By Faux’s artificial plant walls are taking Swedish interiors by storm. We had a chat with Linda Forsberg, founder, showrunner and keen business mind behind the company, to learn more about how she’s been able to organically grow her artificial plants business.
Founded in 2018 by natural-born entrepreneur Linda Forsberg, By Faux is breathing new life into artificial plants. The Swedish company sells artificial plants, trees and plant walls that make for elegant and sustainable interior designs. The greenery’s longevity and reusability make it a great addition for modern workplaces, hotels, schools, restaurants and homes.
What sparked Linda’s interest when the idea for the business came to her was not what most people assume. “My friends ask if I love plants, but it's not about that. That’s not a passion for me – I was more looking to find a good business case.”
Scaling quickly
After a brief stint selling directly to consumers in the early days of By Faux, Linda quickly realized that the business would have more chances of scaling if she sold to companies instead. “Someone told me I should work with architects and retailers, so I looked up the biggest interior retailers in Gothenburg and said ‘apparently I should be one of your suppliers’ – and then I became one” she shares.
And scale it did.
“I started doing more and more imports and had already ended up in this ‘wonderful’ problem where things are going well, but liquidity is getting quite tough” – luckily, that’s when Linda got to know about Treyd. She says she “immediately understood the service, thought it was really smart and jumped on board pretty quickly.”
Tackling the liquidity problem
Treyd’s service helped Linda’s liquidity problem by financing By Faux’s supplier invoices, and letting her pay back up to 4 months later. This bridged a gap in liquidity, freeing up working capital that would previously get tied up in inventory that might still take months to arrive.
And with more working capital available, By Faux could continue to invest in growth. “The way Treyd worked, it was very clear that it would help me grow as a company. The platform is really easy to use too, I like that everything is digital and the simplicity of it”, mentions Linda.
Growing organically – without dilution
With the financing boost provided by Treyd, Linda has been able to grow By Faux steadily – and organically. She’s already expanded the business into Germany, recently made her biggest order yet, and is looking to develop a, in her words, “really cool new product” next year.
She shared that, while she has considered taking in venture capital, it didn’t quite feel right. “I own the company 100%, and I want it that way” she says, adding that Treyd’s help has been a valuable asset towards keeping things that way. “When you don't have [VC] money behind you, it’s a great way to still be able to grow.”
If your company is in a similar stage, facing liquidity roadblocks, or if you are looking to grow your business without giving up equity – have a chat with our team to see if Treyd is a good match for your business.