JOBS 1
OPPORTUNITIES 1
Follow Me On Twitter
- Too much Carpediem BS. Everyone is trying to catch the moment that just past or the one to come...
- I like to repeat myself 1) every employe is a SALES MANN 2) I love EverBread and its people
- Today we had debut of Pitch Ur Startup For Lunch - (15min open whiteboerd) http://23hq.com/P/yWiB
- This guy is SO cool - he has a danish jalouxi/popsong about him: SanseOrkestret - Han var en helvkendt arkitekt :) http://23hq.com/P/yWe8
- Viral EFFECT by DEFINITION - THE NEW DORK video had 3.400 this morning - NOW 176,561 views. +Im a HOPELES POP LOVER - http://bit.ly/aMInFl
- Im one big fat tech wannabe in the travel industry :)
- THE NEW DORK HA HA HA - Now frieds with ASthon, Monetise Kazaksthan, on top of Heidi - amasing video http://bit.ly/cpwA55
- IM LAUGHING SO HARD FANTASTIC VIDEO - http://bit.ly/cpwA55
Recent Comments
- Linus Bille on Remember to Learn From The Elder
- mortenlund on Remember to Learn From The Elder
- mortenlund on Remember to Learn From The Elder
- mortenlund on Fantastic Movie
- mortenlund on Remember to Learn From The Elder
Search
Tags
23HQ
My powerpoint
This is my presentation
- Christian Schade Slet slet ikke tillykke til dig.
- Harry Man RSS Shared- [香港] Google Map Street View 上路，你回家了吗？ (6 回應) http://tinyurl.com/ylrofrw.
- Petar Nedyalkov :: Лека нощ, деца! ;-).
- Peter Sønderby Er det bare mig eller sms sådan lidt passe efter indtoget af fb og twitter i hverdagen ??
- Dorte Toft IT-prisen går til Erik Bonnerup. Så fuldt ud fortjent. Indbegrebet af sund fornuft og modig som få.
- Rob Mowery I give AT&T about 7 more hours before their network in totally crippled in Austin. Been here 15 min and both data and voice suck big time.
- Nico Lumma You can't start a fire, you can't start a fire without a spark #rumträller.
blogs
Archive
The Day I Woke Up Without Arms And Legs.
First of all I’m really really sorry to say that my Newspaper project did not survive – not sorry for me (I take all responsibilities) – I just hate myself for bringing other people (employees and partners) and service providers into trouble – it feels unfair and coward-like… The recession and my stupid communications over summer (we delivered the yearly report 2 months too late) killed us. The simple explanation is that sales did not meet budgets and therefore since Thursday I have been talking to the people backing me and to myself (I have personally put DKK 105 million into this project – money that I have been borrowing – VERY BAD CHOICE) – and over that weekend I had to make a hard decision.
DKK 75 million was suddenly not enough – since the price to break- even suddenly doubled – and after working 9 months 24/7 (having learned more then the previous 10 years) with an increasingly dried up (dead) financial market – I simply could not see a way to continue…..
5 REASONS for my Sunday decision
1) Budgets tilted
- and all the cash I injected after summer was sucked up by the Tax Gyus – and August salary became a problem) – the August sales came in at only 60% of budget (we were canceled off media plans due to the negative press we received in July and our job market initiative lost traction) and pre-booked sales suggested that September sales would miss budget by a similar percentage or more (and this is despite that fact that we were still selling more advertising millimeters than any other newspaper in Denmark).
2) Overall Danish (Global) recession
- it’s coming with an ugly speed – and the first thing that retailers and big advertisers will cut = advertising. Today Media Market in Borsen even talks about no difference without Nyhedsavisen in the market.
3) I’m too inexperienced
- I’m too soft, too optimistic and romantic – I did not have enough pessimistic fantasy to imagine that budgets could break so fast – and that the recession is reality – it is all very strange. My management skills are beaten by any kindergarden manager (I respect them a lot by the way)..
4) Competition
- all papers in Denmark starts every morning by carrying money to work – and we have been working for the advertisers – and with pre-booked sales for September suggesting that we may actually sell less than in May, I suddenly started to doubt whether we could make money even in a JV with another player*. Prices never go up as fast as they go down – and competition will not stop with one competitor less.
