Saxdor is the world’s fastest-growing boat brand. We sat down with CEO Erna Rusi to discuss the journey to 100 million euros in revenue, scaling a team of over 600, driving innovation, and building a global brand. This podcast was recorded live at a Genero Growth Event.

3 takeaways from the conversation with Erna Rusi
1. Hitting the market sweet spot
Saxdor’s rapid growth comes from hitting a unique “sweet spot” in the market. The brand’s trendy, accessible boats have tapped into a new generation of boaters, resonating with younger audiences looking for fresh, innovative designs. Founder Sakari Mattila’s vision of boating with a twist has driven this strategy, resulting in demand that often outpaces supply—a sign of strong product-market fit.
2. Financial discipline and lean production
Saxdor maintains a capital-efficient business model by building each boat to order, secured with customer down payments. This approach keeps cash flow steady and reduces excess inventory, a vital strategy for growth. By focusing on volume and an efficient production process, Saxdor has achieved impressive growth while keeping financial risks low.
3. A united team and strong culture
To meet global demand, Rusi has fostered a “one team, one company” culture across Saxdor’s Finnish and Polish locations. Initiatives like the Saxdor Academy support skilled training, while a cohesive, positive work environment keeps morale high during rapid growth. This focus on teamwork and clear communication has been central to overcoming the daily challenges of a fast-paced company. Erna also believes strongly in a “no assholes” policy.
Watch the episode:
Podcast transcript
[00:00:27] Josua: So to everyone who’s listening to this, this is a [00:00:30] first. This is Genero’s first live recording of a podcast. We’re doing this at a Genero customer event in Jakobstad. And with me, I have a very exciting guest, Erna Rossi of Saksdor. So we’re here to talk about Saksdor and the [00:00:45] incredible growth journey that you are on.
[00:00:47] Josua: But before we get there, can you please briefly talk about your background and how you ended up where you are today?
[00:00:54] Erna: Sure. Yeah. My background is not from boating. So, um, this is my [00:01:00] first assignment in this industry. I’m not a boater. I’ve never boated in my life. Probably got seasick when I ever stepped my, stepped a foot on a boat before this, but, um, I, I was not hired to be [00:01:15] the boating expert.
[00:01:16] Erna: I was
[00:01:16] Erna: hired to lead a company and, uh, and, uh, do other things. So, yeah, I’m not a boater. Uh, my, my background is actually from telco industry. My career, uh, 20 years almost in Telia. Sona [00:01:30] Rattelia, whichever one, and, uh, uh, done several business, uh, initiatives there. Uh, been a leading brand and marketing, sales, different business unit, B2B, everything you can think of.
[00:01:43] Erna: And then it was time to move [00:01:45] forward. And here I am three years now and loving it.
[00:01:51] Josua: I’m always really curious, um, what the first call it 90 days or first six months are like as a CEO and especially coming into [00:02:00] a completely new industry and such a fast growing company. So what was that like first stepping into the role as CEO?
[00:02:07] Erna: You left out one obvious point being a woman in a very traditional industry where everybody Every, uh, every [00:02:15] other person nearly is a man. Um, however, yeah, the first, uh, the, uh, welcoming was warm, but, uh, as we have our production in Poland, uh, with very, very, even if I would say more [00:02:30] traditional, uh, business culture than, than the Finnish one, it took some time for them to really think that this woman is here to actually lead the company.
[00:02:38] Erna: What does she know about boats? And the answer is that I don’t know about boats and I’m not here to, to teach you [00:02:45] about boats. So to gain that trust, uh, in those first, uh, few days, few months, that was the big hurdle. And, uh, but, but I think we’re still people. You talk to people and people perceive you and you start [00:03:00] from relationship and then everything works after that.
[00:03:02] Erna: So that was the biggest, biggest, biggest, uh, hurdle in the beginning.
[00:03:06] Josua: Okay, really interesting. Um, so when you came three years ago, Saksdor was already growing really fast. And, [00:03:15] uh, to my mind, when you have such incredible growth, it’s, it’s not accidental. Um, usually there’s like an insight behind it, uh, that drives the product strategy, or there’s a market gap that you’ve identified.
[00:03:26] Josua: So what was the kind of insight, uh, behind Saksdor? [00:03:30]
[00:03:30] Erna: Uh, to talk about Saksdor, you have to talk about Sakari Mattila. Who is the founder of Saks door for those of you who probably don’t know so much about voting, uh, branches and voting brands. Sakari is a, um, this is his fifth [00:03:45] company. I call him the Steve jobs of voting.
