My name is Sarah Watz (formerly Byström), I am 50 years old and grew up in an entrepreneurial family in Stocksund, just outside Stockholm. I have lived in the USA, in San Francisco and New York, for periods of time, and have since worked globally. You will quickly notice that I change hairstyles and hair colors more often than most. I like variety.
My husband Peter and I have two children, Kate (21 years old) and Philip (20 years old). In recent years, we have added two wonderful dogs, Teddy & Happy (Cockapoos), to our family.
We live and run our three companies in our villa in Lidingö, outside Stockholm. We have long offered our services not only to the Swedish market but also globally.
When I am off work, I enjoy spending time with my family, eating good food, and enjoying the sun. My creative side shows in my interests in interior design, gardening, scrapbooking, sewing, knitting, and quilting.
Since 1994, I have worked with adult education in the areas of marketing, PR, advertising, and administration. In 1999, with the help of leading IT companies in Stockholm at the time, I created the first Digital Strategy education in Sweden for the Institute for International Education (iiU), which was approved by the Swedish National Agency for Education.
Since 2008, I have participated in management teams for several vocational education programs such as Digital Strategist, UX Specialist, and Front-end Developer at Nackademin, and Front-end Developer at Åsö Adult Education. Currently, I am part of the management team for Marketing Automation Specialist at Medieinstitutet. I really enjoy giving back to the next generation.
Since 2003, I have created and conducted my own education programs in physical classrooms, live online in groups, and self-paced online courses in digital strategy, web technology, digital tools, marketing, sales, customer journeys, and entrepreneurship.
Starting in 2012, I was involved in initiating, creating, and launching the global official Joomla! Certification Program in 2016. Today, the certification is available in 6 languages and Joomlers all over the world can now demonstrate their competence with an official certificate.
I give speeches and participate in panel discussions on business development and digitalization both in Sweden and internationally. You can find more information on the "Speaking " tab
MY EXPERIENCE OF LEADERSHIP
Between 2003-2018, two of our three companies have had between 3 and 15 employees, subcontractors, and interns at the same time. In my role as CEO and project manager, I have led the team in both internal and external projects. Today, I am the CEO of one of our companies - Pixpro Stockholm AB - which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year (2023).
Since 2003, I have served as the chairman of the board for our three companies at different times. Currently, I am the chairman of the board for two of our companies, You Rock AB (rights management company) and Peter Watz AB (where we operate Grillbloggen.nu among other things).
From 2008 to 2012, I was the chairman of the Swedish Joomla! Association. I was responsible for organizing several major events, including Joomla! Days and Joomla! Nights, where the Swedish Joomla! community had the opportunity to meet and share experiences. My responsibilities included contacting the press, sponsors, Swedish and international speakers, members, and more.
From 2022 to 2023, I am the chairman of Kvinnor & Företag på Lidingö (Women & Business on Lidingö).
Years 2014-2017, I held the position of Chairperson (President) for the company that owns the second most used CMS tool in the world - Joomla! (Open Source Matters Inc.).
During my time as Chairperson, I initiated and, together with the other leaders, implemented a global reorganization. It was a demanding and intense period where my clear leadership and diplomatic negotiating skills came in handy.
During the late 90s, I was a board member for two years in BRF Smyrna on Gärdet in Stockholm.
In the early 2000s, I was a board member of Watzit AB for a few years.
In 2007-2008, I was the Vice Chairman and co-founded the Swedish Joomla! Association with the aim of gathering the Joomla! community and providing educational membership activities.
From 2018 to 2023, I sit on the board of Killinge Gåshaga Villa Association as Treasurer.
From 2021 to 2023, I sit on the board of Women & Business.
Today, I am a board member of our three companies: Pixpro Stockholm AB, Peter Watz AB, and You Rock AB.
During 2012-2014, I was a board member of Open Source Matters Inc. It was during this time that I initiated the global official Joomla! Certification Program.
During the period of 2020-2021, I was the Team Leader for one of Sweden's most successful BNI teams - BNI Let's Unite. Besides leading the team, I also moderated our business meetings via Zoom with 30-45 participants every week. I occasionally fill in as a substitute for the current team leader when needed.
Currently, I am the Event Manager for BNI Let's Unite, ensuring that we, as a digital team, can meet physically and network in a pleasant environment every month.