5) My EGO
- suddenly I was afraid whether I was doing this to prove myself and because of the love of changing industries. I saw all my own cash being GONE – and personal bankruptcy as an option (I’m fighting it THESE DAYS since my funds dont give any cash – my investments have no value in a stressed sale – but dont feel sorry for me -> that’s how entrepreneurs work) – and suddenly I got a wakeup call.
Conclusion: Since I invest with passion and with a naive trust in management – I should only do smaller deals.
THE RATIONALE:
Even in a partnership with Metro or Berlingske – we would not be able to make money within 12 months!
*When Svenn Dam told me that on our trip to Stockholm after visiting Metro – I started sweating in that cold way – you know what I mean?
THE PARTNERSHIPS:
Metro
We asked Metro for a sales price for the Danish operation and as an alternative suggested a JV – but they obviously have way to much self confidence with Kinnevik (a VERY STRONG holding) backing them. And despite their trouble in the stock market – I felt that they would not give up – and join our wild operation. But I really had the hope – and our talks with their chairman were very open.
Berlingske (Mecom’s Danish operation)
I have had 15-20 conversations (calls and breakfast) with David Montgomery since June – Berlingske wanted to help us to close down (but I never wanted to do so – I have really believed in this with my heart). This Irishman with 35 years in the industry has been playing me like a piano – always suggesting collaboration – potentially buying – but always just cool and impossible to get a firm agreement with. Even when we 3 weeks ago sent an offer to take over Berlingske (see my previous post on how much under pressure they are) – David has been cool and just saying: “Morten – there are no magic bullets – I’ve been in many newspaper wars and it takes a long time and costs a lot of money – but it never really changes anything…”. On behalf of Baugur and Me – I proposed a deal where we would have closed down Nyhedsavisen solvently and then I should work for Mecom out of London- as a consultant (and this is subject to a lot of speculation – since some people think that I was not allowed to negotiate about this). The fact is that Mecom probably didn’t have the interest (nor the money) – and I could not find money to shut down solvently. It actually hurts me that rumours say I have been paid to close down – I would never EVER take money to do that without then closing the paper paying everyone what they were owed. And yes we had negotiations – but hey FUCK – isn’t that pretty normal when you have lost DKK 100 million? So FUCK you idiots – using your self pity to put this out.
JP/Politiken
I have had a couple of talk with them – but they have their Metro interest – amd they ALSO smelled that I was starting to doubt – what other reason would I have to call… (Yes I’m not too smart).
Norway
The top 3 Norwegian papers are all gongho – on trying to take over Edda – the Norweigen part of Mecom. They had designed a hostile takeover of Mecom’s loans trying to buy GBP 600 million of loan for less than face value – and that way get the control of Mecom the day they could not meet their debt governance ratios on the loans. But this was too far fetched with my wallet size.
SPECIAL THANX
- All employees
I have had +50 sms/emails from employees who lost their jobs and feel sorry for me – strange – that’s so amazing. And during “bankruptcy aftermath drinking” – no one blamed me – all positive. Thats probobly first time in history)
- Baugur and Thordis from Stodir who gave me this chance – and the most fair deal EVER and NEVER jumped out of any commitment (and I would do this again if I could guaranty a solvent closing).
…
– Morten Nissen Nielsen – this gyus works like no one else – a bit young in his management style and optimistic – but DEEP RESPECT.
– Simon Andersen (this guy will be BIG)
– Michael Elmhoff from distribution – who handled the closedown in Aarhus and all the violent threats from the newspaper delivery employees
– My Family and Friends – who haven’t been able to talk to me for 9 months
SPECIAL NOTE
Call me stupid – not trustworthy – whatever - it’s OK – I fucked up. I take all responsibility. It was MY MONEY (and all I had and had access too) – and it will be 18-24 months in hell from here – but I will start and invest with my knowledge and build companies for life – and I’m scared but not stopping – Im just back to ventures without money. Sorry.