[00:03:49] Erna: He’s a, he’s an innovator. He’s incredible, incredible powerhouse when it comes to ideas. And, uh, uh, Sakari has started his [00:04:00] career in the nineties with Ecuador. Then he did Paragon, then he founded EXO together with Erkki Talvela, then he founded AXO PAR, and then he founded ZAXSTOR. So Sakari is a, uh, is a, he’s the [00:04:15] kind of person that never stops.
[00:04:16] Erna: He works, he’s 72 and he probably works more than all of us put together, insane. And, uh, so Sakari has this creative. Vision he’s the visionary. Uh, so this is [00:04:30] all based on his vision of the kind of boating fleet that he thinks The market needs and, uh, uh, in a little while, I’ll tell you more about our fleet, but it all starts from sake.
[00:04:41] Erna: When I joined the company three years ago, we, our [00:04:45] first year, we are just four and a half years old. I must remind. So we first did 4 million in the first year. And then second year, which was the 21, we did 19 million in revenue. And now this year, we’re going to exceed a hundred. We’re going to [00:05:00] do about 160.
[00:05:01] Erna: So, yeah, it’s a hockey stick. We’re growing fast.
[00:05:07] Josua: Two questions. Were you, were you at any point, uh, kind of going back to what Jonathan talked about earlier with demand capture and demand generation? Was it [00:05:15] always just kind of trying to catch the existing demand or did you also have to go out and create, create demand?
[00:05:22] Erna: That is an excellent question. I would start by saying that at this moment in time, we [00:05:30] have clearly being able to create a brand that we have about three times more the demand than what we can produce. So we are sold out constantly and this has been the case more or less [00:05:45] the last two years, even, even, even before then, but I was fleet was smaller.
[00:05:50] Erna: So it’s not so fair to compare. However, I would say that the demand has been created. It’s a, it’s a, um, It’s a [00:06:00] sum of many, many things. It’s of course the product itself. It’s the great concept that Sakari has been able to create. And, um, you know, to ask if we have needed to create the demand, I could, I would say no, but we [00:06:15] have created the kind of product that we have clearly hit a sweet spot in the market.
[00:06:22] Erna: Something that we have brought something hip and trendy to the, to the industry. And, uh, we have [00:06:30] practically, practically renewed the, the boating, that segment of boating, you know, the, the weekend or the sort of, excuse me, sort of a, a pleasure, uh, boating in this category. We, we’re, we’re [00:06:45] dominating. We’re, we’re the fastest growing boat brand globally.
[00:06:49] Erna: And it’s pretty insane when you say it out loud.
[00:06:53] Josua: Yeah, that’s really insane. I’m not very familiar with the boating industry, but I can imagine that a lot of people, I mean, has deep roots in [00:07:00] Finland in this region. And, um, I can imagine that very few people knew that something like this was possible to do in Finland.
[00:07:06] Josua: Um, so obviously being then sold out constantly, that’s a, that’s a good problem to have. I think a lot of us here would like to have that problem more often. [00:07:15] It’s a problem. I mean, a lot of challenges come with that rapid growth. So, um, what have been some of the biggest challenges and how have you overcome them, uh, going to a hundred million in, in just a few years?
[00:07:28] Erna: Yeah, you’re absolutely right. [00:07:30] Scaling up production in, in the manufacturing industry, which is very, um, what is it? Labor, labor focused. So it’s very much a handcraft work. We don’t use robots. It’s about, uh, it’s about skill. So, uh, [00:07:45] finding the workers is one thing, uh, finding the square meters, finding the production space, uh, creating that production space, organizing it, uh, keeping the cost down at the same time when you, when you need to accelerate all of [00:08:00] these things put together, make it a, make it a nice little puzzle.
[00:08:03] Erna: Uh, what we did was, um, 2022 early, as, as soon as I had practically joined the company, we activated the plan of building our own. [00:08:15] facility and we built that 10, 000 square meters in Elk. We built it from scratch and we built it for, for our production. So it’s, you know, suiting, suitable for us. We didn’t have to accommodate.
[00:08:27] Erna: And at that time we thought this [00:08:30] was going to last us a few years, obviously it didn’t. It’s already small and we have to, uh, that’s why we have to find ways to outsource certain functions in Poland, which we’re doing, but also that’s why we then extended to Larsmo. [00:08:45] This is not a replacement of Polish production, like some of the newspapers might’ve written that we, we, uh, transferred production here.
