products and ideas for children in the private segment, and a new colleague who will coordinate the work in the purchase department.

/ ŚĂǀĞ ŽŶůǇ ǁŽƌŬĞĚ ĨŽƌ ƌĞĂƟǀ ŽŵƉĂŶǇ ĨŽƌ Ă ĨĞǁ ŵŽŶƚŚƐ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŵĞĂŶ ŝƚ ŝƐ ǀĞƌǇ ĨƵŶ ƚŽ ďĞ ŚĞƌĞ ĂŶĚ ƐĞĞ ŚŽǁ ŝƚ Ăůů ǁŽƌŬƐ͘ &ŝƌƐƚ ĂŶĚ ĨŽƌĞŵŽƐƚ ƚŚĞ ǁĂƌĞŚŽƵƐĞ ŝƐ ŵƵĐŚ͕ ŵƵĐŚ ďŝŐŐĞƌ ƚŚĂŶ / ŚĂĚ ĞǆƉĞĐƚĞĚ͊/ ďĞůŝĞǀĞ ƚŚĂƚ ƌĞĂƟǀ ŽŵƉĂŶǇ͛Ɛ ǀĂůƵĞƐ ĂƌĞ ƚŽ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞ Ă ƉĞƌƐŽŶĂů ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ǁŚĞƌĞ ĞǀĞƌǇ ĐƵƐƚŽŵĞƌ ŝƐ ƵŶŝƋƵĞ ĂŶĚ ĞǀĞƌǇŽŶĞ ŝƐ ƚƌĞĂƚĞĚ ǀĞƌǇ ǁĞůů͘ dŚĞ ĨĂĐƚ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵƉĂŶǇ ƚĂŬĞƐ Ă ďŝŐ ƐŽĐŝĂů ƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝďŝůŝƚǇ ŝƐ ǀĞƌǇ͕ ǀĞƌǇ ŐŽŽĚ͘dŽ ŵĞ ƉĞƌƐŽŶĂůůǇ͕ / ĞǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƚ ŝƐ ĂŶ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ ǀĂůƵĞ ƚŚĂƚ / ŐĞƚ ĨƌĞĞĚŽŵ ĂŶĚ ƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝďŝůŝƚǇ ƚŽ ǁŽƌŬ ƚŚĞ ǁĂǇ / ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ ĂĐŚŝĞǀĞ ŵǇ ŐŽĂůƐ͘

Robert Aspenskog, Sweden 7

When life gives you lemons – what do you do? Søren Holmgren makes lemonade. A tasty, bubbling lemonade that will bring a smile to your face. At least that is how the 90 men and women looked as they came from the lecture ’No limits in sight’ by Søren Holmgren. When the 43-yearold mental trainer was 17 years old, he became blind. He had had a bad eyesight all of his life, but this had not stopped him from riding a bike (into parked cars), playing football (even though he could not see the ball), or ask girls (who turned out to be guys) for a dance. While his friends had the liberty of choice when it came to education, the young Søren was suggested answering phones and playing chess. Even back then he had chosen the positive approach to life: He wanted to see possibilities and not limitations. As a result he became ‘Rookie of the Year’ because of his impressive sales results on several continents in IBM after his counsellor had said that a blind could not be a salesman. When his counsellor suggested that he play chess, Søren Holmgren chose to play goalball and the following years he brought home two OL-gold medals for his noticeboard. Others can learn from this because it is about how you rise to the challenge. The professional athletes, whom Søren Holmgren works with as a mental trainer, know this. And now the 90 delegates from Creativ Company know as well.

Olaf Kamiski, Poland

tŚĞŶ / ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƚĞ ŝŶ 'ĞƫŶŐ ĞƩĞƌ ŝƚ ĨĞĞůƐ ůŝŬĞ ŐĞƫŶŐ ŵǇ ďĂƩĞƌŝĞƐ ƌĞĐŚĂƌŐĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ůŽĂĚ ŽĨ ŶĞǁ ĞŶĞƌŐǇ͘ /ƚ ŝƐ ǀĞƌǇ ŝŶƐƉŝƌŝŶŐ ƚŽ ƚĂůŬ ǁŝƚŚ ĐŽůůĞĂŐƵĞƐ ĨƌŽŵ ŽƚŚĞƌ ĐŽƵŶƚƌŝĞƐ ĂŶĚ ďĞ ŝŶƐƉŝƌĞĚ ďǇ ƚŚĞŵ ŝŶ ƌĞŐĂƌĚƐ ƚŽ ǁŚĂƚ ǇŽƵ ĐĂŶ ĚŽ ĨŽƌ ǇŽƵƌ ĐƵƐƚŽŵĞƌƐ͘ dŚĞƌĞ ŝƐ ĂůǁĂǇƐ ƐŽŵĞƚŚŝŶŐ ŶĞǁ ǇŽƵ ĐĂŶ ďƌŝŶŐ ŚŽŵĞ ǁŝƚŚ ǇŽƵ͘ dŚŝƐ ǇĞĂƌ ŝƚ ŚĂƐ ďĞĞŶ ĞƐƉĞĐŝĂůůǇ ĨĂŶƚĂƐƟĐ ƚŽ ŚĞĂƌ ƚŚĞ ůĞĐƚƵƌĞ ďǇ ^ƆƌĞŶ ,ŽůŵŐƌĞŶ ǁŚŽ ƐŚŽǁĞĚ ƚŚĂƚ ĞǀĞŶ ŝĨ ǇŽƵ ŚĂǀĞ 8ŽďƐƚĂĐůĞƐ ǇŽƵ ĐĂŶ ƐƟůů ĂĐŚŝĞǀĞ ǇŽƵƌ ŐŽĂů ŝĨ ǇŽƵ ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ͘

Watch yourself run a marathon Close your eyes and envision it. On the front row, Chris could now look forward to accomplishing the marathon that the whole house had been asked to envision. “Listen to the audience cheering CHRIS, CHRIS, CHRIS. Listen to the band playing Eye of the Tiger. You throw the water bottle right next to the trash can. See it. Feel it. Sense it,” it came from the stage, while laughter emerged from the audience. Chris could envision it. And the first step is to reach the goal. “Also use this technique when you enter a meeting. Envision the meeting. Envision what you want to achieve. Envision how your body will look when you reach the goal. Be prepared, and this will be the first step to achieving your goal,” the request sounded.

