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MINICASE Scandi Home Furnishings, Ino Kaj Rasmussen founded Scandi Home Furnishings as a corporation during mid-2013. Sales during the first full year (2014) of operation reached $1.3 million. Sales increased by 15 percent in 2015 and another 20 percent in 2016. However, after ncreasing in 2015 over 2014, profits fell sharply in 2016, causing Kaj to wonder what was happening to his "pride-and- joy" business venture. After all, Kaj worked as closely as possible to a 24/7 pace, beginning with the startup of Scandi and continuing through the first three full years of operation. Scandi Home Furnishings, located in eastern North Carolina, designs, manufactures, and sells Scandinavian-designed furniture and accessories to home furnishings retailers. The modern Scandinavian design has a streamlined and unclut tered look. While this furniture style is primarily associated with Denmark, both Norwegian and Swedish designers have contributed to the allure of Scandinavian home furnishings. Some say that the inspiration for the Scandinavian design can be traced to the elegant curves of art nouveau from which designers were able to produce aesthetically pleasing, structurally strong modern furniture. Danish furnishings and the home furnishings produced by other Scandinavian countries-Sweden, Norway, and Finland-are made using wood (primarily oak, maple, and ash), aluminum, steel, and high-grade plastics. Kaj grew up in Copenhagen, Denmark, and received an undergraduate degree from a technical university in Sweden. As is typical in Europe, Kaj began his business career as an apprentice at a major home furnishings manufacturer in Copenhagen. After learning the trade, he quickly moved into a management position in the firm. However, after a few (continued on next page)