[00:08:53] Erna: No, we extended. So this is a growth. For our square meters and production, but [00:09:00] to talk about challenges, um, due to the COVID times, due to supply chain issues in 2022, we found ourselves in a situation that there was no engines and when you sell in motorboats, [00:09:15] yeah, it’s a problem. You know, so we, there were major, major, major troubles to tackle and, uh, playing, playing, um, you know, keeping the, keeping the dealers and the clients to have faith, even when you can’t deliver, [00:09:30] can’t deliver the product, people have paid down payments.
[00:09:33] Erna: We always build to order, so we don’t build product on the shelf, so all our boats that we build are always customer sold or the dealer has bought them and then we’ll, we’ll sell it to the [00:09:45] end client. So to keep that trust in a new company, you know, you really had to, uh, work and keep the faith in the dealers and have them believe in you that you will survive and you will come out of this and you will [00:10:00] deliver because obviously they thought, Hey, who are, who is these guys?
[00:10:03] Erna: Suddenly there’s no product. We have all this money down paid and there’s no product coming out, but, but it helped that it was a global crisis. So it wasn’t only us, but luckily we managed to, to [00:10:15] handle the. pressure and keep the relationship and strengthen and gain the, gain the trust of the market and, and started to deliver accordingly and got out of it.
[00:10:28] Josua: I think that’s one thing you don’t [00:10:30] see when you, from the outside, you should just see the curves going up. You don’t see a lot, all the challenges and bottlenecks that you had to face. Uh, one thing that’s pretty remarkable when you look at the numbers, it’s not just the rapid growth, but, uh, the very minimal, uh, losses.
[00:10:44] Josua: I mean, one [00:10:45] small loss in 2020 and then small profit. So, uh, can you talk about, I mean, to me that speaks of financial discipline and maybe also something you’ve done really well with the business model. So can you talk about how you’ve been able to be so capital efficient?
[00:10:58] Erna: Thank you. Yeah, [00:11:00] I think I touched base in my last answer about, uh, we don’t build stock boats.
[00:11:04] Erna: So our business model is such that, uh, the customers pay up front. So there’s a reservation fee for the production slot. It’s a modest fee, [00:11:15] but, uh, five to 10, 000 euros depending on the model, but it’s to sign the production slot. So then, you know, there’s a, there’s an, uh, down payment. Uh, 12 weeks prior to start of the production.
[00:11:26] Erna: So then we get to 25%, uh, [00:11:30] on top of that. So then, you know, we don’t build everything on ourselves. Uh, and, uh, and, uh, that has helped obviously to keep the wheels turning because then when you have a brand that, that is, uh, you know, we have created such a demand, we, we get people. [00:11:45] I’m not even, I’m not exaggerating.
[00:11:47] Erna: We have such demand on one of our models, the Saxto 400, that our dealers are practically. Sending money in. We’re saying we don’t have more balls. They’re like, take the down payment. Now we’re like, we can’t take your money. We don’t have [00:12:00] slots to put slots for you to give. So, uh, we have created a very successful business model where we keep the cash flow steady and don’t take all the production costs on us.
[00:12:11] Erna: But this is not to say that it hasn’t been challenging. There has [00:12:15] been times when, when it has been really, really tight to, to do this. But, uh, but, uh, we are at the same time, we are in the volume business. So our profit doesn’t come so much per unit, but it comes from the volume. [00:12:30] So our pricing is very aggressive.
[00:12:33] Erna: Uh, it’s good enough, but it’s, it’s still very aggressive. And the strategy always was to enter the, enter the market to be the disruptive brand and, and really, you know, challenge the [00:12:45] status quo. And that part of that was aggressive pricing. So. All in all, yes, cashflow is always a challenge, but we have been able to be disciplined.
[00:12:55] Erna: We haven’t increased our headquarters and the relation between [00:13:00] direct and indirect workers. We have kept it very, very tight always. So the production floor people grow, but the office people don’t. So, yeah.
[00:13:10] Josua: You just become more efficient than at headquarters and Exactly. That’s good. Um, [00:13:15] lots of, lots of good points there.
[00:13:16] Josua: Um, you’ve, I mean, this rapid growth means rapid growth in headcount, as you kind of alluded to production staff, you’re now at maybe 600 employees. So can you, yeah, over 600 employees. Um, could you talk a little bit about the [00:13:30] strategies for finding, recruiting, retraining, retaining or training and retaining, um, a talent and how you’ve just, I’m guessing the organizational model has changed.
