Mondo Kaos - New beginnings...

- Founder and owner Ditte Lindemose talks about the creation of the store and what the new decade brings for Mondo Kaos.

From social worker to self-employed

When Ditte threw herself into opening Mondo Kaos in 2006, she never dreamed of the success it would be, nor that it would become her career.

Ditte explains that Mondo Kaos was actually a joint project with her boyfriend at the time. She herself worked as a social educator in a residential institution for young people and had no experience running a shop. The plan at the time was for her boyfriend to take care of the day-to-day running of the store - and she admits that it was probably more his dream she was supporting. Unfortunately, starting the business together was a tough task, and just a few months after opening the store, the couple split up. They agreed that Ditte should take over and become the sole owner of Mondo Kaos.

Ditte took over the store with a sense of wanting to show 'that she could do it herself'. For a year, she ran both the shop and her work as a social educator side by side.

But once again, change was in order when, completely unplanned, Ditte became pregnant with her son Charlie. She realized that after her maternity leave, she had to make a choice: her permanent job or the shop. Luckily, she chose the store!

She was now both a new mother and a new full-time entrepreneur. A whole new standpoint for Ditte!

She explains "Even though it was a difficult decision to quit my secure job and be self-employed as a single mom with a small baby, it just felt like the right thing to do. It was a super difficult period, but I haven't regretted the decision for a second since."

"Learning by doing"

Ditte had no experience running a business, so everything from sales to accounting and ordering was "learning by doing". But that didn't stop her from taking a chance and expanding the store.

In 2010, Mondo Kaos moved to new premises in Birkegade no. 1 and it was there that the store really took off. Both Ditte and the store took a big leap forward, going from having her own small store to being a manager with several employees. And once again, Ditte saw herself in a new role.

It was with the feeling of having created a special universe in Mondo Kaos and having skilled employees that Ditte felt 100% confident that she was able to take the leap and move to Pasadena/Los Angeles with her son Charlie in the summer of 2017.

Adventurous spirit

In the beginning, it was just the thirst for adventure that drove her, and then the thought that it was only for a year. After one year, however, she realized that she wasn't really ready to leave beautiful California.

One year turned into 2 ½ and in March 2019, Ditte was granted a 5-year visa. The plan is to enjoy them to the fullest, but whether the visa will be renewed in 2024, or whether she will return home to Copenhagen or somewhere else in the world, she will let time tell.

"I've had to learn to let go"

Of course, there have been new challenges for Ditte in running a business from the other side of the world.

But she admits to having learned a lot from the situation. In particular, she has had to learn to let go a little and not get caught up in every single detail, as she did when she was still living at the store in Copenhagen. She admits that this has been a big challenge, but it has also helped her learn that work doesn't have to be 24/7 anymore.

Because, as she says, "otherwise you might not be able to keep it up in the long run". And after 13 years of Mondo Kaos, Ditte has no doubt that the retro shop in Birkegade 1 is here to stay.

Even though she now lives in the US, Mondo Kaos is still a full-time job for Ditte. Today, her tasks mainly consist of communication with retailers and the webshop. In addition, she is personally responsible for creating newsletters, as this gives her the opportunity to still communicate directly with customers. Precisely because Ditte is not personally present in the store, it means a lot to her to still be in touch with the store's customers. In addition, Ditte is in daily contact with her employees in the store.

Mondo Kaos 2020

The new decade will also start with news in the store, starting with the goal of Mondo Kaos remaining a unique place to shop. At the end of 2019, Ditte created a small "in-house" collection of bracelets and earrings for the first time, and Ditte confides in us that this is something she would love to work on more.

The idea behind Mondo Kaos has always been to deliver the unique. In the future, she will therefore explore exclusive collaborations with suppliers to have unique styles in the store customized for Mondo Kaos customers. This is something she will be working much more on in 2020.

Ditte has had to say goodbye to some brands if they became too common, because as she says "coming to Mondo Kaos should remain a special experience, and it's not if a brand is available everywhere".

She feels that she knows her customers so well that she is no longer afraid to take chances, because as she says: "If I hadn't taken a chance or two over the years, I wouldn't be where I am today - and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

With the wish that everyone takes a chance once in a while and dares to do something they have dreamed of, Ditte and Mondo Kaos wish all customers a prosperous 2020! ❤️