Good to know: • •

Søren Holmgren runs the company “i to i” Søren Holmgren became blind as a 17-yearold

Søren Holmgren’s good advices: • • • •

Winning teams know their common objectives, common values and understand each other’s roles High performance teams has 12 times as many positive conversations as they have negative. Positive talk is acknowledging and not just “what a nice dress” Say thank you when you get a compliment. Take in the acknowledgement and do not say “you too”. Set a goal for yourself before you walk in to a meeting, run a marathon, attend a business meeting. What do I want to obtain from this? Visualize it and watch it happen.

Co ommon goa al In a company like Creativ Company that has departments in multiple countries, it requires an effort to follow the same goals. But if you want to create a winning team there are three steps you need to remember: • • •

Common goal Common values Understanding for each other’s roles.

“Many managers create goals and values that they tell their employees at a kick off-meeting. A year later they expect that everything has been implemented. But this only happens if you keep talking about it. If you break down the values and the goals in steps that fit your department,” was one of the advices for creating a winning team.

After this it is about roles: “At my home we have concluded that it is unwise that I clean. I cannot see if it is dirty – or if it gets clean. On the contrary my wife do not care about economy so until I tell her that there is a problem, she is allowed to shop amok. I have a very happy wife,” Søren Holmgren told and concluded with an anecdote about his role model Clint Eastwood: “At the age of 65, Clint Eastwood married a 28-yearold woman. The TV-host Oprah Winfrey asked him whether he was worried about the age difference, and what did Clint answer? He said “If she dies, she dies”. That is attitude, and when I doubt how to handle a situation, I always think about Clint’s answer: If she dies, she dies, and then I begin.”

Crreattiv Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deliccio ouss strrawbe errry cake Ingredients Frangipane base 200g marzipan 200g sugar 200g butter 3 eggs 50g flour Stuffing Spread dark chocolate on the base. Topping 1/4l whipped cream 2Â˝ dl pastry cream

Frangipane base Whip butter and sugar until it becomes airy. Grate the marzipan and add sugar and butter. Whip and add the eggs one at a time and mix it all together. Turn the flour into the dough. Pour the dough into a cake tin that has been coated with baking paper and bake the cake in the oven at 175 degrees Celsius for approximately 40 min.

Stuffing Melt dark chocolate and spread it on the base.

Topping Mix whipped cream and pastry cream together with fruit (for example strawberries) and spread it on top of the cake.

”H Hallo oween is the new w Chrisstm mass” Skulls, ghosts, and spiders. It is “scary business”, but Halloween is big business. “Halloween is going to be the new Christmas”, director Peter Nørgaard told. Halloween is an American tradition, but gradually Europe has taken in the spooky festive season and this is why the director raises his hopes high when it comes to selling new merchandise like terracotta-figures, masks, and silk clay. But is it sellable, was the big question he asked the audience. “Yes it is. In Germany we are the only ones on the market with these products,” the agent Paul Pil from Germany said. “It will also work very well in England,” Michael Pratt, managing director in the UK, said. He also suggested that the products should be shown at the Frankfurt-fair in January because he predicts that the Halloween products will have great success.

Th he you ung women are doing itt on n th heir ow wn / Hom me decorr

We are individualists and want to show our own expression – we want to show who we are. And how better to do it than in your own home? More and more young women have thought this – and they buy DIY-products in order for their home to get its own expression. “This target group is more concerned about the quality and colour than the price. They do not just shop in hobby stores and they get ideas from TV, magazines and bloggers,” it was told from the stage. The pictures on the big screen inspired a lot of talking between the participants: “We need to show that you can also use chalky paint on bigger furniture – it will be a hit,” Poland said. “Wall decorations have become a hit in Norway.” “What do you use the concrete for?” UK wanted to know, while the German participants needed the concrete to be renamed to be able to sell it “The concrete is a new product that we have only sold since May. There was a demand for it and we expect it to be a good product,” CEO Lotte Littau explained.

Do you want to live exactly like your neighbor? The same pillows, the same pictures, and the same ornaments that you bought from the shelf in the store? No, right?

The information is piling up. The numbers are good, and the pictures of products have to be stored. This requires a break.“Stand up and talk with the person next to you for a minute about who you want to meet. Afterwards you switch,” the task was given by CEO Lotte Littau in the middle of the walkthrough of Halloween- and yarn products.

a Dalai Lam

Superman

Idris Elba

ood Clint Eastw

Malala You

safzai

aul

Donna McC

“It is a task that you should view as the sorbet between the courses of a good meal. It is a change of scene and a mental break,” Lotte Kjærgaard says. 11

Kn nit one e and purl one e / ya arn n & wo o ol

Fo oam Cla ay an nd Silk Cllay y

Once upon a time, yarn and wool meant hippies and soft men in Icelandic sweaters. Today yarn is for everyone. Crocheting, knitting, and needleworking has become trendy and over time, the creative souls know no bounds when it comes to decorating with yarn.