[00:13:41] Josua: Maybe multiple times. So how do you deal with, uh, with all of [00:13:45] that?
[00:13:46] Erna: Thank you. Yeah. Um, well, because of my background from Telia, uh, is very different than the boating industry is used to. So I’m a firm believer in working in, uh, uh, some kind of [00:14:00] matrix and small teams and cross functional teams, you know, creating mini projects around different topics and working together.
[00:14:08] Erna: And, uh, from the very get go, my, my, uh, strategy was that, uh, one of my slogans is one team, one [00:14:15] company. So I wanted to, uh, You know, shorten the bridge between Finland and Poland, which was very, very much, you know, very deep. When I first started, Polish people felt that, oh, we are, we are the company [00:14:30] and the Finnish people felt like, oh, they’re just a shipyard.
[00:14:33] Erna: So, you know, it was about bringing the people together, working as one team, one company to, to, for the common goal. That’s one thing. So you build the team and you have to, uh, one of [00:14:45] my philosophies is that I don’t work with assholes. So, I don’t, I don’t deal with dickheads. You know, all of those, they need to go.
[00:14:55] Erna: Cause, it’s just poison. It’s poison to the teamwork. I [00:15:00] believe we heard in our previous talks about Snellman mentioning how important it is to laugh at work and to have a good time. I’m a firm believer in, you know, having fun at work. You gotta love what you do. You need [00:15:15] passionate people. And that’s why it’s really critical what kind of team you really build.
[00:15:20] Erna: And that. then makes people stay. When you have a good time, even through tough times, even through crazy amount of [00:15:30] problems that we face almost daily because we are so fast, such fast paced company. If you have a good team and good relationship, you can talk about stuff and you can, you can tackle problems together.
[00:15:43] Erna: It’s, it’s, it’s, [00:15:45] um, I would say it’s, It exceeds the so called hard substance talent by miles. That’s one thing. Another thing, of course, then we have also created Saks Door Academy in Poland. [00:16:00] So we are recruiting people. It’s kind of like a, like a degree that you get. Not even a kind of like, excuse me. It is a degree that the young guys get as boat builders.
[00:16:11] Erna: So it’s a three year course. That they take with Sackstor [00:16:15] and then they get the training with our company and they are promised also the jobs afterwards We also train our existing labor for labor force with the same program And I must mention that The polish government and elk [00:16:30] city. They are now investing in even a higher Uh, evolution of the academy, bringing new technology of boat building into the region.
[00:16:40] Erna: So we are really happy about that. That’s going to help us keep up the [00:16:45] culture and the profession of boat building in the region.
[00:16:50] Josua: Yeah, I mean, what you mentioned there about the team and having a place where you Where everyone is having fun and I mean even the most boring tasks or the most challenging times [00:17:00] can become really enjoyable and I’ve I mean that’s been my experience.
[00:17:02] Josua: That’s like the the thing that keeps you motivated is working with really great people Okay, what in terms of you know, your background is in marketing and brand and like you said The product, the [00:17:15] design has been the driving success. Um, but you now as a CEO, like what are the metrics that you pay attention to?
[00:17:22] Josua: Maybe qualitative or quantitative to make sure that Soxdor, the brand, uh, is going in the right direction and, [00:17:30] and you’re getting the right brand type of brand awareness as well.
[00:17:34] Erna: Well, on the financial side, obviously, when you’re when you’re a startup and growth growth is this excessive, it’s now time to focus on the profitability.[00:17:45]
[00:17:45] Erna: So we need to get more efficient. We need to get, you know, at least cut the low hanging fruit. You know, we need to make our production more efficient and probably we’re gonna, we’re gonna open a second shift and, you know, [00:18:00] things like that. So efficiency in the production and in a company culture is one thing that I’m looking into.
[00:18:07] Erna: But then when you look at the market, And you look at our brand position demand is we have to be all the [00:18:15] time really on the pulse of the demand. So we follow tightly with our dealers globally on all the regions. Any sort of weak signals about their orders drying up or their demand. Floor traffic cutting down [00:18:30] or, you know, the we have some online tools that you can build your boat.