THE (SEMI) BITTER AFTERMATH – from an optimistic id(ea)iot
Nyhedsavisen have done something historic (let’s call it a DKK 1 billion gift to The Danish Democracy) – and its unfair that Berlingske and JP/Politiken gets DKK 300 million in government subsidies – while Metro and Nyhedsavisen gets nothing – cal me bitter :)
If just the financial markets would have picked up in MAY – ohhh – we could have done it. FUCK FUCK FUCK I hate to loose – and I will see my psychiatrist to get over this – and not get bitter… There are so many things that we could have done if.. if… if… :) But the fact that USA (land of the free) handed over their credit institutions Freddie & Fannie to the state sunday and Lehmann Brothers down 50% yesterday – these events can tilt the world economy :( – and all my startups are hurting from it. No money in the market.
I never in my life had a lawsuit and hope it will stay this way – but given my personal guarantees it might be hard to avoid this time – fingers crossed.
I said that I would not give up until my arms and legs where cut of – and basicly thats NOW. I followed my instinct – and failed – and I will do it again – probably not this big a deal – but lots of smaller. I’ll be back
91 Responses to “The Day I Woke Up Without Arms And Legs.”
Leave a Reply
September 10th, 2008 at 6:54 am
You’ll be back and I’ll continue following your corporate life as a mouse hunting for cheese! Cheer up and get on with it. You still inspire!
“Are you swimming with the stream or creating a wave?” I sincerely hope you’ll be able to pick up speed again and thus create even more waves!
September 10th, 2008 at 6:57 am
[...] The Day I Woke Up Without Arms And Legs. | Morten Lund – It’s all about luck [...]
September 10th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Keep it up, no need to feel bad, cause life is good and all this shit is just a immaterial puzzle.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:48 am
Er jeg den eneste, der ikke tror på den historie om David Montgomery?
September 10th, 2008 at 8:01 am
Du ka jo spørge ham…
September 10th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Easy come, easy go!
You were just a lucky sucker who got rich by being at the right place at the right time. Get over yourself – you will never be a Warren Buffet. You are a complete failure. Try with real hard work and talent for a change.
September 10th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Cheers Morten – you’ll bounce back soon enough, and remember: what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger :-)
Chin up and keep fighting… never EVER give up!
All the best and deep respect! We need more people like you taking chances and challenging old ingrown industries!
Kasper
September 10th, 2008 at 8:47 am
I’m more convinced that Morten will survive than about the newspapers ;-)
Helle
September 10th, 2008 at 8:53 am
[...] udfiltreret, og nu slår han til igen med sin Nyhedsavis-nekrolog, der bærer overskriften “When I woke up without arms and legs” (forklaring gives i slutningen af hans [...]
September 10th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Tak for underholdningen. Den dag du fatter at det ikke kun er “all about luck” – den dag bliver du rigtig dygtig.
September 10th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Morten – kudos on an unprecedented level of frankness and honesty in opening up on what went wrong. The employee reaction you’ve seen testifies to the appreciation of your passion, intentions and commitment, and the fact that you’re dealing honestly with everyone involved. As someone once said, ‘If you don’t fail, you’re not aiming high enough.’ Let me know if there’s anything at all I can do to help – I’m sure a lot of people are asking you that. I hope I’ll have the opportunity to see you soon and buy you a sorrows-drowning drink – I’m sure a lot of people are suggesting that as well!
Cindy
September 10th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Morten,
You’ve helped a lot of entrepreneurs through the years and made people rich through your efforts. I have no doubt you’ll be back with a vengeance in short order. Keep the faith!
-Wendell
September 10th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Keep up the good spirit, you faught well I have tried the excact same process and took that learning – that retrospective intelligence is the most common management skill in Denmark
September 10th, 2008 at 10:44 am
The heartbreaking honesty of this post is very compelling. I wish you and your family a lot of good luck through a difficult time. But I harbor no doubt that you’ll be back on top in a short time.
Onward.
September 10th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Hi Morten, I have no idea how to run a newspaper. But I have an idea about how to take one of life´s beatings, and the way you handle this is praiseworthy. You do it openly and with nothing hidden. I admire that you tried – I´m not sure I would have had the guts to throw myself in to one of the meanest and oldest parts of media, namely the printed press – but it´s so much easier to be a bystander being wise after the event.