”We will just do it ourselves.” Well of course there was modelling wax-like products on the market. They were popular too, but the people from Creativ Company were not satisfied with the quality.

“But the yarn-customers are tricky. They are always looking for something other than exactly what we have. And the yarn market is boundless. There are lots of ideas, many products and numerous colours. This is why we have chosen to focus on the good quality and the easily accessible ideas for the mass market,” director Peter Nørgaard said.

“So we found a supplier in China who had spent two years developing a great product. Meet Linda Wei,” Peter Nørgaard said and turned on the video with Linda Wei, director in China. She told the story about the popular and surprising foam clay and silk clay, which is sold in 16 countries through Creativ Company today.

Crocheting will be a hit

In Holland they sell 42% of all foam clay that Creativ Company sell and in the UK the sales was raised with 100 % from last year till this year. “Normally we are sold out, but we have bought more than twice as much as we usually do, so by all means sell away,” Lotte Littau incited.

“Crocheting will be a big success in England. We need to focus on it the coming year,” the English delegation said. Moreover she had requests for the specifications of the ball of yarn. The idea was seized at once and collaboration about exchanging ideas was launched.

How do you market yarn? In Denmark it has been a great success to send products and ideas to lifestyle magazines. They use the material and immediately you see the great ideas from Creativ Company in national magazines. The idea can be transferred abroad. The only thing you need is to build good relations to the journalists at the magazines. Several people were eager to know how to do this – and at this point the chief of marketing, Tina Riis, immediately stepped up to help explain how to begin networking.

Because even though foam clay and silk clay are selling well there is room for an even higher amount of sale and the participants had several good ideas: “Make the boxes so that you can see what they contain.” “Put the idea-video online because it just showed me a lot of new things.” “The box does not weight a lot so you don’t feel that there is value for money.” As a new step foam clay will be released in season packs in the future, which means there are colours that matches Easter, Christmas and anything relevant.

In Creativ Company in Holstebro they are very happy about exercises. Every day there is a break where everyone does exercises. The participant of Getting Better 2015 had to feel this too. This is why Bjørn Lau Jørgensen stepped up on the stage in between the presentations of Home Decor and Yarn and Wool.

Bjørn Lau Jørgensen was, in his own words, suddenly made break-exercise-instructor and he led the whole group towards flushed cheeks and laughter. Then the break is over and it is time to focus on the newest colours of yarn. Picture at page 26.

“Up with your arm. Move your arm in circles. Bend in your knees. The other arm up and the other hip. And switch.”

Saturday morning began with practical work. The participants of Getting Better were sent on guided tours where they had the opportunity to experience how an order gets around in our automated warehouse control system, and how you pick and pack an order for a customer. The warehouse contains 14.000 item numbers and every year we ship about 400.000 packages plus pallets to our customers. In total, we have 7.500 m2 of storage space and 12.500 spaces for pallets. Every year we receive approximately 250 containers with products from our suppliers. 75.000 customers from all over the world receive products from Holstebro.

“It is important for our customers to know that they are doing business with a professional partner and they often ask about the warehouse. Now we can tell the customers that we have a big and modern warehouse where everything is under control”, Holger Suhr from Germany says. To Meira Palmio and Marita Mutta from Finland it is also an advantage to have witnessed how the warehouse works: “Now we can understand better how everything works and thereby give our customers a better service,” they say.

“We are happy to see that it is a good German system that is used in the warehouse. It makes us very proud,” Antonio Coco from Germany says.

Since December, a team across departments has been working on creating a new webshop. After 3.000 hours of work, we are now ready for the launch on the 4th of august “We needed a different standard with new opportunities for development, and we will get that when we start using the new webshop,” e-business manager Lars Friis said in his presentation. “First and foremost we will have new opportunities in regards to scalability and flexibility so that we can customize after our own and our customers’ needs. In the future, it is important that we can segment private customers, B2B, and institutions so that the webshop fits the different customer types. Furthermore, we will be even more international with 13 countries,” Lars Friis told. The most important improvements on the new webshop are:

•

The search function will make it possible to combine products and ideas

•

You can browse through activities and be presented products that fits the activity

•

Filters will make it possible to get shown colours, sizes, amounts etc.

•

Showing product variations so that the customers can tell how broad our assortment is

•

Product recommendations will show the customer which products are relevant for the individual customer and what similar customers have also bought

•

All ideas can be customized by the customer so that people can variate and customize all ideas

“Moreover, the customers will have the opportunity to follow their items in expedition, and we can create new orders directly from the webshop. We have high hopes for the new webshop, so we hope that you will give it a good welcome the 4th of august,” Lars Friis concluded.

In many aspects, the new marketing plan looks like the one we already know, but there have been added new focus areas and improvements. This year we will have a marketing with no less than 23 catalogues. “Over all we will have alignment in the marketing towards B2B and private customers. Four times a year we will make catalogues with the same content that will be directed towards the different segments. In the same way we will create alignment on our website,” marketing manager Tina Riis told. A new catalogue will begin as an iPaper for the sales persons who will have the opportunity of preselling and giving VIP customer service. A month later the B2B catalogues will launch and approximately two months after that the catalogue for private customers are at stake. “As a new step, we are now going to try to make private catalogues for other customers, for example shops. We are testing this in a number of Swedish shops at the moment. Furthermore the catalogues are put into all boxes that are shipped to private customers from our stockroom. It is exciting to see how it will fare,” Tina Riis said. The marketing plan for schools and institutions will follow the same schedule as last year with focus on catalogues and newsletters. “A new activity is our collaboration with schools and institutions which gives a real life approval of our products in the catalogues. Moreover we we will have more focus on the product and less focus on the finished idea. This means we will avoid locking the customers in on a fixed idea, but instead simply inspire them in regards to what the product can be used for,” Tina Riis said. She urged that you should come to her with inputs if you have any ideas regarding new marketing initiatives.

