For Swedish Health boss, business gain is measured with customers’ weight losses

Selling and marketing a weight-loss product in the UAE demands the full attention of Peter Estedt, the chief executive of Swedish Health, who says he can only spare 10 minutes a day to eat his lunch.

Peter Ekstedt, the chief executive of Swedish Health, says weight loss is a very personal topic and most of their customers have unique questions. Sarah Dea / The National

Peter Ekstedt is the chief executive of Swedish Health, a Dubai-based company that imports health-related products and other fast moving consumer goods from northern Europe to the Middle East. The imports include Nutridiet, a weight loss product. The Swede, 32, moved to Dubai three years ago.

8am

On a good day I go to the gym and work out for an hour. I started exercising with my personal trainer five months ago; it makes a huge difference when someone plans your workout and keeps you motivated. We do a combination of cardio and strength training. I’m trying to eat less sugar than I used to, so for breakfast I steer clear of bread or cereals. I prefer eating eggs and having a coffee in the morning.

9am

As I’m most energetic in the morning I schedule meetings before I go to the office. I also reply to emails either from our suppliers or our communications agency.

10am

I start analysing sales from the day before. I believe these are the main driver for every decision we need to make in the future. Being aware of which of the Nutridiet shakes sell well and which retailer is beating sales records is extremely relevant for this business. Mornings for me are also a good time to visit doctors or other healthcare professionals.

11am

This is usually the time for internal meetings. We talk about upcoming promotions and I try to make sure everyone is doing well and knows what to do moving forward.

1pm

I never take more than 10 minutes for lunch because I can’t really relax during the day. I don’t take any breaks other than this.

2pm

Throughout the day I personally communicate with customers who call us, write to us on Facebook and use the live chat function on our website. Weight loss is a very personal topic and most of our customers have unique questions. Our head nutritionist, Dalia Shukri, is really good at replying to all of the inquiries considering that everyone requires individual treatment. One important question is if the shakes taste good. This is why social media can be really helpful; customers can comment on our forum and we get to see their opinions. This communication gives me an excellent insight into the market.

3pm

Our shakes are available in 120 pharmacies and health shops that are divided into seven chains in the UAE. It is a big task to keep track of them all. That is why meetings with the retailers are very important. This could be, for example, with Boots pharmacy; we discuss product display, upcoming promotions or training of their retail staff. During this time of the day I also try to visit several shops that stock our product to make sure it is visible and to ask the retailers if they are aware of our range.

5pm

I try to push administrative tasks to the late afternoon. This requires less brainpower and more willpower. This includes cash flow analysis, orders forecast and salary payments. Not the most fun of tasks, but impossible to go without.

7pm

My job is very operational, and there are really no boundaries to the work that can be done. It is therefore important to set time aside for business development to ensure that we are growing. We have an ambitious expansion strategy, and my partners need to see this growth. This requires a tremendous amount of work including negotiations with the supplier in Sweden, local regulation and logistical tasks.

9pm

Evenings are usually quite relaxing as I prefer going out with my friends for dinner during the weekends. I have taken up golf, and I hope to play more now the weather is better. I love cooking but it does not happen as often as I’d like. If I do not have anything else planned for the evening I usually continue working or read a book to relax. I also recently started taking scuba diving lessons at the weekend, which are a lot of fun and keep me healthy and fit. Once I pass these successfully I will get my Padi licence.

Midnight

Lights out.

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