{"id":1339,"date":"2025-08-14T13:41:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T13:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/addbusiness.be\/?p=1339"},"modified":"2025-10-22T13:10:47","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T13:10:47","slug":"cockpit-interview-with-lars-erik-hion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/addbusiness.be\/en\/2025\/08\/14\/cockpit-interview-with-lars-erik-hion\/","title":{"rendered":"Cockpit interview with Lars-Erik Hion from Rethink"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row row_height_percent=”0″ overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ column_width_percent=”100″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″ uncode_shortcode_id=”157292″ css=”.vc_custom_1724092097497{padding-bottom: 100px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”4\/6″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”116090″]That\u2019s how our collaboration with Rethink<\/strong>, a digital agency from Tallinn, began. Their founder, Lars-Erik Hion<\/strong>, captures it perfectly:<\/p>\n

\u201cComplexity happens naturally. Simplicity is something you have to fight for every day.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

What started as a spontaneous conversation grew into a journey where Rethink, through our DNA Discovery<\/strong> approach, sharpened its unique identity \u2014 and became our very first client outside the Benelux.<\/p>\n

Who is Rethink?<\/h3>\n

Founded six years ago in Estonia, Rethink has become one of the leading service design agencies in the Baltic region. Their expertise? Guiding organisations through the design phase of better digital services \u2014 long before the first line of code is written.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to shine in the preparation phase of a software development project. Anything with a digital touchpoint \u2014 that\u2019s what we do on a daily basis.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

What truly sets them apart is not just what<\/em> they do, but how<\/em> they do it: human-focused, crystal-clear, and with a near-obsessive focus on simplicity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to make technology as human as possible.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Simplicity as DNA \u2014 and as daily discipline<\/h3>\n

Rethink\u2019s DNA statement impact through simplicity<\/em> might sound light, but it\u2019s anything but superficial. In a world where digital complexity keeps growing, simplicity is not an aesthetic preference \u2014 it\u2019s a conscious, daily choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a constant reminder of what we need to be.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

During the DNA Discovery sessions, we uncovered what was already there \u2014 but had never been named. Not as a slogan, but as an anchor for how they work, communicate, and grow.<\/p>\n

The click in Helsinki<\/h3>\n

I\u2019ll admit it: I arrived at the Nordic Business Forum with sweaty palms. It was our first time there with Companyonwise, and I couldn\u2019t help wondering: Do we even belong here?<\/em><\/p>\n

Then, during one of the speed-date sessions, I found myself across from Lars-Erik. That one conversation changed everything. No sales pitch. No bravado. Just a shared sense of curiosity, clarity, and trust. Two entrepreneurs with a love for simplicity, for the people behind the organisation, and for clarity that goes deeper than any tagline.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is about human connection,\u201d Lars said later. \u201cWe met the Companyonwise team and immediately felt something. You brought experience and empathy \u2014 and that\u2019s rare.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

For me, it was the turning point. Yes, we belonged there. Not to prove ourselves \u2014 but to truly connect.<\/p>\n

From boardroom to shared story<\/h3>\n

The power of the process lay in the dynamic. Hierarchies dissolved. Titles disappeared. Everyone spoke as a person, not a position.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt put management and the rest of the team on the same level. We got rid of the usual roles \u2014 founder, new joiners, owner \u2014 and simply listened to each other.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

It gave the process oxygen, created openness, and built shared ownership. And it helped Rethink realise that impact through simplicity<\/em> wasn\u2019t external advice \u2014 it was an internal truth.<\/p>\n

DNA before strategy<\/h3>\n

For Rethink, DNA is not a strategic document. It\u2019s the foundation everything else rests on.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe DNA should come even before strategy, mission, or vision. When we hire, a DNA match is more important than alignment with our mission.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

DNA became their touchstone for decisions, dialogue, recruitment, and collaboration. Because simplicity only becomes powerful when you name it \u2014 and protect it.<\/p>\n

Exporting Baltic simplicity<\/h3>\n

Estonia is a digital frontrunner. What\u2019s still a future goal elsewhere is already reality there. But for an agency like Rethink, the local market has its limits.<\/p>\n

\u201cEstonia has been punching above its weight. But for a company our size, the local market becomes small quickly.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why they\u2019re deliberately looking beyond their borders. Their mission: to export Baltic simplicity<\/em>. Not as a visual style, but as a way of thinking. And their DNA became the anchor for that ambition.<\/p>\n

What stuck?<\/h3>\n

The sessions with Companyonwise weren\u2019t about branding or positioning \u2014 they were about reconnecting with who they had always been.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt helped us rethink ourselves a little \u2014 and that was valuable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

No glossy language. Just an open process that proved once again: simplicity doesn\u2019t happen by accident. But once you name it together, it lives on \u2014 in every detail.<\/p>\n

From Helsinki to the Baltics<\/h3>\n

What began with one conversation in Helsinki became our first DNA Discovery project outside the Benelux. Rethink became our pioneer in the Baltics. And it confirmed what I felt in that first meeting: simplicity works. Connection works. And even when the work is serious, it should still be fun.[\/vc_column_text][uncode_block id=”1683″ inside_column=”yes”][uncode_block id=”887″ inside_column=”yes”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What happens when you meet an Estonian service design agency at the Nordic Business Forum in Helsinki, feel an instant connection, and decide to embark on a shared journey? You get a story that\u2019s as human as it is professional \u2014 with simplicity running through it from start to finish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1336,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-networks-beyond-borders-en"],"yoast_head":"\nCockpit interview with Lars-Erik Hion from Rethink - Add Business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/addbusiness.be\/en\/2025\/08\/14\/cockpit-interview-with-lars-erik-hion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cockpit interview with Lars-Erik Hion from Rethink - Add Business\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What happens when you meet an Estonian service design agency at the Nordic Business Forum in Helsinki, feel an instant connection, and decide to embark on a shared journey? 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