Ge erman ny in the e treasu ure che est / Papierr mach hé When talking decoration, Creativ Company has always been strong. The business has a strong market position and especially the wooden letters are in general a big hit. But in Germany there is a special tendency. Here they love a certain product: “We sell 60.000 treasure chests in Germany each year,” Lotte Littau told with wonder in her voice. Within decoration the papier maché figures are popular. They are easy to decorate and they are available in a multitude of variants. “And do keep selling the papier maché figures. They are produced in the Philippines where we do have weather challenges, but we help a lot of families who have worked with producing the figures,” Lotte Littau said.

Le et’s cellebratte / Happy Mom mentss There is always a time to celebrate. But what do you do if you want a recurring theme for your party – a red thread running from invitations to table decorations and table cloth?

You do not do a lot. The imaginative men and women at Creativ Company discovered this, and then the development process of Happy Moments began. Two years later the new products hit the shelves in the stores, and in Scandinavia, they have been received very well. “But of course we will work on spreading them to more countries,” Lotte Littau said, and she told that the export is slowly on the way to Russia and South Africa. Already, there is a series of colours to pick from, but more are coming:

A wedding series and an off-white series. “And remember that a series contains everything from soap bubbles to cake molds, balloons, sequins and cards,” the appeal sounded. The good tip from salesperson to salesperson came from Danish Michael Lauritsen: “I have good experience with selling to party rental companies. People want to buy the table decorations the same places they rent tents, tables and chairs for their party,” the good advice sounded.

A sttre eett in n Pa ariis / Viv vi Gad de

Do o yo ou belie eve in n Santa a? / Christm mas

In 2008, R&D director Vivi Brødbæk travelled all over the world. In the streets of the big cities, she discovered neat items that she wanted to bring home and use as Christmas decorations. Ideas she could not let go.

The Christmas elf enters through a teeny-tiny door in the corner of the living room. It is true. Some days he does the laundry, other days he colours the milk blue or tie all the shoes in the house together.

It putters and it is magical. Then she travelled home again, developed ideas and a few years later the series Vivi Gade was on the street. “Gade” because it was her maiden name – by the way meaning “street” in Danish! “Vivi Gade is made for the women who need a lot of help doing it herself, but still wants to make her own,” Vivi Brødbæk explained from the stage. The six series, who are all named after big cities, are in constant development and come August even more items will be on the shelves. “I am very proud of Vivi Gade. We have developed a strong brand with a great potential to grow,” director Peter Nørgaard said before CCO Anders Lindhardsen grabbed the microphone: “We are always talking about these products that are easy to sell. But in my opinion, there is not a lot of things in life that are easy. As Einstein said: “You need to change to get new results”, so try something new,” he incited.

Last year the trend started revolving around the little “elf door”. A little door on the wall set up in the beginning of December, will be the pivot of a 24 days story about Christmas elves, Santa Clause, and whatever the imagination is sufficient for at home. In addition, you need equipment to make the story alive. That is why this year, you can sell little bags of inspiration that will help create a cosy December-mood. But of course you can still buy the very popular star strips, DIY Christmas balls and lots more. “Christmas is a time where we want to target the loyal, but also the new customers because Christmas is our biggest season,” Lotte Littau said.

Presents that makes you happy Christmas is, as you know, also the season for gifts. Children wants to give gifts too – and preferably, gifts they have made themselves. Creativ Company has a complete catalogue with ideas for gifts that you can make on your own and when the ideas are picked, there are clear guidelines: “Of course we focus on the price. It has to be easy to be successful when the task is begun, and the gift needs to be able to be used for something. It is not enough that it can be hung on a wall,” Lotte Littau said and showed the news of the year: A wooden robot, which acts as a photo frame, a terracotta piggy bank and felt sheets containing holes for embroidery. “And then there will be launched three new easy kits for children that they can use when they are making gifts, for example in schools and institutions.”

The theory of Howard Gardner’s many intelligences is the base of Creative Learning, which is the very special niche of Creativ Company. The American researcher Howard Gardner (1943- ) has developed the theory that humans have seven intelligences. To a degree, the theory has altered how a lot of countries view the best way to teach children. Before Howard Gardner published his ideas, you had always believed that all children could and should get the same results from the same teaching, but Gardner’s research showed that people have a total of seven intelligences and the knowledge of the different intelligences can increase the individual person’s profit from education/instructions. (See the intelligences in the box). “Gardner’s work focuses greatly on children learning through creativity. That you never forget what you have learnt with your hands,” CEO Lotte Littau told. This idea is the basis of 90 ideas from Creativ Company that have been developed for schools and institutions. The ideas are marked with an owl in the catalogues, and at every one of the 90 ideas you can read which education, achievement and age group the products meet. Until now, the Creative Learning products were thought for schools and institutions, but the participants of Getting Better were also reminded that the parents and grandparents of today are focusing a lot on children’s development, which is why they will also be a target group for these specific products.

