Pontus Frithiof's recipe for success

It is clear that Pontus is passionate about what he does. He loves building companies, offering something new and different, daring to challenge. Pontus is influenced by the old school of Jan Stenbeck, Erik Lallerstedt and Leif Mannerström, but he also has another side, the upstart. He sees himself as something of a rebel in a traditional industry that he believes needs to change. Interim Search met him to find out a little more about Pontus the person.

 Your eyes light up when we talk about entrepreneurship, service and leadership, why is that?

My primary motivation is not to make big money, but to influence and develop the industry. The restaurant industry is very traditional and development is largely held back by people who do not like change. I want to contribute to its development by building a future-oriented company where leadership is extremely important to ultimately provide the best customer experience.

”I was mocked by others in the industry for the #Kocktjejerpågång initiative, which aimed to get more female chefs into restaurant kitchens, they represent a male culture that I do not subscribe to”.

Drawing inspiration from other industries, consistently working on improvements and constantly developing concepts are some of the things he highlights as success factors.

We at Pontus Group should not act as order recipients but be the ones who drive development and never stop innovating. Among other things, we were the first in Sweden to have a price differentiation in time, similar to what is standard in the travel and hotel industry.

What does good service mean to you?

Service means more than just getting the food on time for us, it characterizes the whole business. A few weeks ago, a desperate customer who was going to have an event for 150 guests at Karolinska called when the fire alarm went off 1.5 hours before dinner was due to start and they couldn't stop it. A couple of calls later we had arranged a new venue, reorganized the catering and staff and were able to deliver a really good event. There is no other company that organizes it on a Saturday afternoon and there is no doubt who they will call next time! It's service for real and that's a big part of what drives me. 

”with Pontus in the Green House the ambition was to be recognized for serving Sweden's best food, today our success consists of 75 % of unbeatable service level.”

I like to think outside the box, try new ideas and I'm not afraid to try anything really. You have to dare and that largely characterizes how we build the business. But you also have to be prepared to fail, it can take a couple of tries before you find a concept that works.

How do you work on your own skills development as an entrepreneur?

I have good self-awareness, which means that I am very aware of my bad sides so I can work on them. In this way, limitations become an asset. I go to a mental coach, read a lot of books on the subject of personal development and take courses in leadership, finance and other things that develop me.

We talk about the importance of having role models and Pontus highlights two people who inspire him a lot: Jan Stenbeck and Sven Hagströmer. Both Jan and Sven are huge role models as entrepreneurs when it comes to building companies, the importance of being visible, conceptualizing and consistently working with customer satisfaction. To think differently and dare to fail along the way. Jan dared to challenge monopolies, which in a way I also try to do. Sven's work with Avanza is fantastic, how they are visible, profile themselves and work with customer satisfaction, we have tried to learn from that in my business.

You have chosen to put your name on the business, what has that meant?

It was actually Jan who originally thought we should call it Pontus in the Green House, partly an ego thing and partly unimaginative. At first I found it difficult to say my own first name all the time, but now it means different things to me. The Pontus brand is a concept that means that guests can always expect my wholehearted commitment.

Today, we receive several inquiries a week for new establishments, largely because of our brand. With Pontus, you know that you get quality and the property owners know what great values it creates. Those who do not have his name are not courted in the same way.

”I'm not hiding the fact that I also do this to make a lot of money”

What are your top three tips as a manager?

One, communication is very important. You need to be clear, have a vision and a concept that people can buy. Two, feedback. You need to be able to give both praise and criticism and also as a manager be open to feedback from employees. And three, put time and energy into coaching your managers so that they in turn can do a good job with their subordinates.

What is the most challenging part of your role today?

One of the very difficult things is to let go of valued employees, which unfortunately is sometimes necessary. I had to let go of a person we had been working with for over ten years a while ago, it was really hard and one of the worst things I have ever experienced!

“on the other hand, firing someone who does a bad job does not move my back”

Another eternal struggle is knowing what to delegate and what to do yourself. I find it very satisfying to do everything but as a manager it is not effective. As a manager, you have to be clear but at the same time not stand in the way of your employees doing a good job. I think the best thing is the combination of having a dictatorship and a democracy.