In October 2013, Norwegian entrepreneur Berta Lende Røed launched what has been called “love in a box”. Her Fuelbox was intended to teach couples how to conduct ‘a great conversation’.
What Berta wanted was having more great conversations with her husband instead of just small talk. One late Saturday evening she surprised him with red wine and a deck of card with questions from an envelope.
“I think I am married to a pretty awesome guy, and our thing was our great conversations. We could spend hours talking about everything there is to life,” says Berta. “Then two more kids arrive, in addition to my two boys from a previous marriage, and I suddenly experience that we are spending far too many nights, exhausted on the couch, in front of the TV or other screens, and our natural curiosity for each other and those great conversations is more or less gone.”
She knew that she missed their great conversations, which were now nothing more than how things were at work, the kids or the neighbor’s new car. So she began to write down different questions she wanted to ask her husband, and questions that she wished he would ask her.
Later she had several couples to try out the questions from the envelope and the response was very positive from both sexes. In October 2013 she launched her Fuelbox, The box of great conversations for couples.
Later came other editions developed to create reflections and great conversations that are meaningful and entertaining and also strengthening for both individuals and relations.
But what is a great conversation, Berta?
“For me it is when we discover new things about each other, when we suddenly understand or laugh out loud together! Challenging yes, but important.”
Together with her partner Tonje Flack and relevant experts, she has also developed Fuelbox programs to help businesses improve their human relations and performance. “It’s often hard for employees to be honest at work. A Fuelbox has no hidden agenda, so people speak up,” explains Berta Lende Røed.
Today, Fuelbox is far from limited to the Scandinavian market. Fuelbox can be found in thousands of homes and offices in Australia, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Singapore, Sweden and United Kingdom.
Feature image (on top): Berta Lende Røed
Norwegian Entrepreneur Thinks Inside the Box, edited by Tor Kjolberg