Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Per "The Price Whisperer" Sjofors, Founder of Sjofors & Company Inc, located in Woodland Hills, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Pricing has always been an interesting area for me. As a serial entrepreneur running companies in Europe and the US, I did pricing experiences. Some of these worked spectacularly well; some did not work at all. As a result, I founded this company out of frustration that what business schools teach about pricing is too abstract and academic for a business executive to act on, likewise with books about pricing.

Consequently, I set out to make pricing practical and actionable. This stems from a deep understanding of how customers make their purchase decisions. Since then, I have been at the forefront as a thought leader in everything pricing and a sought-after speaker for various conferences and business circuits. My company mostly serves small and mid-market companies wishing to elevate themselves to the next level.

Tell us about yourself

I lived permanently and have been running companies in four countries. I grew up in Sweden. Established the first company in Zürich, Switzerland, then ran the European subsidiary of a Japanese electronics firm. Came to the US to establish and run a division of a large public company. I set up multiple international joint venture companies (Japan 2, Korea 2, Taiwan 1, and Sweden 1) and have done business in at least 40 countries. As a consultant, I established 7 overseas companies in the US market. After that success, I was CEO of another four companies before I decided I was too old and opinionated to be a hired gun, so I set up my own company and developed a process to make a company's pricing strategy a successful growth and revenue driver. Typical client results are doubling sales growth, 25% - 40% higher margin, and more than twice the shareholder value.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

  • Helping more than 700 companies to elevate themselves to the next level.
  • Grow companies from zero (or close to zero) to 7 or 8-figure revenue in 2-3 years.
  • Becoming THE authority and thought leader when it comes to using pricing strategy to elevate a company's business results.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

These things are the hardest for me:

  • Staying focused.
  • Work/life balance.
  • Find time to reflect.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Whatever your plan is, double the duration and double the cost before you see success.
  2. Persistency, persistency, persistency.
  3. No, they will not come to you because you build it. Marketing and customer targeting are the key to success. And the price to match the customer's willingness to pay.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

More to learn in my recent book "The Price Whisperer - A Holistic Approach to Pricing Power" https://amzn.to/3BUS1Of.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://sjofors.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/persjofors/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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