But what I am most impressed about is the way you reflect openly about money, bankruptcy, talks, egos and fear – and take the full responsibility. Thanks for sharing – and thanks for trying. You have my fullest respect.
Best of luck from here.
Patrick
September 10th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Morten, når David Montgomery ridder rundt på en skaldet ged og Politiken er lokalavisen for forstæderne ude på Østerbro, består du stadig. Det er derfor du er den du er, på godt og ondt. ;)
/n
September 10th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Keep going Morten!
Best
Andreas
September 10th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
fandme surt.
Kender dig ikke personligt, men så egoistisk som jeg nu engang er. Så ser jeg hellere at du taber dine penge end din inspiration og de blog indlæg du giver os andre. Du erihvertfald stadigt mit idol.
Lidt ondt, men det her kan du bruge nyhedsavisen til:
http://nn.spejdernet.dk/korps/gruppeservice/Lists/Professoraktiviteter/Attachments/14/Avisb%C3%A5d.JPG
:)
September 10th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
R E S P E C T
September 10th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Morten, du er fantastisk. Der er få mennesker der som dig har nosser på størrelse med vandmeloner. Det er sådanne mennesker der ændrer verden. Og ikke tilskuerne, der ikke forstår at skabe hverken succec eller fiasko (meget fin grænse).
Til alle tilskuerne (såsom Joachim Sperling fra Berlingske der har skrevet det værste lort nogensinde http://sperlingske.blogs.business.dk/2008/09/01/nyhedsavisioti/): Morten satsede først og fremmest sig selv og sin formue og derefter midler fra folk der fuldt ud forstår risikoen.
Respekt for ærlighed, passion og drive.
September 10th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Fuck – det er fandme også en irriterende historie. Det er nemt at sidde med en masse meninger efterfølgende, men skåret helt til benet: Hvis man ikke vover noget så kommer man heller ingen vejne. Du vover noget og det har jeg dyb respekt for – også selvom at der var forskellige faktorer der ikke gik i denne omgang.
Det er fandme godt gået – og når du har fået snotten op af gruset så er du i gang igen, rigere på erfaring.
Små problemer giver små helte. Store problemer giver store helte.
September 10th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Morten I’m sorry to read. Heard from Rasmus the other day and sounded as though other things were going well so chin up because it wont be long before your next hit record. Call me if your in London at all.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
When someone gooes bust with a project here in Silicon Valley, the comment is usually: “Damn…. well tell me about your next project”
Can’t wait to here about your next venture.
September 11th, 2008 at 1:51 am
Godt at høre historien fra din side. Et hårdt slag, men al held og lykke i fremtiden :)
September 11th, 2008 at 4:33 am
Hey Morten
I’m one of the friends you are talking about, I think this is the best way to contact you :) – no fun. I look forward to see you next time .. and btw I have a good idea/concept … you want to be a part of it?
(No worries – I have the startup capital :)
Much love from the family to you!!
,Jacob
September 11th, 2008 at 4:40 am
Respect!
September 11th, 2008 at 6:23 am
Chin up Morten, at least you got 200 mill for closing the newspaper, that gotta ease the pain a bit.
September 11th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Den här är bland det mest intressanta jag läst på länge, hoppas att få höra historien “in person” snart också, hojta när du är i London Morten.
September 11th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Every cloud has a silver lining – you’ll get over it and emerge fitter and stronger… with more game-changing ideas.
September 11th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Hi Morten.
Let’s go through this:
1) There’s no recession going on in Denmark. Saying otherwise is a lie. There’s been constant economic growth for many years now, and it’s continuing.
2) (First of your five reasons for your “Sunday Decision”) Yep, the budget tilted. As it had before, as it has since Nyhedsavisen started. Nothing new there.
3) (Second of your five reasons for your “Sunday Decision”) Again, no, there’s no recession. Look it up in the dictionary if you don’t know what recession means.
4) (Third of your five reasons for your “Sunday Decision”) “I did not have enough pessimistic fantasy to imagine that budgets could break so fast – and that the recession is reality”. Firstly, you didn’t need pessimistic fantasy, you only needed to look at what you were putting money into. The situation then was the same as was a month ago. Secondly, you’d need some kind of fantasy to imagine that “the recession is reality”, because it’s not.
