This is Mathilda Wibom Westerberg

So Mathilda, what is your story?
My story is actually quite simple, to be honest. I have always dreamed of starting my own business and spent years thinking about when the right time would come and what kind of company I wanted to build.

Last year, I finally decided to stop waiting and simply start taking things one step at a time. That was when JUNIPER was born.

Tell us a little about yourself. What are you up to at the moment?
I recently moved to the Upper West Side in Manhattan together with my husband Jacob and our daughter Juni. I am the kind of person people think is joking when I talk about how much time I want to spend with my family, which is why moving away from Sweden has been a huge step for me.

My family has so many traditions, and normally we would all meet at least once a week. So living in New York is definitely going to challenge that part of life.

Running is also a very important part of my life. If anyone wants to discuss the latest developments and trends in running shoes, feel free to give me a call!

Would you say that you are a born entrepreneur?
In some ways, yes, because I never gave up on the dream of creating my own brand. There have been many different ideas along the way, but when I started JUNIPER, I finally felt that I had found something that felt completely right.

JUNIPER is absolutely a brand I see myself building for a very long time.

On a more personal level, though, I never really felt fully ready or prepared to become an entrepreneur. There is always a new challenge waiting around the corner, and sometimes I think it would be nice if work came with a slightly smoother ride.

At the same time, I know I have the motivation and determination to keep going and continue building JUNIPER. I try not to let the bumps in the road discourage me too much.

What was the factor that made it go from an idea to an actual company?
It was when I finally realized that there is no perfect time to pursue your dream of starting a company, and that you will probably never feel fully prepared. JUNIPER was definitely not my first business idea, but it was the first time I truly dared to trust my gut feeling and just go for it. This time, it simply felt right.

Once I started researching the bedding industry, everything from cotton qualities to business models, I realized there was a gap in the market that JUNIPER could fill in a truly unique way.

Was it an easy decision to start your company?
I definitely would not say it was easy, but it was a relatively well-thought-through family decision. I knew I would be without a salary for a long time, which I actually still am, and I knew my working hours would increase significantly.

At the same time, we also had our daughter Juni to care for, so in the end, it came down to deciding whether it was worth scaling back on certain things in life. I guess we decided that it was, haha.

What were your greatest fears?
From a business perspective, it felt quite overwhelming trying to figure out how to start a company with only 200,000 SEK in cash. To some people, that may sound like a lot of money, but when you start involving suppliers, production, website development, and logistics, it quickly becomes very little.

What is the best part of your job?
I love being able to stand behind our brand 100% in every aspect. I feel confident saying that I know every small detail of every step within JUNIPER, and that feeling is incredibly rewarding.

I also love the variety of tasks I get to work on every day. No day passes without learning something new, facing a new challenge, or meeting inspiring people. I find it fascinating to exchange ideas and experiences with other entrepreneurs and explore ways of collaborating.

One small but important part of my morning routine is reading and uploading our latest customer reviews to the website. Sometimes I even reach out personally to thank customers for their feedback. It may seem like a small operational task, but at the same time, it is one of the most rewarding parts of my work.

What is your five-year goal for JUNIPER?
Five years is a long time. Looking back at JUNIPER’s very first year, I already feel amazed by how far we have come in such a short period of time.

Of course, we have big ambitions and ideas for the future. By then, I believe we will have launched across all of Europe, probably in the U.S. as well, and hopefully in additional markets too. I also hope the team will have grown into an even larger group of talented people.

Since I certainly do not consider myself an expert in every aspect of running a business yet, I welcome all the help and expertise I can get, whether within finance, marketing, logistics, or customer service. Surrounding myself with even more talented people who can teach me new things is something I genuinely look forward to as we continue to grow.

And of course, I hope that within five years JUNIPER will have become a well-known home brand recognized not only for our products, but for helping people create homes and lives that feel both beautiful and meaningful.

What are your best tips for others thinking about starting their own business?

1. Always go the extra mile for your customers, whether that means creating a better customer experience or simply making yourself more available when they need support. Putting the customer first is incredibly important. Mistakes are inevitable in the early stages of building a company, but how you handle those mistakes makes all the difference.

2. It is also important to learn how to accept short-term setbacks. Almost every road to success is filled with challenges. Anyone you see as a success story today has most likely gone through a long and difficult journey to get there.

Learning not to let short-term setbacks affect you too much is an important skill, and something I still actively work on myself. For example, a few slower sales days in a row can really affect me emotionally, but worrying rarely adds any value to the work itself. Instead, I try to step back and ask myself what those few days will actually mean three years from now, and the answer is usually “probably nothing.”

1. And finally, dare to involve other people. For me, that has meant asking friends with expertise in areas like marketing or finance for advice and support. It has also meant reaching out to people who inspire me, even if I do not know them personally, and asking if they would be willing to meet for a coffee or lunch so I can learn from them.

You cannot be an expert in everything. In reality, most of us are only experts within a very narrow field, so it would be unwise not to seek advice from others with different knowledge and experience. Often, you receive brilliant insights, sometimes not, but asking costs nothing.

And do not forget to be equally generous with your own time. If someone asks for your advice or support, try to help if you can. One day, that generosity tends to come back in unexpected and wonderful ways.

This interview series was created to highlight and empower female entrepreneurs by allowing them to share their stories in their own words. If you would like to discover more of Mathilda, follow both JUNIPER’s Instagram and her personal account, where she shares everything from brand inspiration and running to moments from life with her adorable daughter Juni.

Visit JUNIPER’s website to discover luxury bed linens designed to bring a hotel experience into your home. If you have any questions or thoughts you would like to share, feel free to contact us at info@stinaaj.com.