* In partnership with Domkapa.
I am very excited to share this exclusive interview with the entrepreneur, founder and former CEO of Laskasas Group, Celso Lascasas. Laskasas is a renowned Portuguese furniture manufacturer with a worldwide appeal. But success hasn’t come without sacrifices. I have admired Celso’s drive and dedication for quite some time now, and how hands-on he is with his various businesses (including one of my favourite upholstery brands, Domkapa). He has also become something of a sensation on social media (check out his Instagram here), sharing his life and knowledge with the world. It was such an honour to chat with him about his journey from humble beginnings to building a multi-million dollar business.
Here’s what Celso had to say…
Laskasas was founded in Rebordosa, Porto, in 2004. Can you tell us how that happened?
Laskasas was founded because I was eternally dissatisfied and always wanted to have my own business. I started working when I was 14 for other people. This lasted for 15/16 years. When I set up Laskasas I was 28/29 years old. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset and for quite some time I realised I had what it takes to have my own company. And so it happened. In 2004, I decided to open my first shop. A 150 square metre space in Ermesinde, Porto. At the time, I still wasn’t making any furniture because I didn’t have the money to manufacture anything. It was on a buy-and-sell basis, so it didn’t add any value to the company or the brand because other shops were selling the same furniture. My ambition kept me thinking about my own company. I never dreamed that I would be where I am today, even with the ambitions I had back then. 2011 was the start of a small production facility, so it took me years to get to where we are today. But it all started with an ambition.
What was the most difficult part of launching and running a large furniture manufacturing company?
The biggest challenge was the first year when I decided not to take a salary. Everything I earned had to be invested in the company. I didn’t have much liquidity either and I had a tough year. It was hard because I had it in my head that I didn’t want to take a cent from the company. It was so difficult that I almost quit. I didn’t leave the house, I didn’t go anywhere because I had no way out.
The second difficult period was between 2011 and 2012, when the company was already 8 years old. It was already quite profitable, but nothing in comparison to what we are earning today. We had around 70 people working for us and there was a major crisis in Portugal. It was a very, very difficult two years. I would go home in my car, alone, thinking that I wasn’t going to be able to turn the situation around, that I was certainly going to have to close down, go bankrupt. I managed to get through those two years with a great deal of determination and a huge will not to fail. But they were two years that I wouldn’t wish on anyone, because they were really difficult years.
At the time, 95% of the work was for the domestic market and 5% for the international market. Then I realised that I was making a mistake by putting all my eggs in one basket, which was the Portuguese market. From that moment on, my eyes opened. I decided I wasn’t going to go back to that dark place. I had to start thinking about a more global plan, thinking more about the world and foreign markets. Of course nothing happaned straight away as my cash flow was at zero. In 2015, I gained some financial strength and started investing in human resources. We hired professionals for the foreign market and also started doing some interior design fairs. We started taking the international market seriously and professionally in 2017.
The Laskasas group has 2 international brands. Laskasas and Domkapa. Are there any new markets that these brands are interested in entering?
One market we’d like to be in and we’re going to work on, we’re actually already doing that, is the North American market – the US and Canada. We already have a few customers in that market, for both brands. But it’s still a small market. So the idea is to invest more there. We’re already in other very good markets and we’ve had good results, but the focus for 2024 and 2025 is very clearly on North America.
Domkapa was the second brand to join the Laskasas Group. What prompted your interest in Domkapa?
Domkapa was born out of my desire to have my own production as soon as I could afford it. It was born two and a half years later, in 2006, with the aim to make furniture for Laskasas, although this was not the brand’s medium to long-term focus. It was through Domkapa that I started making upholstery in Laskasas, because the investment in terms of production, machinery and structure was lower. So I started upholstery first and then, after eight years, I started producing furniture. In 2018/2019, before Covid, we set up a production unit for upholstered furniture in Laskasas to take over the production that had been sent to Domkapa.