5) (Fourth of your five reasons for your “Sunday Decision”) You “suddenly started to doubt”? Why suddenly. This was the situation when you entered. What did you do to change it?
6) (Fifth of your five reasons for your “Sunday Decision”) Don’t know about your ego, but what about your common sense? Your business skills? Your anything besides money?
7) “The rationale”: Even with a magic wand up your ass you won’t be able to make money within twelve months unless you actually do something to change a death spiral while it’s happening.
What did you think would happen? While the rest of us were thinking, “Hey, Morten Lund invested in this sinking ship, it’s gonna be interesting to see what his plans are and what he’s going to do!”, you were, what, just biting your time? Hoping that some external force would fix Nyhedsavisen? What were you thinking?
Okay, so you ask us to call you stupid, so here’s my final vote:
You’re stupid.
September 11th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
[...] This is my comment to Morten Lund after reading his comment on why Nyhedsavisen went down and out after he f…. [...]
September 11th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Respekt for at du kører din ærlige stil videre, selv når tingene ikke er så kønne. Du har altid været der, når jeg har spurgt – og for alle andre jeg kender, som kender dig – så husk at der er masser af støtte at hente.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:23 am
You wouldn’t have been better with another web2ish startup instead. you learned a lot and challenged your skills against one of the toughest market on a completely different scale.
My 2cts: gather with yourself, think about it in perspective, draw your own conclusions, check with other people involved what their honest view is about it, carve the whole stuff in wood above your desk, and move along.
Even if the last statement implies to work with a couple of geeks from Latvia in a dull basement thinking about how to change the world. Life is hard but its worth it, more to some than to the others.
September 12th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Morten,
It’s hard. It hurts. But it was an adventure most people will never get a chance to live. It doesn’t prove anything about you other than that you’ll be smarter, wiser and battle-ready next time around. For high returns, you are willing to take high risks. High risks sometimes mean failure. But it certainly means you’ll be back.
Alain
September 12th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Keep on taking risks for the sake of everything!
It’s all about visionary discipline…
You´re still a roll model as to accelerating anything, but learn from these wise words in Danish by LEGO CEO:
Jørgen Vig Knudstorps visdomsord: ”Vi skal være gennemsyret af en selvbevidst beskedenhed”
Tænk også på de 3 døre, som gik op for dig sidste gang du stødte bradepanden mod en mur!
RESPEKT
- Doc Luck, no spin, – sheer, wise luck ;-)
September 13th, 2008 at 6:31 am
Hey Morten,
wow! Now that’s what I like about you. Open, direct, honest. And you will never loose that.
I probably can not imagine how much that must hurt, but you wrote the essential thing in one sentence: You have learned a lot. And that is one of the most important things! You will get back on your feet, I have no doubt whatsoever.
And we have a new target: Make even more money and make Morten happy again :)
Best hearty wishes from Germany,
Oliver
September 13th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
You are a true inspiration for any Dane abroad.
Never seen a ‘Danish person’ stand up and take this kinda responsibility.
Go’ vind Morten.
September 13th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
The blog was faster than the newspapers :-)
http://twitter.com/HelleKruuse/statuses/920313954
Helle
September 14th, 2008 at 1:01 am
[...] His story sounds credible, and you can read it on his blog, LundXY: The Day I Woke Up Without Arms And Legs. [...]
September 15th, 2008 at 1:47 am
[...] : The Day I Woke Up Without Arms And Legs. | Morten Lund – It’s all about luck. [...]
September 15th, 2008 at 4:48 am
Ouch! …A scar on your soul. Sometimes hard to avoid. Good luck!
/Hans
September 15th, 2008 at 9:48 am
You’re the best, Morten!
Even when you’re feeing down you don’t hide and break down… You are honest, direct and motivating (even though you’re probably not aware of it).
Personal bankruptcy or not… You will rise again and succeed! Never give up and show all entrepreneurs in the world how to handle a defeat… I know that I have learned something ;)
Thanks for this great post.
September 16th, 2008 at 8:47 am
really really sorry to hear this Morten. You are an entrepreneur and you will recover, start something else successful. Good luck let me know if I can help.
