“Celebrating Entrepreneurs Through YLAI” — Interview with Aaron Bendfeldt
SLUDTERA is Celebrating Entrepreneurial Culture with its weekly feature interview series called “Celebrating Entrepreneurs Through YLAI”. SLUDTERA begins this initiative with Mr. Aaron Bendfeldt of Guatemala.
What is the name of your company and what type of service do you provide?
My company’s name is Gronn, which means green in Norwegian and we up-cycle glass bottles into products while we provide economic empowerment to vulnerable women.
What problem(s) is/are your company solving and how many people have you helped since being launched?
Grønn aims at solving two problems, once is lack of glass recycling infrastructure for restaurants in Guatemala and the second is lack of work opportunities for women living in dangers communities, since they are discriminated on the sole bases of where they live it’s hard for them to find working opportunities. So far we’ve employed 6 women from vulnerable communities, and currently support 10 kids through our artisans.
How did you prepare for the competition?
I learned that pitching is more about storytelling than just saying what you do out loud. You have to get peoples attention and be sure they understand the WHY. I started off with a one page draft about the whole Gronn Story, highlighting important aspects of the company and the vision. Later on I started to make shorter and a more condensed version to finally fit 3 minutes and then I practiced out loud timing myself wherever I was. I also recorded myself to see my face and hand gestures to make sure I transmit what I need Judges and fellows to know.
How did you feel when you were told that you were selected as one of the ten finalists?
I felt really excited and at the same time humbled to have been chose as a finalist, since we’ve been working non-stop to create a business model that is not only about profit but also about creating positive social and environmental impact. I knew I had a chance to make it to the first place.
Were the judges’ questions at the final pitch competition easy to answer?
I felt like they were normal questions, not easy or hard. I also had a prepared for questions earlier and had some backslides which helped a lot.
What was your biggest challenge during your fellowship?
My biggest challenge during my fellowship was staying focused on what I wanted to achieve and also believing in myself achieving all of this things. There were so many things I wanted to do but had no idea where to start. I had to come up with a weekly schedule in order to really be able to do everything.
What do you intend to do with your winning grant?
We will invest in implementing new packaging for our products, generating a marketing campaign that expands our possible clients and do workshops to prepare our artisans better for the future of the company.
What are 5 tips that you would give to the next generation of YLAI Fellows?
My 5 tips for the next generation of YLAI Fellows are:
- Stay focused. Depending on where you get to live, there might be a lot of recreational activities. Don’t forget that you are in YLAI to expand your network and expand opportunities for your business. Keep in mind the TOP 3 things you want to achieve and work for them to happen. Also have fun achieving them!
- Keep your eyes and mind open. You never know who you might meet, or the opportunities that might come out of a regular chat with somebody. Always pay attention and be eager to spot opportunity. Embrace every new experience you get and keep your mind open so you can see things from a different point of view.
- Go to as many Networking events as possible. You will be impressed on the type of people you can meet on this events. I also met people that were willing to provide feedback on my pitch and made really hard questions about my company that made me see things from a different point of view.
- Make long-lasting friendships In my City hub we always looked to unify the group and share family-style dinner but also I asked to hear everyone’s story and have one on one conversations to quickly realize the amazing people I was surrounded with. Remember this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to exchange ideas on how businesses work in other countries. Always be friendly and caring for your fellows, you might be surprised of the amazing relationships you’ll get to take back home.
- Have fun. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to not only experiment living and working in the U.S. but also to connect with other entrepreneurs that are hungry to challenge the way things work in their countries. Do as many things as possible to create links with other fellows and enjoy the journey, if you give yourself the time you’ll come back with a completely changed mindset for your company’s future.
Do you plan on doing anything back in your home country to encourage them to apply to YLAI 2018? What do you have in mind?
Yes. Together with the other Guatemalan YLAI Fellows we will organize a one day event in which we can inform the entrepreneur community in Guatemala about this amazing program and help to spread out the world about YLAI and the reach of its network. Also be able to tell more about the things we learned during our fellowships, talk more about the cities and companies that we worked at and be able to answer questions regarding YLAI from future applicants. We will definitely use the reach of our social media to gather people from everywhere in our country to apply since there are a lot of entrepreneurs in different areas of the country we have though about doing a couple of events around the main areas of the country. We’ve been also talking non-stop to people to tell them about the opportunity and encourage them to strengthen their english, after all they have a year!
How do you plan to celebrate or observe Global Entrepreneurship Week in your country?
I was part of an event celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) that was directed to highschoolers, as an Entrepreneur I wish to inspire but also inform about entrepreneurship to the upcoming generations and be able to help younger entrepreneurs that wish to create impact in Guatemala.
About Aaron
Aaron is the co-founder and CEO of Gronn, a business based in sustainable development that is creating Guatemala’s first glass recycling platform for restaurants and upcycles them into handmade products such as glassware and home décor items, while also providing economic empowerment for women who live in the most dangerous neighborhoods in Guatemala City. Aaron oversees general management, sales and company growth. Prior to starting Gronn he participated in SPOR, an exchange program sponsored by Fredskorpset in 2012 in which he was challenged to see life differently and move towards a sustainability-based mindset. Aaron participated in the 2017 Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Program which concluded on November 8th 2017. Aaron’s pitch and business model earned him the 1st place prize of $7,500 and an all expense paid trip to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit which was held in India. Congratulations Aaron!
Connect with Aaron;
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gronn.gt
Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/gronn.gt
Online Store: https://www.bit.ly/GronnUS
Website: www.gronn.gt