[00:18:34] Erna: We follow the metrics globally that where are we getting the sort of early signals that somebody is interested by by checking to how to build the boat. So [00:18:45] we keep our our finger on the pulse of the market and um, Mhm. And, um, uh, really at the same time, I, I’m a strong believer, obviously in brand building.
[00:18:56] Erna: And, uh, and I think that, uh, where I want to see Soxtor in [00:19:00] five to 10 years is really being the most loved brand in the industry. Uh, we have managed to create something cool, something that people love, something that people are passionate about, and that’s [00:19:15] brand. It’s not comparing both feature by feature.
[00:19:19] Erna: the engine, the speed, the consumption, the square meters. It’s something more than that. We have, we have hit the sweet spot. We have, we are now the hip and trendy [00:19:30] boat brand. And, and that gives us the platform for the future. We, we, we have, uh, captured the audience, the younger audience, especially. And, uh, because people don’t want to have the same boat that their [00:19:45] father and their grandpa had.
[00:19:46] Erna: Come on, would you dress in the same clothes that your grandpa wore? Maybe, but not every day. So, you know, you want to have something different. So, you know, we have, we have found a way to, to, to. [00:20:00] Talk to the new kind of voters and it’s it’s uh, that’s where the trend is. That’s where the demand is coming from
[00:20:07] Josua: Okay, and I guess your biggest markets are those in in north america and kind of the middle east or where Or you’re selling all around the [00:20:15] world
[00:20:15] Erna: Yeah, our markets are global.
[00:20:17] Erna: Our, our aim is to bring, uh, to build, uh, three equally strong markets, U. S., Asia and Europe, uh, need to be equally strong. It’s not the case yet. [00:20:30] Uh, uh, Europe, we started first here, so we are stronger in Europe than we are in Asia and the U. S. But they are both growing, uh, drastically Middle East and all, all of these, uh, sort of more few more exotic markets, uh, Brazil [00:20:45] is just opening up and things like that.
[00:20:47] Erna: So we still have quite a lot of, uh, ground to cover, but, uh, yeah, it’s about 30 percent on each and then, then the rest of the globe, uh, our, our share in Finland, what we sell to Finland is [00:21:00] about 1 percent of our production. So we are not. We’re not really here to, to sell a huge amount of boats. We want to bring, uh, build the brand here.
[00:21:09] Erna: And we are a Finnish company and we’re proud of it. But, uh, um, for us [00:21:15] to be here with our production is more about, Matching the, matching the needs. And well, I now went into the Larsmo conversation. You didn’t even ask, can I, can I, yeah, I’m on the road now. So, uh, [00:21:30] we opened the Larsmo, uh, basically we thought that it will be a great thing for a Finnish company, first of all, to produce boats also in Finland, Finland, Finland has great craftsmanship and skill in boat building, and we wanted to take advantage [00:21:45] of that.
[00:21:45] Erna: And Larsmo as an area. has such deep, uh, rooting in, in the boating industry that the workforce is very skillful. So it was a win win. It was, it was ready, ready, um, facility. Baltic, [00:22:00] uh, moved out. They have been there for years. They moved out to new facilities and then suddenly the place came available and the workforce was there and we needed more production.
[00:22:10] Erna: So that’s how we came to life with it.
[00:22:14] Josua: And [00:22:15] it was, uh, I think, I mean, I guess a lot of people were positively surprised to hear the news. Um, just going to talk about the global, uh, global markets. I mean, I think that must be really exciting with you as a marketing background or brand background to now be building a global brand.
[00:22:28] Josua: I mean, Telia is big, but it’s not [00:22:30] global. Um, so you’re working across all these different markets. Um, any, any kind of challenges or lessons learned now that you’re kind of building this global brand?
[00:22:40] Erna: Hmm. I have to think for a minute. We’ve been so [00:22:45] busy building posts that we’re just doing stuff. You know, we don’t, we, we, we haven’t really had a clear brand book, but let’s, let’s put it this way.
[00:22:53] Erna: Um, we have, we have just recently now found our, [00:23:00] identity, our true brand identity, who we are and who customers say we are like we were just talked about here, that it really is about what the world says about you. You can’t decide it yourself, but, um, it’s exciting, [00:23:15] obviously. And we try to stay on the sort of high brand level.
[00:23:18] Erna: And then our dealers handle the actual, uh, sales leads and the local, uh, type of marketing and events, but it is our job [00:23:30] to keep the brand preference, uh, keep the brand awareness high and create the brand preference. And that’s what we need to do. And we need to support our dealers on the sort of top of the funnel.