September 16th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Life is made of success and fail. There is always a risk, to spice up your life, your business… You said you’ll be back. Sure you’ll be. And you learned so much in this adventure…
September 16th, 2008 at 9:38 am
I just love how open and honest you are. It takes balls to speak about what you do.
Good luck in the future.
September 16th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
[...] out the ‘Stupid‘ section on his blog to get an idea of just how honest he is. But his blog post about what happened with the newspaper, in which he lists 5 reasons for failing to survive, is worth a read [...]
September 16th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
[...] latest in an emerging trend of Silicon Valley startups reigning in their spend. Over in Denmark, a remarkable account of failure has emerged. Earlier this week, I debunked some of the talk around ROI, scalability and [...]
September 17th, 2008 at 2:35 am
Morten,
We are having really hard times here in Spain, where the recession it´s much stronger than in denmark (in my honest opinion). I Joined a little enterprise with 20 years of history 2 years ago with the commitment of modernize and save it from a descending progression in the last 3 or 4 years. Man, you don´t know how much we understand you here, we are now holding the driving wheel in the worst moment we´ve had in our lives.
And all I hope is we´ll be as honest, open, and had the same balls as you if eventually we come to an end. Even taking in consideration what has happened to you, you are truly admirable. All our best wishes, I know you´ll recover. Good luck in hell, and remember hades is much more smaller than it seems when you are arriving there.
September 17th, 2008 at 4:23 am
Sorry this happened, Morten. I am sure things will go better the next time. Just be patient and try to find positive learnings. I am sure you will do so, after reading what you wrote, which is very useful for not so experienced entrepeneurs.
September 17th, 2008 at 4:50 am
Aside from the personal frustrations here, which I sympathise with immensely, you have a fabulous story to tell about Scandinavian business attitudes. The drama of your writing begs out for more.
Tom Wolfe once wrote Bonfire of the Vanities, one of those novels that defined the 80s. The voice, the drama here is crying out to tell his story.
Wish you every success down the road.
September 17th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Dear Morten, These are hard times for everyone, only good and passionate people like you will be on track soon! I wonder if all people could be more passionate like you demonstrated with this company. The fact is that you are in bankruptcy and your employees are sending you SMS and emails demonstrating that you are doing it right well. Sometimes, and don’t forget it, the luck is a factor that we can avoid and the financial context of these times makes the things worse than ever. You’re going to develop more projects, with or without money. Passion rules here.
Regards,
Hernan.-
September 18th, 2008 at 8:14 am
I know about your post thanks to Martin Varsavsky’s personal blog (http://spanish.martinvarsavsky.net/) and i’m agree with him. Your story has affected me. You are a great example about what an entrepreneur is, and what we have to do. The best thing that you can get about this crash is the good comments of your workers.
i’m sorry for my english. I’m sure that is not perfect.
September 18th, 2008 at 8:39 am
So sorry Morten.
I dislike while goog persons, entrepreneurs receive a shock like yours.
My best wishes for your future.
World is shaking but it was not necessary that it had happened to you.
September 18th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Your history is really touching. I am sorry your project end like this, but It’s clear that you had tried hard and you are an honest man, so, I am sure your will be back!
Good Luck.
[ From an argentinian entrepreneur]
September 18th, 2008 at 11:57 am
[...] se encuentra en quiebra. Además, deja el link al blog de Morten Lund donde de manera transparente cuenta las razones que lo llevaron a tomar la decisión de endeudarse para salvar su proyecto. El artículo esta en inglés, y vale la pena [...]
September 18th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Så dig lige på Jersild. Respekt! og god vind frem over.
September 18th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
What a great final in the interview just sent on Danish National TV – DR1! You really left a great and very emotional impression.
Im sorry that the project didn’t work out. Im sure though that you gave all you had and also im confident that something will come out the ashes of this small bump :-)
Respect and all the best!
September 18th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Just watched you on Danish TV. You kept correcting yourself, saying your successes have been down to luck. Luck no doubt has something to do with it, but its what people like you do with luck, that paves a great track record!
Keep believing.
