Kristian Aartun, Founder and CEO, Aartun & Co
In 2003 Kristian founded a radio station called Radio City, which became Norway’s most popular radio station. Then he moved on to organizing music and craft festivals. Kristian now has a business where he is responsible for the Norwegian International Entrepreneurs Conference.
Podcast
Overview
Our guest for today was once the youngest Managing Director of a music company in Germany. We are pleased to welcome Kristian Aartun to our show. In 2003 Kristian founded a radio station called Radio City, which became Norway’s most popular radio station.
Then he moved on to organizing music and craft festivals. Kristian now has a business where he is responsible for the Norwegian International Entrepreneurs Conference. He has been doing this since 2011. Whatever he did, wherever he went, Kristian has always connected people.
He has been a known connector. People around him tell him that he has a specialty in connecting the right people at the right time.
How did Kristian become the Youngest Managing Director of a European Music Company?
Kristian was always interested in music. When he was 13 years old, he used to play in the music corpse in Norway in the traditional festival. He used to play the flute. When he was just 12 years old, he got a bedroom DJ and used to play on it.
When he was 16 years old, he had decided that he wanted to work in a music company. He was very passionate about it and finally when he was 19years old in the year 1996, through a music magazine came to know about the vacancy of a General Manager in a German Music company. He applied there and got the job.
He tells us that his employers were highly impressed by his enthusiasm and hired him as the General Manager. He then became the youngest Managing Director.
Trying to bring people together
Kristian tells us that he loves people. He likes to see people get good opportunities, so he tries his best to connect people with each other. He has a large network that he uses to connect the right people at the right time. He does not get paid to introduce people to others but it is something he likes to do.
How can one learn the skill of connecting with the right people at the right time?
Kristian feels that the ability to connect the right people at the right time is something one is born with. It is more like energy and it is like in the DNA of a person. However, he also says that it is something you can learn as well. If you have the right mentoring, you can learn all kinds of things.
Kristian believes that if you are with five right people, you can be good, but if you are with twenty wrong people, they can damage your personality real bad. So it is very important that you always look yourself in the face and ask whether you are with the right people or not.
On being asked what he looks for in people before making their connection with someone, he says that it comes to him intuitively. He does not do it technically like an engineer.
How does Kristian see his role as a catalyst after the introduction of social media where people can easily connect?
Talking about his role as a catalyst after the introduction of social media where people can easily connect, he says that he believes that his role is now even more important and relevant. He says that people need human touch and that now we are so much into computers and social media, it is quite refreshing to speak to a human.
What made Kristian initiate and share the Norwegian International Entrepreneurs Conference?
Kristian tells us that the Norwegian International Entrepreneurs Conference was founded to bring the Norwegian entrepreneurs together and make them think in a more international way. He wanted them to think outside of Norway too.
The entrepreneurs’ conferences have been taking place in Norway since 2011. Kristian also invites many international entrepreneurs to Norway to attend the conference and become friends with the Norwegian entrepreneurs.
Advice to the younger generation
Kristian advises young people to find a passion and follow it because he believes that the world needs more entrepreneurs.
Profile