[00:23:42] Josua: Uh,
[00:23:43] Erna: but, uh, let’s put it this way [00:23:45] that, um, I think that people are still people. I can’t say that it wouldn’t work. You know, it, it kind of just works everywhere because people, when they, when they, when you get the momentum and when you get the, the, [00:24:00] the ball rolling, then it’s kind of like, it’s a movement and, and, uh, it seems to work just as well in Japan as it does in Dubai or, or Greece or, or UK.
[00:24:11] Erna: Um, we, we getting clients all over the world who just. [00:24:15] Simply love our brand. So, yeah.
[00:24:20] Josua: And great, great design is great design. I think that’s appreciated everywhere. Um, speaking of like the sales, uh, the sales aspect and keeping kind of pulse on the market, you decided, [00:24:30] was it end of last year, to kind of insource the sales, domestic sales operations, so sales in Finland.
[00:24:36] Josua: Obviously, like you said, it’s a very small part of the total. So I’m, I’m guessing this is an experiment to kind of try some, something new. So, um, any kind of insights are, uh, from [00:24:45] that experiment that you could share?
[00:24:47] Erna: Yeah, I think it keeps us humble. You know, now we gotta, we gotta eat our own dog food. It means that, you know, we gotta be able to serve the clients.
[00:24:57] Erna: We gotta be able to prepare the [00:25:00] boats. We’re learning more about our product. We’re getting our hands dirty, literally. You know, our guys are driving the boats to deliver them to the clients. And, and, uh, we get to really spend time with the clients and it’s really, [00:25:15] really valuable for us. So I would say that’s the biggest, uh, um, lesson we are learning.
[00:25:21] Erna: You know, some things look good on paper, and then in real life, you realize like, Oh my goodness, we have done this backwards. The customers do not [00:25:30] appreciate what we’re trying to do. We need to rewind. So these are the kind of little learnings that we’re, that we’re learning already after the first season.
[00:25:38] Erna: And this is, this is very valuable to us. Then we implemented it worldwide, the lessons that we get from here. [00:25:45]
[00:25:46] Josua: So it sounds like you’re also trying to disrupt or, or innovate, not just the boats, but also can you, maybe the business models, um, we’ll, we’ll see. I mean, you know, Tesla did it with cars. I don’t think anyone thought that you could buy a car online by [00:26:00] clicking a few clicks, but yeah, apparently it’s possible.
[00:26:03] Josua: Um, you also launched a MyStockStore app or is it? I should know this. Is it launched or is it, uh, it is launched. Okay. So what’s the idea there? Does that go kind of hand in hand with what you talked about with [00:26:15] kind of building a whole platform?
[00:26:17] Erna: Yeah, we just launched it in Cannes and we’re just waiting for app stores to put it up.
[00:26:21] Erna: It takes a moment for them to approve, but we just launched it in Cannes World Show. What we want to create is we want to create, create [00:26:30] a community, obviously, but also communication between the brand and the end customer. We don’t want to just do that. be, uh, you know, manufacturer. We want the people to engage with Soxtor brand and we want to elevate the brand [00:26:45] experience and the user experience of the boat.
[00:26:47] Erna: As I mentioned earlier, boats, boat business is very traditional. So to have something cool, like you can track your journeys and, uh, you can, uh, you know, turn your lights on. It’s on remotely. You can [00:27:00] see all your data. You can, you can share your, your routes, what you did, uh, enhance it with pictures. You know, you have your maintenance checkup list, so you don’t have to read paper manuals.
[00:27:14] Erna: You know, [00:27:15] you have everything in the app that it says like, Hey, maybe you need to, you know, service this and this. So it’s, it’s a lot more, it’s a lot more of a, of a full, um, sort of. 360 view of how you use the boat. And, uh, and I [00:27:30] can’t stress enough the communication importance, uh, with the, with the end client.
[00:27:35] Erna: So. That is definitely something we want to create. We don’t want to be left behind the dealers only because we understand the dealers, you know, their business is to sell [00:27:45] boats. So, you know, when, when it comes down, uh, it comes time to the second hand market, the dealers might’ve switched or, or, you know, the customer, the boat might’ve switched regions.
[00:27:55] Erna: So they need to have something that they can hold on to. And we want to [00:28:00] offer them the path directly to us. Then we can cater them to the next dealership who will, who will help the customer. And it’s about brand loyalty. Then we, we believe that the philosophy is also to keep them loyal to the brand [00:28:15] and, and keep them in, uh, keep them buying sock stores.