September 18th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Rock stjerne er bliver du fanme ikke :) men “rocks” gør du – super interview på DR1
Held og Lykke
Riisager
September 18th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Så lige udsendelsen på DR. Stor respekt og du får sgu lige en knuser fra Århus ;)
Held og lykke
September 18th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I always had a great admiration for your style and your achievements.
I don’t think you’ll be back because you haven’t left. I never had the sensation that your ventures were about money.
I also lost all in a venture but a lot more than you that’s why
I really understand what you feel and believe me it’s true that the sky is bluer after a moment like that.
September 18th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
hate him ? coz you dont know him! this is the guy who is one of the world class angel investor who invests where he believes in PEOPLE. I am a real example who came to him one day with two friends and walked the same day with handshake and half million which he delivered as he promised NO TERM SHEETS NO BS. We all fail in one thing or another it doesn’t kill us and all this negative press for sure is not going to kill him. He will bounce back faster than you think!
Sick and tired of all the media BS and NOT giving the respect to a guy who deserves more than many who are writing AS YOU HAVE THE FACT SHEET OF HIS NYHEDSAVISEN dead pool story.
September 19th, 2008 at 1:44 am
You are an inspiration, Morten. You’ll bounce back :) What I like about you is that you give an artsy and humanistic face to Finance. You blog and you express yourself. We need more like you!
You rock!
September 19th, 2008 at 5:11 am
Business appears to be like football one scores & wins and sometimes one has to face an penalty an loses, but shit happens you know so one has to put on the old shoes again and go on for the next cool tournament make it a sure victory!
For your critics like bloggers, writers, talkers.. your guys are often no entrepreneurs you don’t take any business risks in your lives so for your guys easy judgements keep on blogging that’s far more easier!
September 19th, 2008 at 10:04 am
My Deepest respect, from an Spanish Enterpreneur..
Let’s start something import-export… I’m now in Vietnam, going back to spain in a week. Let’s talk and find something out.
fjaviersaiz@yahoo.es
September 19th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
“Taking a hit like a man” makes me think. I have been following the events in DK closely. Morten Lund did not take it like a man. When closing down he dissapeared and others took the task of standing up to the press. Morten was hiding and only posting on his blog, not daring to talk to journalists (except from a very few times when things was cooled down). Later on he was revealed lying about his actions.
So, honestly guys, I like all the buzz about great entrepreneurship, but Lund acted like a crook and a whimp.
September 19th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Best post I ever read on any blog; thanks for sharing the pain. I’ve been through a similar experience (smaller scale) when a $7m t/o business I had went tits up and I was forced into personal bankruptcy.
That was about three years ago and the wounds have now healed sufficiently to try again drawing on the invaluable lessons learnt before.
September 19th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
[...] Source: http://lundxy.com/?p=3182 [...]
September 19th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Morten, though we haven’t spent that much time together I believe you to be a man of intelligence, passion and integrity. And with this post, you are a man of humility, introspection and depth. Closing something down that you worked hard for sucks. I should know. I just went through the same thing with Monitor110. The lost jobs, the lost money, the lost time – if feels really bad. But it is hard to deny the value of the experience that came from the struggle. It has made me better, stronger, smarter, and it will you as well because you are open to it. All the best and I look forward to speaking about your future endeavors.
Cheers,
Roger
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:23 am
hey, Thanks for this letter! good luck and hard work will keep it up…
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:12 am
damn…really sorry to hear this.
big respect and handshake for being an adventurer and dreamer.
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:42 am
# 61
Small rectification.
In my comment I say:.. I also lost it all and a lot “LESS” not a lot “MORE” than you ;)
I know it’s not a competition but i wanted to make that small rectification.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Incredible Story Morten. Very brave to put your heart into something, lose, and then have the guts to tell the story this openly. My sympathies are with you. Without a doubt, you will bounce back, and in a year or two one of your start-ups will hit a home-run filling up your account again. Keep your chin up.
October 9th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Somehow I missed this — so sorry to hear. Defying gravity is hard to do and takes time I guess. Best of luck with the next endeavour, just give yourself some time as we are heading into a full on 3-4 years of dark night. Our parents had a war or two to deal with, my grandad ha to rebuild twice in his lifetime; if the worst that happens toour generation is that we get wiped out financially, that won’t be too bad I guess, relatively speaking :-) Best of luck with the next one, don’t put the bar too high and build it slow.