“But schools and institutions are still the primary target group. Everything in schools today is measured and the teachers need to be able to document that their teaching meets the requirements. They can do so with these ideas,” CCO Anders Lindhardsen explained. “But are the ideas built after the requirements from the Danish school system,” one of the participants wanted to know. Anders Lindharsen was able to answer: “They are based on Gardner’s theory of several intelligences. This is an international theory and it is in regard to the intelligences that we have described the ideas, which you can easily sell in all of Europe,” Anders Lindhardsen said. Lotte Littau does not make a secret of Howard Gardner’s importance to Creativ Company. “Creativ Learning is a big part of the reason that we are Creativ Company today. We are the specialists of this field and that is why it is important that you also learn about it,” she said at Getting Better.

Howard Gardner’s 9 intelligences • • • • • • • • •

Verbal-linguistic intelligence Logical-mathematical intelligence Spatial-visual intelligence Bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence Musical intelligence Interpersonal intelligence Intrapersonal intelligence Naturalist intelligence Existential intelligence

Read more at: http://goo.gl/AFhctC

Creativ Company is like one big family and to participate in Getting Better is a bit like going to the latest festive family event. That feeling is exactly what the direction behind the company wants and this is brought in to light in the presentation “Costumer meetings in Holstebro”. “This floor is a dream come true for all of us,” Creative Merchant/director Peter Nørgaard told and made a sweeping gesture towards the overwhelmingly big room.

The different customer meetings do not have to stretch over multiple days. There are several options concerning concepts, one-day events too. “You can always invite your customers here. You just have to make up your mind beforehand as to what you want to achieve and what the purpose of the meeting is – and then you are welcome. There are a lot of opportunities to do good activities,” Peter Nørgaard made it clear.

“We wish that all our customers from Europe would come and visit us here. This is why we have spent this much space on this floor. Our house is your house. Come and have your different customer meetings here,” he invited. Recently 20 customers from Sweden came to visit for two days. They were taken on a tour through the whole house, participated in workshops and heard the story of Creativ Company. “And the feedback from them was amazing. It gave us a much better connection with the customers and we gave them a good experience,” the director said.

/ ďĞůŝĞǀĞ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƚ ŝƐ ŽĨ ŐƌĞĂƚ ǀĂůƵĞ ƚŽ ƌĞĂƟǀ ŽŵƉĂŶǇ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞƌĞ ŝƐ ƐƵĐŚ Ă ďŝŐ ŚŽƐƉŝƚĂůŝƚǇ͘ / Ăŵ ĞƐƉĞĐŝĂůůǇ ůŽŽŬŝŶŐ ĨŽƌǁĂƌĚ ƚŽ ƚĂŬŝŶŐ ŶĞǁ ŝŶƐƉŝƌĂƟŽŶ ŚŽŵĞ ǁŝƚŚ ŵĞ͘ /ƚ ŝƐ ĂŵĂǌŝŶŐ ƚŽ ƐĞĞ ƚŚĞ ŶĞǁ͕ ďŝŐ ĨĂŝƌ ƌŽŽŵ ǁŚŝĐŚ ǁĞ ĐĂŶ ƵƐĞ ĂƐ ŝŶƐƉŝƌĂƟŽŶ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ƐŚŽƉ ŝŶ 'ƂƚĞďŽƌŐ͘

Lena Öberg, Sweden

Anita Koorevar, Holland ͞/ Ăŵ ůŽŽŬŝŶŐ ĨŽƌǁĂƌĚ ƚŽ ďĞŝŶŐ ƐƵƌƉƌŝƐĞĚ ůŝŬĞ / ŚĂǀĞ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐůǇ ďĞĞŶ ƐƵƌƉƌŝƐĞĚ Ăƚ 'ĞƫŶŐ ĞƩĞƌ͊ / ƐƟůů ƌĞŵĞŵďĞƌ ǁŚĞŶ ǁĞ ƌĂƉƉĞůůĞĚ ĚŽǁŶ ƚŚĞ ůŝŐŚƚŚŽƵƐĞ Ă ĐŽƵƉůĞ ǇĞĂƌƐ ĂŐŽ͕ ĂŶĚ ƚŽ ŵĞ ƚŚĞ ůŝŐŚƚŚŽƵƐĞ ŝƐ ƐƟůů ĂŶ ŝŵĂŐĞ ŽĨ ƌĞĂƟǀ ŽŵƉĂŶǇ͛Ɛ ǀĂůƵĞƐ͗ sĞƌǇ ŝŶŶŽǀĂƟǀĞ͕ ĚĂƌĞ ƚŽ ďĞ ĚŝīĞƌĞŶƚ͕ ĨƌŝĞŶĚůǇ ƚŽ ĐŽůůĞĂŐƵĞƐ͕ ĐƵƐƚŽŵĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ƉĂƌƚŶĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ŽĨ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ƐŽĐŝĂů ƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝďŝůŝƚǇ ƚŽǁĂƌĚƐ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚ͘͟

Paul Pil, Germany ͞/ ĞǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ƌĞĂƟǀ ŽŵƉĂŶǇ ĂƐ Ă ǀĞƌǇ ŚƵŵĂŶ ĐŽŵƉĂŶǇ ǁŚĞƌĞ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ĂƌĞ ŐŽŽĚ Ăƚ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ƚŽŐĞƚŚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ŚĂǀĞ ďŽƚŚ ĨĞĞƚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ŐƌŽƵŶĚ͘ DŽƌĞŽǀĞƌ ƚŚĞƌĞ ŝƐ Ă ďŝŐ ĨŽĐƵƐ ŽŶ ŝŶŶŽǀĂƟŽŶ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŵĞĂŶƐ ǁĞ ĐĂŶ ďĞ ƐƵƌĞ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ŶĞǁ ƚƌĞŶĚƐ ŐĞƚ ĂƌŽƵŶĚ ĨĂƐƚ ŝŶ ĐŽƵŶƚƌŝĞƐ͘ tĞ ŚĂǀĞ Ă ƵŶŝƋƵĞ ďƌĂŶĚ ƚŚĂƚ ŽƵƌ ĐƵƐƚŽŵĞƌƐ ĂƌĞ ǀĞƌǇ ŚĂƉƉǇ ĂďŽƵƚ͘͟