[00:28:18] Josua: I think that’s such a good point because I feel like a lot of companies are, they’re focused on getting their products out the door, uh, getting paid. And then they don’t necessarily recognize that even though the customer bought from a dealer, I mean, they [00:28:30] still bought a Sox door, so they still, their experience is going to influence how they think of Sox door.
[00:28:34] Josua: And so taking responsibility and kind of creating real customer loyalty, I think that can have a huge upside. You mentioned Larsmo, right? Um, that’s a production facility and now maybe the first boat [00:28:45] has been rolled off the production lines? Uh huh. 400 series or? Yeah. Uh, so what, what are the plans, how is, well first, how has it been in Larsmo and, uh, what are the, the plans here for the future?
[00:28:55] Erna: It’s been a good start. We have about, um, approximately [00:29:00] 20 people working now in the production and we’re going to grow that, uh, uh, step by step towards the 100, about 100 people in production. And, uh, we’re doing such to 400 there. So we’re doing just one model, but the whole [00:29:15] idea, uh, as it is the facility after Baltic, that it is a huge hall.
[00:29:19] Erna: They’ve made like 160 meter vessels there. So. Crazy size boats. So we will definitely do our biggest models. in [00:29:30] Finland. That is our plan. And, uh, the last one has been, has been a very, very good start. We have good people. We have, uh, expert, uh, expertise, uh, among the people. The culture is different. So, you know, when I’m there and I’m [00:29:45] trying to get people to react and they just sit in there and I’m like, Oh my God, they don’t like me at all.
[00:29:50] Erna: And they’re like, Oh, Oh, don’t worry. You know, if they laugh once, they like you. I’m like, Oh, okay, good. So it’s a lesson to be learned, but we’re getting along and people [00:30:00] are, people are good. And the first boat is just about ready and boats 234 in production hall. So we’re, we’re rolling, we’re, we’re going into the serial production.
[00:30:12] Josua: That’s really awesome. And, uh, will Lajmozo serve as [00:30:15] a R& D kind of facility? Did I remember reading that somewhere?
[00:30:19] Erna: Yes, at least it’s a sounding board to our R& D. Yeah, so definitely, it’s a great way to have now two places. So we can build the Proto in [00:30:30] half and half Poland and half in Larsmo. So, you know, they can work together and contribute and maybe we can find new production methods that we haven’t thought about and increase again our efficiency and quality.
[00:30:43] Erna: Yes. [00:30:45]
[00:30:45] Josua: And speaking of R& D and innovation, I saw when you were listening, when you and I was talking, you were nodding along and when he was talking about innovation and the importance of letting those random bees fly randomly. So how are you managing innovation at Sockstor? Because I could imagine that, you [00:31:00] know, you’ve got these, these, um, this concept that really works.
[00:31:03] Josua: And so it’s, I mean, you could, like you said, three times more demand, so you could easily grow for years and years and years. So how do you kind of get. the organization to keep, uh, to keep them on their [00:31:15] toes and keep building new things. The next thing is actually going to take Sockstore down to a billion in revenue.
[00:31:22] Erna: I’m, I’m very fortunate, uh, because I have Sakari Mattila. I’m not short of innovation. [00:31:30] I’m actually the contrary. I’m trying to stop him from bringing more stuff because I got it. We got to get something done first before we move forward. So Sakari has plans probably for next, I don’t know, 10, 20 years [00:31:45] in his drawers.
[00:31:46] Erna: So we don’t have that issue, but the question is still a very valid question is how to time it. What is the right time to bring new stuff out? And I’m serious when I’m saying that [00:32:00] I have to constrain Sakari from, cause he’s an innovator. He wants to bring out stuff all the time. And I’m all the time stopping him and saying, no, we’re not going to, not now, not yet.
[00:32:11] Erna: And, you know, how to, how to, how to maximize the [00:32:15] lifespan of one model. When is the time to renew it? You know, so that you don’t sort of, you know, Clip it short, but that you do it exactly the right time. That’s what that’s the challenge with us with us. So not the lack of [00:32:30] innovation. Luckily,
[00:32:32] Josua: it’s a good, good problem.
[00:32:33] Josua: But still, it’s still a problem or something that needs to be managed. Um, and speaking of decision making, we talked about this very briefly off of air. And, uh, the importance of speed in both action and [00:32:45] decision making. I mean, if you’re going to grow, you need to be quick, but, uh, you need to make good decisions with limited information, it’s not enough to be fast, you need to make correct decisions.
