Wise Words with Philippe Perakis

After a successful career as a mountain bike professional, as well as roles in marketing, events and sponsorship, Philippe Perakis began developing swissRoomBox: a portable modular living system which can be transferred from car to car.

Prior to swissRoomBox, and after his career as a professional mountain biker, Philippe Perakis worked for 25 years in marketing, events and innovation for leading brands such as Diesel, Swatch, Look, Miller, Dainese and Swissco. Now his product is positioned as “the world first foldable camping-car equipment that can be installed in most cars and mini-vans”, complete with cooking facilities, tables, a bed, and a shower.

After 13 months of development, Philippe launched the product this June. Following on from the initial success, he already has plans for new products, and has begun work to adapt the system for non-EU countries.

1. Where did the idea for swissRoomBox come from?

For the last 15 years, I have been working on innovations and business development! But the fun story about the swissRoomBox creation is that this time I did it in reverse: Because my girlfriend and I love rock climbing, we decided to create a modular and removable motorhome setup that can fit our small car… without thinking about the new business behind this creation!

2. The Swiss Army Knife was obviously an inspiration, and you’ve even chosen to reflect this in the name. What makes the Swiss so good at these ingenious solutions?

By the fact Switzerland is in the middle of the Alps, most of us grow with the mountains and are close to the nature. This helps us to be creative, to find new solutions, new products for outdoor leisure. We also need technical and quality products because the mountain is often a harsh environment where you need reliability.

3. Can you describe a typical working day?

I do not have a typical working day… my mind is always on the run and ready for new ideas and creativity!

4. How do you unwind or relax when you’re not working on swissRoomBox?

I love rock climbing, mountain biking, diving and being around a fire with friends and the people I love!

5. What’s the secret ingredient to success as an entrepreneur?

Stay focused on your objective.

6. What drove you crazy when building your business?

When people came to me with problems without bringing solutions, or when they said things were impossible!

7. What motivates you to keep going?

Good question… I have never thought about that; my girlfriend says I have an insatiable gift for creativity that keeps me motivated without me noticing!

8. If you were to start again, what would you do differently?

Past projects enhance our know-how and experience, which lets us be even more successful with the next one! Each new project is a new challenge, where your creativity boils until you come to the solutions you need.

9. Where do you see your business in five years, and how will you get there?

I hope that the swissRoomBox concept benefits as many outdoor lovers as possible from 7 – 77 years old. I want them to enjoy nature with their families and friends as much as I do. To get there I need to work hard to find the most convenient concept matching the needs of each individual adventure.

10. If you weren’t working on swissRoomBox, what would you be doing?

I would be working on one of my other inventions such as the SKYcarve, that will be the world’s first giant roller coaster integrated into real mountains. Imagine a zip line that can bring you from the top to the bottom of the mountain with 3 to 6 miles of pure sensation for 600 people per hour. After the “White Gold” era for the ski business, here comes the “Green Gold” era for all the ski areas that conduct 95% of their business only during winter. What about summer? What about the business risks that come with the lack of snow during global warming? It is time to take a BIG LEAP into green before it is too late.

11. Tell Springwise a secret…

easyRoomBox is coming soon (beginning of 2012). The price positioning will be at an entry level price, and the easyRoomBox will be available for the US market.

12. Any final words for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Believe in your dreams and do everything to turn them into reality!

You can read more about swissRoomBox in our article here, or visit the swissRoomBox website here.