Diana Albiol Schnitrer, Spain ͞/ ǀŝƐŝƚĞĚ ƌĞĂƟǀ ŽŵƉĂŶǇ ŝŶ DĂǇ ĂŶĚ ǁĂƐ ǀĞƌǇ ŝŵƉƌĞƐƐĞĚ ďǇ ŝƚ Ăůů͘ / Ăŵ ǀĞƌǇ ŚĂƉƉǇ ƚŽ ďĞ Ă ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ 'ĞƫŶŐ ďĞƩĞƌ ƚŚŝƐ ǇĞĂƌ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ĮƌƐƚ ƟŵĞ͘ / ďĞůŝĞǀĞ ŝƚ ŝƐ Ă ǀĞƌǇ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ ǀĂůƵĞ ƚŽ ŝŶĐůƵĚĞ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚǇ ďǇ ƚĂŬŝŶŐ Ă ďŝŐ ƐŽĐŝĂů ƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝďŝůŝƚǇ͘ /ƚ ŝƐ ǀĞƌǇ͕ ǀĞƌǇ ŐƌĞĂƚ ĂŶĚ ƐŽŵĞƚŚŝŶŐ ǁĞ ĚŽ ŶŽƚ ĞǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ŵƵĐŚ ŝŶ ^ƉĂŝŶ͘͟

Jette Gregersen, Denmark ͟/ ůŽǀĞ ďĞŝŶŐ ŚĞƌĞ͘ /ƚ ŐŝǀĞƐ ŵĞ ƐŽ ŵƵĐŚ ŐĞƫŶŐ ƚŽ ŬŶŽǁ ŵǇ ĐŽůůĞĂŐƵĞƐ͘ dŽ ŵĞ ƚŚŝƐ ŝƐ ŵƵĐŚ ŵŽƌĞ ƚŚĂŶ ũƵƐƚ Ă ũŽď͘ / Ăŵ ƉƌŽƵĚ ŽĨ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ Ăƚ Ă ƉůĂĐĞ ǁŚĞƌĞ ǇŽƵ ƚŚŝŶŬ ĂďŽƵƚ ŽƚŚĞƌƐ͘ &Žƌ ĞǆĂŵƉůĞ͕ / Ăŵ ŵĂŬŝŶŐ ŵĂĐƌĂŵĠ ďƌĂĐĞůĞƚƐ ƚŚĂƚ / ƐĞůů ŝŶ ĨĂǀŽƵƌ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŚŽƐƉŝƚĂů ĐůŽǁŶƐ͘ ƌĞĂƟǀ ŽŵƉĂŶǇ ƉĂǇƐ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƚĞƌŝĂůƐ ďĞĐĂƵƐĞ ƚŚĞǇ ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ Ă ŐŽŽĚ ĐĂƵƐĞ͘ ^ŽŵĞƚŚŝŶŐ ůŝŬĞ ƚŚĂƚ ŵĂŬĞƐ ŵĞ ƉƌŽƵĚ͘ ŶĚ ŝƚ ƚĞĂĐŚĞƐ ŵĞ ƚŽ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƚ ŽƚŚĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ŐŝǀĞ Ă ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ŵǇƐĞůĨ ƚŽ Ă ǁŽƌŬƉůĂĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ǀĂůƵĞƐ ƚŚĂƚ ƌĞĂƟǀ ŽŵƉĂŶǇ ŚĂƐ͘͟

Sarah Carter, England ͞dŚĞ ĐŽůůĞĂŐƵĞƐ ŝŶ ĞŶŵĂƌŬ ĂƌĞ ƐŽ ŚĞůƉĨƵů ǁŝƚŚ ƉƌŽďůĞŵƐ ƌĞŐĂƌĚŝŶŐ ŽƵƌ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚƐ ŽŶ Ă ĚĂŝůǇ ďĂƐŝƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ĞǆĐĞůůĞŶƚ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞŵ͘ dŚĞƌĞĨŽƌĞ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ƌĞĂůůǇ ŶŝĐĞ ƚŽ ƉƵƚ ĨĂĐĞƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŶĂŵĞƐ ĚƵƌŝŶŐ 'ĞƫŶŐ ĞƩĞƌ͘ 'ĞŶĞƌĂůůǇ ƚŚĞ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ŝŶ ƌĞĂƟǀ ŽŵƉĂŶǇ ĂƌĞ ǀĞƌǇ ĐŽŵŵŝƩĞĚ ƚŽ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ͘ dŚĞǇ ĂƌĞ ƉƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐ ŐŽŽĚ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ŝŶ Ă ŚŝŐŚ ƐƚĂŶĚĂƌĚ ʹ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞǇ ĂƌĞ ǀĞƌǇ ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂů ƉĂƌƚŶĞƌƐ͘͟