October 13th, 2008 at 3:15 am
[...] The day I woke up without arms nor legs (Morten Lund) Mi amigo Morten Lund quiebra (Martin Varsavsky) Cómo triunfar con un proyecto de Internet (Rodolfo Carpintier) Mi error emprendedor (Javier Martín) Por si estás pensando en buscar inversión (Javier Martín) Piensa en grande desde el primer día (Raúl Jiménez) Guia de supervivencia para obtener financiación (Paul Graham) Mi primera experiencia con el Capital Riesgo (Narciso Cerezo) Start-Ups y financiación (Ángel Medinilla) The Top Ten Lies of Venture Capitalists (Guy Kawasaki) [...]
November 17th, 2008 at 7:21 am
[...] Morten Lund som
November 29th, 2008 at 5:51 am
[...] Läs The Day I Woke Up Without Arms And Legs nu! [...]
December 12th, 2008 at 2:53 am
[...] fellow tried a newspaper venture in Denmark and it collapsed. He is very honest, and brave, in taking most of the blame onto himself, and his own poor decisions: First of all I’m really really sorry to say that my Newspaper project did not survive – not [...]
December 20th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Pathetic that you actually have your arms and legs.
I am a quadruple amputee looking to another person to share the story.
You abuse the title – you are the top story when searched for “no arms no legs”
fuck you and your stupidity.
December 21st, 2008 at 2:52 pm
[...] admin – 29 November, 2008 The Day I Woke Up Without Arms And Legs. | Morten Lund – It’s all about luck (Morten reflekter… [...]
January 8th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
[...] Recent Comments Mark on Never mind the torpedoes, full steam ahead!About Entrepreneurship | Remo’s Blog on Leweb Paris (small speach = interwiev)Cathal Brown on Leweb Paris (small speach = interwiev)alexismichelle on Leweb Paris (small speach = interwiev)Sociala Gerillan on The Day I Woke Up Without Arms And Legs. [...]
January 14th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Så dig i aftenshowet…
Det er lysten der driver værket, og den har du stadigvæk.
Jeg glæder mig meget til at se hvad du finder på, at kaste dig over i fremtiden!
Det er vi mange der gør!
Den ypperste respekt for dig og din lidenskab.
Lykke
January 14th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Kære Morten
Sympati og masser af respekt herfra – så dig på DR her til aften – du er et sejt og empatisk menneske…….møghamrendeærgerligt, at dit projekt kuldsejlede..
God vind til al din fremtid – du skaber – og inspirerer en ganske almindelig lønslave som mig!
January 17th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Morten,
that´s life: a rollercoaster ride.
Just do it.
S.
January 17th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Morten,
please send me a mail with your contact details.
I am a journalist from Hamburg and I am interested in doing
an interview/article with/about you.
Thanks.
Best,
Slaven
January 17th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I saw your Le Web Speech, I loved it and I love this post even more.
Because someone, everybody whom understood you .. knows you’ll be back ;-)
January 19th, 2009 at 11:14 am
[...] razlozima propasti, Lund je detaljno pisao i na svom blogu još u septembru. Naime, drama oko bankrotstva je krenula još u julu prošle godine, a ovih dana [...]
March 30th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Kære Morten
Jeg kan godt li dig og din indstilling til at skabe nyt. Respekt !
Jeg har et godt tilbud til dig hvis du sender mig en mail adresse.
Solskinshilsen
Svend
April 11th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Hi Morten,
I am curious about existing and future business models that can survive and thrive on the internet. Currently very few exist. To this end a formed a group on the subject at http://groups.google.de/group/business-models-for-web?hl=en, feel free to join, watch, contribute (and you would have plenty to contribute), and get friends who are interested to join involved.
I’ll quote this posting at that location too, hope you don’t mind.
Regards,
Werner
June 21st, 2009 at 4:24 am
[...] Lund has also been chronicling this disaster, confessional style, on his blog (see here and [...]
February 8th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Hi there ! If you need someone to make your product or service be developed in France, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m based in Paris core next to the “Champs Elys