Meet Noa Fridmark of NOA Potions

During one week each November, Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) engages millions of people in an active celebration of entrepreneurship. ESBRI is the country host for the Swedish GEW efforts. As part of our work with GEW, we asked some profiled Swedish entrepreneurs, and a couple of our GEW partners to answer a few questions – about their entrepreneurial journey and about GEW. We talked to Noa Fridmark, the CEO and founder of NOA Potions. This Swedish startup manufactures Noa Relaxation, an award winning natural beverage that reduces stress and increases focus. NOA Potions won top honours in the best premium drink category in the last year’s World Beverage Innovation Awards, beating the major global players in the industry.

Hi Noa, where did you draw most inspiration from while starting up your business?

Professionally, I was at the top of one of Stockholm’s hottest companies that was about to go public. Despite an executive marketing title and a sizeable salary, I felt empty. Most of all, I just couldn’t stand for the company’s core values. So, I did it. I quit. Everything.

It was the best decision I have ever made. My new home became an uninhabited island in the outer wilds of the Stockholm archipelago. This giant leap off the career path and away from the city was life-altering. Gazing out at the sea, serene in the presence of the moment, an intense calmness washed over my soul.

It struck me that there must be other people who yearn to feel this way. How could I bring back the essence of my island to the cosmopolitan crowd in the city? A natural beverage became a way to share this feeling.

For me, NOA Relaxation has become a symbol of self-inspection – who am I, what do I value? When you free yourself from society’s expectations you truly connect with your inner inspiration. It is my hope that NOA Relaxation will be an oasis in daily life to return to tranquility, a place where we reflect and focus on life’s more meaningful matters.

What personal strengths have been critical for your success?

To never give up and to not accept when people say ”that cannot be done”. Just because it hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Also to set your own standard of how you like things to be done and not focus too much on what others are doing.

What is the greatest challenge that you have experienced in your entrepreneurial career so far?

To keep up the speed and have everyone in the organisation understand and act on what we need to do to reach our goals.

What is your view on Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW)? Do you think an initiative like this can boost entrepreneurship worldwide?

To me, it has been one of the best decisions ever to start my own business and I applaud GEW for being a catalyst that makes more people realise their dreams.

/Jelena