Mette Fetherstonhaugh, Denmark ͟/ ƐŝŵƉůǇ ĐŽƵůĚ ŶŽƚ ƐĞĞŵ ƚŽ ƋƵŝĞƚĞŶ ĚŽǁŶ ǁŚĞŶ / ŐŽƚ ŚŽŵĞ ůĂƐƚ ĞǀĞŶŝŶŐ͘ /ƚ ŚĂƐ ďĞĞŶ ĂŶ ĂŵĂǌŝŶŐ ĞǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ƚŽ ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƚĞ͊ tŚĞŶ / ƐĞĞ ƚŚĞ ǀŝĚĞŽƐ ǁŝƚŚ ŽƵƌ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ͕ / Ăŵ ũƵƐƚ ƐŽ ƉƌŽƵĚ͘ / ŚĂǀĞ ǁŽƌŬĞĚ ĨŽƌ ƌĞĂƟǀ ŽŵƉĂŶǇ ƐŝŶĐĞ EŽǀĞŵďĞƌ͘ &Žƌ ŵĂŶǇ ǇĞĂƌƐ / ŚĂǀĞ ǁŽƌŬĞĚ ĂƐ Ă ƉĞĚĂŐŽŐƵĞ ĂŶĚ ƚŽ ŵĞ ŝƚ ŵĞĂŶƐ Ă ůŽƚ ƚŚĂƚ ǇŽƵ ƚĂŬĞ ĐĂƌĞ ŽĨ ŽƚŚĞƌ ƉĞŽƉůĞ͕ ƚŚĂƚ ǇŽƵ ĂƌĞ ƚŽŐĞƚŚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĂƚ ĞǀĞƌǇŽŶĞ ĞĂƚƐ ƚŽŐĞƚŚĞƌ ʹ ŶŽ ŵĂƩĞƌ ŝĨ ŝƚ ŝƐ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ďŽƐƐ Žƌ ƚŚĞ ŶĞǁ ĞŵƉůŽǇĞĞ͘ dŚĞƐĞ ǀĂůƵĞƐ ŵĂƚĐŚ ŵǇ ƉĞƌƐŽŶĂůŝƚǇ ǀĞƌǇ ǁĞůů͘͟

Sharon Young and Naomi Humphries, England ͞/ƚ ŝƐ ĂŵĂǌŝŶŐ ƚŽ ďĞ ŚĞƌĞ ĂŶĚ ƌĞĂƟǀ ŽŵƉĂŶǇ͛Ɛ ŚĞĂĚƋƵĂƌƚĞƌ ŝƐ ŵƵĐŚ ďŝŐŐĞƌ ƚŚĂŶ / ŚĂĚ ŝŵĂŐŝŶĞĚ͘ /ƚ ŝƐ ǀĞƌǇ ŶŝĐĞ ƚŽ ƐĞĞ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ ĂŶĚ Ăůů ƚŚĞ ŶĞǁ ŝƚĞŵƐ͘ ǀĞƌǇŽŶĞ ĂƌĞ ǀĞƌǇ ĨƌŝĞŶĚůǇ͘ /Ŷ ŽƵƌ ŽƉŝŶŝŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƌĞ ǀĂůƵĞƐ ĂƌĞ ƚŚĂƚ ƌĞĂƟǀ ŽŵƉĂŶǇ ƚĂŬĞƐ ƉƌŝĚĞ ŝŶ ǁŚĂƚ ǇŽƵ ĚŽ ʹ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ĞŵƉůŽǇĞĞƐ ǁŽƌŬ ǀĞƌǇ ŚĂƌĚ ƚŽ ĂĐŚŝĞǀĞ ƚŚĞŝƌ ŐŽĂůƐ͘͟

Agnetha Bourboonnais, Sweden ͞KŶĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƌĞ ǀĂůƵĞƐ ŽĨ ƌĞĂƟǀ ŽŵƉĂŶǇ ŝƐ ƚŚĂƚ ǇŽƵ ƚĂŬĞ ĐĂƌĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁĞůůͲďĞŝŶŐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĞŵƉůŽǇĞĞƐ͘ ǀĞƌǇŽŶĞ ŚĂƐ ĂŶ ĞƋƵĂů ǀĂůƵĞ͘ dŚŝƐ ŝƐ ƌĞĂůůǇ ŐƌĞĂƚ͘͟

When the customer enters a shop – what does she fall for? And when we need the shops to want to sell the newest creative ideas from Creativ Company – do they want a cardboard or metal display? Throughout the ages the supply of display has changed. This means that over time a lot of different displays have been piling up in shops and backrooms in all of Europe. Now, Creativ Company wants to secure a more consistent expression and quality in this area. “More than ever, our focus is to shine a spotlight on the customer. We want to create a good article solution for a desirable price,” R&D director Vivi Brødbæk said and mentioned that it would be possible to come up with new display for topics like price, children, adults, Vivi Gade and seasonal items.

The participants at Getting Better 2015 were asked if they had any ideas for new displays, and they had. Holland had thought of two displays based on Pick&Match, while England wished that it would be possible to change the top sign. “When you come home, we would like you to come with your ideas for new displays, and in the future we will evaluate our displays twice a year,” CEO Lotte Littau said.

Crrisspbre ead d 1dl oatmeal 1dl sesame seed 1dl flax seed 1dl sunflower seed 1dl pumpkin seed 3½ dl flour 2 dl water 1¼ dl oil 1 tsk baking soda 1½ tsk fine salt Mix all the ingredients together and part the dough in two portions. Every portion is rolled out between two pieces of baking paper on a baking sheet. Remove the upper baking paper and carve the dough with a knife in the places that the crispbread should be parted after being baked. Bake the crispbread in the middle of the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 15-20 min until it is golden. Let the crispbread cool completely on a griddle and keep it in an airtight container so that the crispiness is maintained.