Since the fall of 2022, I have been the Global Ambassador for AesirX.io Ltd, R Family, and R Digital. Additionally, I hold the role of Partner Director and am responsible for developing a global partner and reseller program.
At the age of 10, I started my first newspaper called "Smådjursnytt" (Small Animal News). I was the editor-in-chief, and the newspaper, which had 3-4 writers (my friends on the same street), wrote about trends, tips, and advice on small animals. It was located in a small space under the stairs in my family's house in Stocksund.
Each issue had different themes about different small animals, cartoons, and sponsors and advertisers that made it possible to copy the newspaper, which was sold by the newspaper's employees outside ICA Tornet at Stocksunds Torg.
So that was the first time I experienced the power of writing about something that attracts and sells, and it could be an offline version of a blog with a high focus on content marketing today.
My father had a company that he ran for more than 40 years, and I got involved in it early on. So entrepreneurship, marketing, and sales are areas where I have extensive experience.
Previously, Pixpro was one of Sweden's largest Joomla! web agencies where we helped clients develop digital strategies and mainly implemented websites, intranets, portals, e-commerce or introduced CRM systems, marketing automation systems, etc. for both listed companies, government organizations, and smaller businesses.
During a period, we developed around ten different extensions to streamline search, publishing, measurement, traceability, etc. on the web for Joomla!, which we then sold to an American company.
I have worked on both the client side and the consulting side of my assignments. I have worked on both B2B, B2C and H2H projects. After working at an advertising agency in Manhattan, being a commission-based salesperson selling paintings for WWF, marketing and selling education to individuals, I started my own business in 1996. That business evolved into Pixpro Stockholm AB in 2003, where we primarily educate service entrepreneurs on how to build, operate, market and sell so that they become fully booked. Among other things, we operate the Business Heroes Academy entrepreneurship school.
My extensive knowledge and experience not only in digital strategies and implementation but also in how to maximize systems and digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Keap, Kajabi, YouTube, Zoom, Joomla, Miro, Chat GPT, and others, comes in handy when I educate service entrepreneurs on how to work smarter.
I take on a limited number of assignments each year where I provide individual strategic advice to owner-led companies in business development, often with a focus on digital transformation and digital strategies.
In recent years, I have also been a mentor for entrepreneurs who want to grow their companies from 10 million to 100 million through Connect. In 2019, I was also a facilitator for the Entrepreneurs' event SOS.
During 2019/2020, I was a member of the Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) Product Advisory Council, which aims to improve the product portfolio for Keap. Prior to that, I was one of ten partners who were elected members of the Keap Partner Advisory Group, which regularly met with Keap's management for two years to improve the partner program and product.
I have a large local and international network that I am happy to share with my contacts. I am a member of networks such as Kvinnor & Företag på Lidingö, Lidingö Näringsliv, Företagarnas, BNI Let's Unite, and more.
I took my first programming course, a one-year evening course, when I was 10 years old and took my first leadership course when I was 15. So my attitude of constantly learning from others' insights, knowledge, and experiences started early.
To stay up to date with the latest trends and best practices in business development, digital marketing, sales, and automation, I attend several international conferences each year, participate in lectures, actively study in other courses & workshops, and am a member of Masterminds.
I have attended numerous lectures, courses, and/or workshops with speakers such as Frank Kern, Chalene Johnson, Jeff Walker, Lisa Sasevich, Ryan Diez, Molly Pitman, Wes Schaeffer, Amy Porterfield, Ezra Firestone, Aaron Fletcher, Mari Smith, Jay Baer, Luria Petrucci, Kane & Alessia Minkus, JT Foxx, Ryan Levesque, Ben Angel, Scott Oldford, Brendon Burchard, Tony Robbins, Gary V, Marie Forleo, Jasmine Star, Grant Cardone, Joe Polish, Amanda Holms, Jenna Kutcher, among others.
Some of the certifications and diplomas I have obtained, which include comprehensive tests, are the following:
I love to share my insights, so even if you don't hire me or attend any of my courses, you can access blogs and webinars that are regularly published.
I hosted the English-language "Boost your Business Show" (formerly Pixpro Live Show) aimed at boosting your business. The show is broadcast live on Facebook and then cross-posted on YouTube.
Phone: +46 8 410 567 60
E-mail: