Maja Svensson, Swedish-born, Brooklyn-based Fashion Entrepreneur 

Maja Svensson is the founder of the custom dress business ELSA AND ME, inspired by her elegant grandma Elsa. Have a look at the website, and you will see vividly-hued, sleek sheath frocks, some with that inimitably chic, three-quarter-length sleeve – think Jackie Kennedy meets Emma Stone. The state-of-the-art twist is that many are made with organic cotton, and are ethically-sourced in Kenya – oh, and as if all of the above were not enough, the fit is guaranteed, and the shipping is free.

Maja’s foray into fashion is via Wall Street. She studied economics in college and says she  realizes her expertise lies in business development and strategy – not a bad foundation for starting your venture! And the go-from-the-office-to-the-office-party mood of Elsa and Me dresses are actually solving the wardrobe challenges of her former career life on Wall Street.  Her final goal is, in her words, “to empower women to feel confident in their femininity at work, and in their everyday life.” Women can choose her made-to-order garments that flatter most off the rack, or the designs can be crafted from scratch and customized to fit any shape.

As with many of the entrepreneurs I get to know, Maja was introduced to me through my network — and in this case, by pop-up architect and author, Melissa Gonzalez.  (Melissa was one of the first entrepreneurs featured on In Conversation With.)

Maja has recently worked with Melissa on the first pop-up shop for Elsa and Me, called #EMPOP, which will be located on Lexington Ave in New York City, at the revolving storefront The Market at the Roger Smith Hotel.

#EMPOP will be open from March 4 – 31, 2015, offering the opportunity to get fitted for customized size, neckline and sleeves for dresses from the current collection.

Define “entrepreneur” in your mind.
Someone who takes on financial risk to do what they love.

Who are your heroes?
My mom and dad – they taught me I could do anything!

What is your current challenge?
To make a living from my business.

Your greatest achievement?
Building a business from scratch.

What is your motto?
Be brave.

Why are you an entrepreneur?
Because I’ve always like the idea of a person being in charge of your own destiny and income, as well as creating something from the ground up that can connect with people — like a product, or, in this case, a custom dress.

What problem are you solving?
Unlike custom suits and shirts for men, custom-made women’s apparel has traditionally been limited to customers who knew where to look — and who had resources to pay extra. With Elsa and Me, we want to make ordering a custom dress more affordable and accessible.

What problem would you like solved?
Human entitlement: have more people in modern society be more grateful for what they’ve got and how they got it!  It’s a less tangible problem, why I guess it is a difficult problem to solve, but I guess also a “good problem” to have, as a society.

Biggest regret?
That I didn’t start experimenting with business ideas sooner.

What mobile device do you presently use?
Android.

Essential app(s).
Slack [a team communication platform].

Which productivity tools (app/software/office supplies) do you use most often?
I use Google Docs with my team, which works great for being productive in a virtual office.

Best discovery?
Best discovery I’ve had is that no one really knows anything!

Which talent would you like to have?
I would’ve liked to sing better.

Best pat on the back you’ve ever received?
When a successful businessman told me he thought I would succeed.

Advice you wish you’d had (or had followed)?
I wish I’d followed my mom’s advice earlier: I waited until after being thirty years old to always wear warmer clothes when it’s cold outside!

Your pitch in 140 characters?
“We are the custom dress company for women looking to embrace their femininity in all aspects of their life, from business to leisure.”

Your bio in six words?
“Swedish Brooklynite who makes things happen.”

Are you on Twitter?
Yes — @elsaandme.

What’s your hashtag?
#LikeAGirl.

Your nails on a chalkboard moment?
People playing a game with sounds on their phone on the subway, while wearing no headphones!

Biggest misconception about being an entrepreneur?
That there is quickly an end-game and success if you do it right, which might be true in rare cases. But entrepreneurship and building a business take time, and even though a certain level of success is reached, it doesn’t mean that’s it and you’re done – it’s a continuous journey of further development and problem-solving.

Inc. or Rolling Stone or…..? Which magazine cover?
Inc.

What are you reading?
Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin [readers should have a look at the quirky websites for both the book and him to see how he walks the talk: to read his blog, for example, you simply click on a picture of his head].

What is your must-read?
Purple Cow, for business owners.

If I wanted to do what you’re doing…what’s your advice?
Start with finding an idea of a product or service that you use yourself – then try to make it better.  Running a business is 99% execution and 1% the actual business idea, so don’t get stuck trying to find a business idea that’s a product/service that does not already exist.  What I mean by that is, most innovations were made by trying to make something that already exists better.

And as soon as you’ve got your idea, get the product or service out there in front of people, for feedback and to grasp people’s interest. You might start out with just your network.  But the point is, there is nothing worse than spending too much time or money on the planning of a product or the launch of something, and then in the end realizing you have something that no one wants.

What’s your guilty pleasure?
Reading about other people’s problems over at Dear Prudence on slate.com.

Short cut, long route, road less traveled? What’s your roadmap?
Long route; learn as much as possible, be brave, and then we die (hopefully not too soon!).

The memories of a chef are tastes and smells; what would you say are the memories of an entrepreneur?
The state of your financials.

What makes you LOL?
Broad City [Amy-Poehler produced, Comedy Central show about two twentysomething hipster women (“broads”) navigating life in New York City; once a cult web series, now fast becoming more popular than Girls.]

Who or what inspires you?
Listening to other entrepreneurs learn how they’re making things happen.

What’s the most important startup/entrepreneurship lesson you’ve learned?
That success doesn’t mean the end of a road or journey; it just means you get better and better problems to deal with.

What would be the title of your biography?
#LikeAGirl.

Favorite gadget?
Fitbit (although I’m disappointed with its battery time!).

Your Ferris Bueller moment: if you could goof-off/skip out for a day, what would you do?
My fiancé and I would go hiking.

One place in time you’d like to visit.
New York during “The Gatsby era.”

What makes you happy? 
Having my fiancé make me a café con leche while we both listen to Frank Sinatra on NPR on a Sunday (I know that might sound super-hipstery — but hey, he’s a writer and I’m a Swedish fashion entrepreneur, and we live in Brooklyn; doesn’t get more hipster than that!).

What does success look like for you?
Having more time.

Where can readers of “In Conversation With” connect with you online?
linkedin.com/in/majasvensson.