”We want to continue the journey together with you and create something that is bigger than all of us individually”, CCO Anders Lindhardsen said in his presentation about Creativ Company’s strategy It has been 15 years since Creativ Company began on a closed farm outside of Holstebro. A dream about creating a good company became reality, and together, we have achieved many of the goals that were set on the way. “We can be very proud of what we have achieved together, but at the same time we can see that there is a world of possibilities lying awaiting us. Peter, Lotte, and I are very ambitious when it comes to the possibilities we see for Creativ Company and for you – and we want to create the foundation and frames to continue the growth,” Anders Lindhardsen said. The development of each employee and Creativ Company’s development has always walked hand in hand. “It is due to each of us having developed and evolved when the company develops. On the other hand, Creativ Company’s development also gives each employee the opportunity to grow and evolve. The desire to create something bigger than a single person has always been a part of Creativ Company’s DNA,” Anders Lindhardsen said.

5+ +5=10 0 If you ask him to define a clearer course and goal, the answer is simple: “The strategy and the direction in the future is: Forward! And the goal is to create the best possible place to work and a healthy business within the area of creativity and innovation. We cannot keep developing if we do not continue to improve and invest in improvement. This is why our strategy, in all its simplicity, is to become 5% better every year, measured as a 5% higher turnover while using the same amount of resources. We also want to invest in achieving 5% extra. Overall, it is our objective to grow an average of 10% each year. The growth will occur in all the countries, but for the current year we have especially high hopes for England and Finland,” Anders Lindhardsen said.

In the near future the primary investments will be: 8 new colleagues, a change in organization for product development/marketing, new websites, private catalogues, B2B catalogues, warehouse logistics, new countries, and new products. “When we look towards the future it is important to stress that we do not just measure the economic results, but we also want to improve and invest in the development of our workplace. A good economy does however give us the safety that we wish to have to be our own masters”.

Co onso olid date and scale e So far Creativ Company has focused on either consolidating or scaling our business. “But in the future we will achieve a more stable and controlled focus where we can both consolidate and scale our business. What we did yesterday is not good enough today and we need to work together in order to remove obstacles and find smarter ways to work,” Anders Lindhardsen said. “At the same time we have the will and the courage to invest in developing Creativ Company. There are many exciting opportunities and we want to go after them if we have the financial strength and can see a good return on our investment. We want to invest in an even better company… the Dream Factory,” Anders Lindhardsen said. He pointed out the importance of being together in achieving the goals of the future. ”We love the journey and we want to continue building the Dream Factory together with you…I hope you feel the same way”, Anders Lindhardsen concluded.

”Can we make excellent results, and at the same time take responsibility and care for each other? Yes we can!” After two intense days with complete focus on Creativ Company’s business, director Peter Nørgard ended Getting Better by talking about the thing that has been an important part of our DNA since the beginning: “Creativ Company is built on employees who are good bearers of culture. They are a part of lifting our special spirit throughout the house and out to our customers. The spirit is about creating a good business and at the same time treat each other, our business partners, and our customers well. It is about making sure that what we do makes sense. And it is also about care and share,” Peter Nørgaard said.

“I am very proud of what we have done together for the last two days – and the last 15 years. But mostly I am grateful to be a part of a company where we answer “Yes we can” when we are asked if we can make an excellent business and at the same time take responsibility and care for each other. It is our unique Creativ Company spirit that I hope you can feel and will be a part of passing on to everyone we are near,” Peter Nørgaard said. “Together we can continue to develop our business and our special spirit, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for participating and for these two memorable days we have spent together.”

Without a shadow of doubt, the history of Creativ Company shows that it pays off to build a company on good business, innovation, being a great place to work and social responsibility.

Yentl van Arkel, Holland ͟/ ĐĂŶ ĐůĞĂƌůǇ ĨĞĞů ƚŚĞ ƌĞĂƟǀ ŽŵƉĂŶǇ ƐƉŝƌŝƚ ǁŚĞŶ / Ăŵ ŝŶ ƚŚŝƐ ŚŽƵƐĞ͘ / ĨĞĞů ŝƚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞƐĞŶƚĂƟŽŶƐ͕ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŝĚĞ ƚŚĂƚ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ŚĞƌĞ ŚĂǀĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞŝƌ ǁŽƌŬ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ǁŽƌŬƉůĂĐĞ͘ /ƚ ŐŝǀĞƐ ŵĞ Ă ĨĞĞůŝŶŐ ŽĨ ďĞŝŶŐ Ă ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƐŽŵĞƚŚŝŶŐ ďŝŐŐĞƌ ĂŶĚ ďĞůŽŶŐŝŶŐ͘ dŽ ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƚĞ ŝŶ 'ĞƫŶŐ ĞƩĞƌ ŐŝǀĞƐ ŵĞ Ă ůŽƚ ŽĨ ŝŶƐƉŝƌĂƟŽŶ͘ &ŝƌƐƚ ĂŶĚ ĨŽƌĞŵŽƐƚ͕ ŝƚ ŵĂŬĞƐ ŵĞ ĐŽŶƚĞŵƉůĂƚĞ ǁŚĂƚ / ĚŽ ĂŶĚ ŚŽǁ / ĐĂŶ ĚŽ ŝƚ ĞǀĞŶ ďĞƩĞƌ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĨƵƚƵƌĞ͘

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