No big dreams about becoming an entrepreneur, but here she is. Founder of 3mintalk, Profile Agency and now the rising star Booky. We sat down at Epicenter to learn more about her entrepreneurial journey – meet Charlotte Dunhoff!
Charlotte’s entrepreneurial journey started when she was 24 years old, combining her studies and working with an international speaker and researcher at Stockholm School of Economics. During this time she explains how she didn’t have any big dreams of becoming an entrepreneur, she just loved her work. Looking back, she feels that it was a “coincidence” that led her to the entrepreneurial scene.
As a result of loving her work, she founded Profile Agency back in 2016 – an agency that helps speakers with PR, communication and booking of assignments. After two years, Charlotte expanded her business and founded the brand 3minTalk – short inspirational videos on Youtube. The main purpose was to spread knowledge and support speakers by sharing exclusive and well produced showreels.
Question is, what sparked the idea of Booky? Charlotte explains how Profile Agency was her entire life from 2016 until 2020, when the pandemic hit.
“As you know it was hard for many industries, you can just imagine the event industry…” says Charlotte.
By this time Charlotte had fully started to dream about something bigger, and she is now thankful for that pause – enabling her to start creating more and exploring her big dream. As a result, Booky was born in May 2021. Booky is a marketplace where you can book speakers and entertainers easily. In April 2022, Charlotte raised money and started the big journey – changing the way we book speakers and entertainers.
Charlotte tells us with excitement how the full product just launched, “Now you can send requests directly to our profiles, discuss the assignment and if it is a match, you can easily sign an agreement! If you are planning an event and are looking for a speaker or entertainer you can upload a request, fill in all relevant details and we will match you with all potential profiles directly – simple as that!”
Being an entrepreneur is of course not always a bed of roses. Charlotte tells us about the highs and lows, but how she overall mostly has experienced highs:
“I have not had that many challenges, or do we tend to forget the challenges after we have been through them?”, she adds on.
Charlotte continues:
“The biggest challenge was that people told me that it would be hard to raise money as a single founder and I got told that I needed a co-founder, a CTO and a MVP of my product. I continued with my dream and put a little more grit in the work. It went well and I also got to team up with the best investor and still own 90 % of Booky myself,”
Furthermore, she explains how being a female entrepreneur is a lot about breaking the stereotypes and how women tend to be seen as less risk-taking as men. Charlotte is continuously working on this, to take risks, trust her gut, and believe in herself.
As the entrepreneur that she is, booking inspirational speakers to give advice, we asked Charlotte about some advice of her own. How do you, as an entrepreneur, stay motivated and focused on your goals?
“Good question. This is also one of the most popular topics that people book speakers for. I think the most important part is to stay true to yourself and be aligned with the reason why you are doing things. Of course I have periods where I lack inspiration and motivation, but then I quickly realize that I’m living my dream and doing something I love and that I have worked so hard for. I can’t quit now,” Charlotte answers.
As our conversation reaches its end, we have to ask why she chose to join Epicenter. Charlotte explains how she always has mental pictures in her mind, dreams that are aligned with her vision.
Mental pictures such as visualizing Redgert Comms crafting Booky’s new brand as well as making waves in the speaking industry. She also pictured herself being a part of Epicenter’s vibrant community, making valuable connections.
“Now I’m here at Epicenter and I’m working daily with Redgert Comms to evolve my brand. Come and say hi and let’s have a coffee or a glass of wine!”
Thank you for sharing your story Charlotte!
Get in contact: charlotte@booky.se
Explore more about Booky here