Domkapa is becoming more and more independent of Laskasas. There are fewer and fewer Laskasas models being made in the company’s own production, and more and more Domkapa models. We’ve been making Domkapa models for the last five or six years now. The idea is to take them under the wing of Laskasas.
So, the aim for Laskasas is to be less and less dependent on Domkapa’s upholstery production.
That’s what’s been happening over the last five years. Laskasas has less and less weight in Domkapa’s turnover because it’s starting to produce almost everything in-house. Consequently, Domkapa has its own models and is beginning to export more and more, and that was always the plan.
How involved are you with your multiple brands? And, how do you ensure everything is always running smoothly?
Two years ago I handed over the reins to my wife Diana Lascasas, and it wasn’t an easy decision, indeed it’s still not easy. But I felt I had to do it, because everything in life has a phase, and my phase in the Laskasas group was more or less over. She is the CEO now and I am her advisor. We meet fortnightly or monthly and discuss investments, plans and strategy, but she is the one who manages the day-to-day with the team she has created.
For my part, I have found myself much more productive when concentrating on my investments in Eyeone, Sophia Resolve and the two promoters. Basically, the focus is on the property market, and that’s been my focus since 2021. These are businesses with very high volumes and I had to be more focused because Laskasas takes up a lot of hours and I felt that doing everything at once wasn’t working. I had to take that step back, so at the moment I am more on the property investments side of things within the group.
Can you tell us more about the Laskasas and Domkapa collaboration that was announced in 2023?
We decided to bring the two brands together commercially because we had very good contacts and we were interested in monetising that sales force. When Domkapa started creating its own catalogue, its own models, the focus was entirely on exports and not on the domestic market. We decided that Laskasas would represent the Domkapa brand on the domestic market. So, we don’t sell Domkapa’s products in any shops in the national market other than Laskasas shops. We thought it would be good for both brands because they both have products that suit well the Laskasas market.
In the international market, we already had a large team in place in terms of communication and sales. We also thought it made sense to combine resources, contacts and leads for both brands. For example, a salesperson working on the Saudi market can work on both brands. We have merged the teams and I think it has been the best decision we have made so far.
If you had to choose your favourite piece of furniture from all the group’s brands, which would it be and why?
The K010 sofa is one that is no longer being sold. It’s a cool design and I still have one or two in my homes. But what I love about this sofa is the fact that it was a best-seller. I also like the Sofia armchair. We’ve re-designed it a few times, but it still sells.
If you had to choose one Domkapa piece, which would it be?
There are a couple of modules that I really like, for example the Shinto Shinto sofa. That’s probably my favourite Domkapa piece.
Running several companies comes at a cost. How do you find time for yourself? Is there anything you prioritise outside of your busy work schedule?
Success always comes at a high price, doesn’t it? That’s why it’s not for everyone. There are a lot of people who don’t like this lifestyle. And that’s OK. But it definitely comes at a cost and you have to be constantly on your toes. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, I am always thinking about something. But because I like to have my own things, nice things, own achievements, I know that there’s no other way to get them. It has to be through hard work. That’s what they say – luck takes a lot of work.
I can say that I’ve changed my mindset since the Covid pandemic. Up until 2020, my focus was solely on my companies. I neglected my health. I neglected my body to the point where I weighed 104 kilos. I was neglecting my children and I was neglecting my family. It wasn’t intentional, of course, but the focus was on my companies, having a solid group. I’ve always been someone who likes to control everything, so I didn’t delegate much and that cost me time. Since then, I’ve started to change the way I do things. I have to make time to exercise at least five times a week. Either running or CrossFit. I have a 15-year-old daughter whose birth I almost missed. I don’t want that to happen again. I’m much more present with my children these days.
What’s more, every year since 2018, there’s been an increase in the group’s turnover. So, something I didn’t realise until 2020, is that the company is growing even when I’m not there.
Thank you, Celso! I hope you found this insightful (I know I did!) and if you have any comments or questions, please feel free to drop them in the comment box at the bottom.
*Images credited: Laskasas
