August 12, 2024 Martin Lyne

Love is love - Meet our founders

woods_ copenhagen was founded by serial entrepreneurs Martin Lyne and Jannick Lindberg who together also run the modeling agency Le Management and jewelry brand RAGBAG. But apart from being successful business partners, they’re also partners in life, and together they raise their beautiful twin girls. Meet our founders and read a lot more about how they successfully merge business and private life.

About being a couple in life and in business

Martin: We contrast each other in so many ways that you won’t believe it. If one were to match someone, we would be the last ones to be matched. But none of us would individually have accomplished the same things without each other. We are insanely critical of each other, and we only get good ideas because we’re constantly pressure testing each other, and always bring each of our different perspectives into play. The beauty occurs when antipodes meet.

Jannick: I’m responsible for everything within economics, laws, strategy and sales. I always say that I’m the troubleshooter , while Martin is always the optimistic one. I always start by asking myself: “Where can this go wrong”, whereas Martin starts by looking at all the things that really could be beautiful. What we do has to be amazing, beautiful, thrilling but also push the boundaries a little.

Jannick: I travel around 100 days a year, and when we had the girls, we agreed that they should not be in an institution from 7 AM to 5 PM every day. Martin is the one of us who is primarily with the kids because I travel so much and because my job functions require me to be present from 8 AM to 6 PM. Martin's mother is retired and has been with us since they were born, and is as much the primary person in their lives as we are.

Martin: People may think we’re insane that we work around the clock, but the kids don’t notice it. Actually, I am quite certain that they’re not even aware that we run a business. We sort out all the superfluous and optimize time by shopping online and exercising on the way to work instead of taking the car. Even if you work a lot, you can easily be present parents. It’s about choices and, to a large extent, about opt-outs.

Jannick: I have an idea that I would like to leave work at 6.30 PM so that I can be with the girls before they go to bed. It often doesn’t happen. But we take many vacations during the year, and many of our friends find us extremely boring because when we are off on weekends and holidays, we are only with our children.

About love

Martin: Love is complex. But one certain thing is that love knows no gender, age, race, or religion. I have always believed that love really has no labels. Love is just love. The value of love is universal, but the way you choose to describe it is completely individual. Love can be messy and sometimes complicated. But at times, it can also be pure bliss. I’m sure every couple can relate. We’ve been together for 15 years, and we’ve always been testing and pushing each other - in a healthy way. I’m sure that many new employees cringe when we discuss. But for us, the discussions are the spark in our relationship.

Jannick: For us, it’s really about making room for each other's differences. We respect each other’s space and time, and we’re always in sync with each other’s schedules and functions. And for us, that’s the key. Regardless of what we choose to initiate, whether it comes to family or business, we always do it together, and that’s really what matters and makes it all worth it.