[00:32:54] Josua: So, um, how do you do it personally? And how do you make sure that Sockstar does it as a, as an organization, [00:33:00] as you’re trying to move incredibly fast?
[00:33:02] Erna: Well, first of all, I think it’s a matter of personality. I think you need to be crazy enough to be in this position and you got to have some cojones that you, that you can, you know, take the decisions with 70 percent knowledge and 100 [00:33:15] percent result.
[00:33:15] Erna: You never, if you’re going to wait for the hundred percent before you take a decision, then anybody can take that decision. So leaders got to be leaders. And I think that, um, of course you can’t go crazy. You have to manage risks, [00:33:30] but you just have to create the kind of atmosphere like, you know what, nothing so bad can come, you know, that let’s just do it.
[00:33:38] Erna: Let’s see how it goes. And, you know, you have to push the team also to, to be bold and to be able to take the [00:33:45] decisions quickly, because otherwise, You’ll never decide. And then the time is already gone. So you just have to create that kind of culture. And I think it starts from the leadership. It starts from the team.
[00:33:57] Erna: It starts from the leader. And you gotta be, [00:34:00] you gotta be energetic if you wanna be in this kind of growth business. You gotta drive the troops from the front. And you gotta show them the way that, hey, nothing bad happens. If we make a mistake, okay, then we make a mistake. We fix it. You know? So it’s not the end of the [00:34:15] world.
[00:34:15] Erna: So that’s, that’s the kind of culture that, that needs to take place for this kind of growth to happen so fast.
[00:34:24] Josua: Okay. Yeah, that makes, makes, makes a lot of sense. Um, maybe the final [00:34:30] question here to, to wrap things up, but what’s been kind of the, the best and the worst thing about your, uh, three years at, at, as a Soxr CEO?
[00:34:37] Josua: Any, any kind of things, highlights or down, whatever the opposite of highlights is that, that stand out? [00:34:45]
[00:34:46] Erna: Um, I think that it’s a constant battle of trying to run a hundred meter race as fast as you can and at the same time plan for the marathon. [00:35:00] That’s, that’s what I do daily. And that’s what my team does daily.
[00:35:03] Erna: And I’m sure you, you guys recognize this. This is the biggest challenge and how to make sure that you keep that. helicopter view and don’t get tangled up, [00:35:15] uh, always in, in the daily problems because there are so many. Uh, so I think that’s, that’s the upside, but then, oh, sorry, that’s the downside. But then again, it’s also the upside.
[00:35:27] Erna: I’m very sort of [00:35:30] solution oriented person. So I get my kicks out of solving stuff. So I like to be involved in, in solving situations. So it keeps me. It keeps me feeling alive that we can, that we can sort stuff out and we [00:35:45] can do things. So I think that’s also, it’s the, it’s the same coin, two sides to it.
[00:35:50] Erna: So the fast pace, but, uh, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
[00:35:58] Josua: I like the 100 meters [00:36:00] sprint marathon analogy. I think a lot of people here can, can relate. Um, okay, final question. As we saw before we started, there’s a lot of potential Soxr customers here. So which model should they get?
[00:36:12] Erna: Um, I think the best boat [00:36:15] that we have at the moment, two models for Finland, I think the best boat for Finland is our new 340 walk around, which is a cabin boat.
[00:36:20] Erna: I think the best boat for Finland is our new 340 walk around, which is a cabin boat. 30 foot, 34 foot long boat and a fantastic, uh, fantastic [00:36:30] drivability, opening side terraces. So that’s a great boat for Finland, weatherproof, all weather machine. And that is, that is a beauty. Of course, the Saxto 400, our, our gem and [00:36:45] our, uh, we call it the private island.
[00:36:47] Erna: It’s all you need. It’s really, really great socializing and, uh, just hanging out. Uh, with your friends and family. So I would recommend both of those.
[00:36:57] Josua: It’s been, uh, well, first of all, thank you [00:37:00] so much for coming. Um, it’s going to be really incredibly exciting to follow Saks. org and your journey in the years ahead.
[00:37:07] Josua: I think, I’m guessing you have a lot of things, interesting things in the pipeline, so it’s going to be really exciting. So, uh, best of luck. Thanks again. And, uh, yeah, everyone give an [00:37:15] applause for Erna.