Henrik Fisker, Chairman & CEO at Fisker Inc
Henrik Fisker is a Danish American Car Entrepreneur who made a comeback seven years after his first company collapsed. At his previous stints before starting as an entrepreneur, he had some amazing cars to his credit.
Podcast
Overview
Being a capitalist is often debated, especially, when people are ready to spend a whopping amount for a luxury car. But the design coupled with functionalism makes it look sassy that deep down everyone wants to own one. And, if a luxury car comes with the concept of sustainability, it is a fair deal.
Today, we have on The Brand Called You, a famous automotive design and car entrepreneur, Henrik Fisker. He is now planning to launch an affordable car with an equally appealing design with a sustainable model. Dive in to listen to his inspiring saga of starting afresh after going bankrupt.
About Henrik Fisker
Henrik Fisker is a Danish American Car Entrepreneur who made a comeback seven years after his first company collapsed. At his previous stints before starting as an entrepreneur, he had some amazing cars to his credit. He is the designer of Aston Martin and the BMW Z8, a James Bond Car. His company, Fiscer Inc, designs and produces sustainable luxury cars and is soon coming in with affordable options too.
DISCUSSION
Fisker talks about his fondness for cars as a kid and shares his journey in the car industry. Henrik talks about his idea of sustainable cars. He says, “It was in 2005, I felt if we don’t make into sustainable vehicles, we might not have private mobility in future.”
He expresses his disinterest in taking public transport and was, thus, convinced to find a solution. He ended up producing cars with vegan interiors and reclaimed wood material. Despite the company’s success in 2012, it went bankrupt. But this did not deter him. He has now come up with Fisker Inc. seven years after the first collapse.
Design & Innovation
Henrik expresses his interest in both design and innovation. He calls himself a designer at heart. He believes this passion leads to innovation, which is beyond just technology.
As a designer, he draws inspiration from almost everything around him, especially shapes in nature. He also speaks about Richard Branson’s journey, inspiring him to think big.
Rising from Bankruptcy
Henrik also shares about his journey of starting afresh after the initial failure. He feels his early investors were happy, as the company didn’t make the mistakes a first-time entrepreneur would do.
He also managed to get some people from his first company to join him. He further shares his paradigm of choosing people for the company. Henrik emphasis a lot on the ability to take initiative. He feels he gives enough freedom to people to work at their pace.
As a leader, Henrik believes in engaging everyone early on in the project. He also shares a valuable sight on surrounding oneself with people who are best at something you don’t know much about.
He says, “If you claim to be best at everything, it means you are not true to yourself. You have to identify areas of passion and zero passion and create a team accordingly.”
More About Henrik
Henrik’s wife, Geeta Fisker is the company CFO and the duo who runs this family business. He calls his work his life part, which is with him almost throughout the day. He speaks about the meaning of success to him. He also advises the young entrepreneurs, to understand the market and work on creating a differentiating factor.
Profile
Henrik Fisker is a Danish American Car Entrepreneur who made a comeback seven years after his first company collapsed. At his previous stints before starting as an entrepreneur, he had some amazing cars to his credit. He is the designer of Aston Martin’s and the BMW Z8, a James Bond Car. His company, Fiscer Inc, designs and produces sustainable luxury cars and is soon coming in with affordable options too.
