Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
MY SWEDISH CAREER

JOBS

‘Sweden is the ideal place for my business’

Meet Emilie Terstegge, the globe-trotting Dutch entrepreneur who is trying to get Sweden's mothers to feel physically strong and energetic with her unique outdoor workouts.

Published: 30 May 2016 06:38 CEST
'Sweden is the ideal place for my business'
Emilie Terstegge. Photo: Sandra Jolly Photography.

A previous resident of eight different countries, Terstegge describes herself as someone who has been moving all her life. She came to Stockholm from Paris last year due to her husband’s work with Air France KLM, and wasted little time before setting up a company that combines both her passion for sport and the Swedish love of exercise.

“Mom in Balance is a concept that was already very big in Holland and I knew they were looking for franchise owners and entrepreneurs to take it abroad,” she explains. “It’s the perfect thing for Sweden because health and fitness is very important to the Swedes, as is being outdoors. Even the kids have to be outdoors three or four hours a day at 'dagis' [nursery school],” she laughs.

Mom in Balance may already be an established brand in the Netherlands, but while as a franchise holder Terstegge gets the perks of using their logo and website style, she stresses how important it was to adapt the concept to the Swedish way of life, where parents get as many as 480 days of parental leave to share.

“In Holland you’re not allowed to bring your babies to sessions, but that’s because back home you put your baby in childcare after three months and go back to work,” she says. “Here, I told the headquarters that it wasn’t going to work if I told customers they couldn’t bring them. Women have ‘mammaledighet’ [maternity leave] for a year here, and want to do things.”

“I’ve also had to adapt the hours. The working days are shorter. You have to see what the Swedish way of doing things is,” she adds.


A typical Mom in Balance workout. Photo: Sandra Jolly Photography

While it was necessary to adjust some key details to the local lifestyle, one aspect seemed tailor made for Sweden. All of the Mom in Balance workouts are done outdoors, regardless of the weather, and in a country where it is common to get out and exercise come rain, shine or even snow, Terstegge knew her business could be a hit.

“People here send their kids out for three hours in the rain, with all the right gear. They’re fine to go outside, they’re so prepared with their winter clothes,” she notes. “You notice that in our course for after birth, where mothers take their babies with them. Even in zero degrees they just wrap their babies up, put rain covers over the buggy, and go for it.”


Swedes have no qualms being outside on a damp day. Photo: Sandra Jolly Photography

It wasn’t all clear sailing though. One of the most common complaints from entrepreneurs setting up shop in Sweden is that the sheer volume of rules and regulations can slow things down, and Terstegge also experienced that side of the Nordic nation.

“Sweden has a lot of bureaucracy or rules,” she admits. “There were things like when I wanted to figure things out with Skatteverket or get a permit to work in public parks, that meant it took a while to arrange certain things. With the park permit, you have to pay the fee, go to the municipality, speak to the police, then the police speak to the municipality. Then the municipality calls you again…” she laughs.

Despite the occasionally frustrating red tape, Terstegge is keen to highlight the abundance of assistance she received when putting her business in action, and feels that in other instances Sweden’s penchant for detail can also speed things up.

“People are so helpful here, everyone speaks English. Even though my bookkeeping for example is difficult because I have to have Swedish software, you can always call people,” she says.  “With your 'personnummer' [personal identity number] people can really assist you. You want insurance? You call up and it’s organized in one day. Setting everything up is easy because of that.”

She was also impressed with the help available for those still in the early stages of planning a business.

“There are NyföretagarCentrum [centres for new business owners] in towns and villages, and they also have something called Start-up Stockholm. They can help with business planning, financial planning. They were very helpful, and offer courses in English.”


Emilie Terstegge. Photo: Sandra Jolly Photography

The sport obsessive thinks support is still lacking for internationals in the dreaded area of VAT returns and bookkeeping however. Two daunting tasks that can be demanding for newcomers unfamiliar with Swedish financial jargon.

“I’d like them to go a step further and offer more than the basic courses, for example courses on VAT and bookkeeping in English,” she suggests. “Taking the next step is difficult. I’d like to do my bookkeeping myself as I've done it for my previous companies, but you buy Swedish bookkeeping software, you look at it and you think ‘OK…’.”

In general, though, Terstegge feels that being in Sweden has made it simpler to get her company up and running.

“Stockholm is an easy city. Compared to other countries the flat organization makes it simple. I’ve had a really positive experience,” she concludes.

With Mom in Balance already proving to be a hit in its three current Swedish locations of Bromma, Danderyd and central Stockholm, the entrepreneur thinks there is no better place for her enterprise.  

“I have the demand. I just need to create the supply for the demand. I think Sweden is the ideal place for my business.”

For members

READER INSIGHTS

How to find a job in Sweden: Five tips from those who’ve been there, done that

The Swedish job market poses unique challenges for newcomers. The Local's readers share their best tips for cracking the career code.

Published: 10 April 2024 11:32 CEST
Updated: 13 April 2024 15:50 CEST
How to find a job in Sweden: Five tips from those who've been there, done that

Network, network, network!

A statistic that often gets tossed around is that seven out of ten jobs in Sweden are obtained through personal connections, and there’s no doubt that a good network is crucial to your job hunt, making the labour market extra challenging for newcomers to the country.

In fact, networking was the main tip mentioned by The Local’s readers.

“The job market is quite hot in Sweden, and talent is in short supply. People hiring do not have a lot of time to find the right talent, and tips from friends, colleagues and former colleagues are the way to first, find out organisations are hiring, and secondly, get your CV on the short list,” said Kyle, a Canadian reader who works in innovation management in Gothenburg.

“If you are going for a major employer like Volvo, network gets you in the door, as HR does not have much to do with hiring… the hiring managers do all of it and have no time, due to the insane number of consensus meetings. If you are looking for smaller organisations, they have even less time to find people, and networking is their primary way to find talent,” he added.

NETWORKING IN SWEDEN:

Some of the networking tips readers mentioned were going to job fairs, getting an internship to help you establish connections in your preferred field, joining clubs (this could be anything from your local gardening association to meetups for coders, but focus on clubs that may be popular among people working in your chosen field), and drawing on your organic network of friends, neighbours and others.

Don’t neglect the groundwork

The saying “dress for the job you want, not the job you have” is getting worn out (and people may look at you funny if you turn up to interviews in a Batman suit), but there’s truth to the notion of making sure you know what you want – and preparing for it.

In other words, don’t wait for a job ad to appear before you start to customise your CV and figure out what skill set you need. Create your CV now so that you’re ready to tweak it to your dream job – you could even have a general look at job ads in your field to see what requirements are needed. And don’t forget to spruce up your LinkedIn profile so that it fits with your career goals.

“I believe that several factors contribute to successfully landing a desirable job in Sweden. It’s essential to prepare to meet the requirements beyond just having a university degree. Many individuals realise these requirements only after completing their studies when they start searching for a job, which can be too late,” said Adnan Aslam from Pakistan, who works as a food inspector.

“I recommend identifying the job advertisements for positions you aspire to hold in the future and then preparing for those requirements during your studies. For me, acquiring a basic level of proficiency in the Swedish language and obtaining a Swedish driving licence were crucial. I pursued these goals during my studies and was able to secure a desirable job before graduating,” he added.

READ ALSO:

Felipe Cabral even has a GPT assistant trained on his own CVs and old cover letters, and said the set-up only takes ten minutes if you already have your documents. “With that in place, you can give instructions like: Read this job description and create a tailored version of my CV and letter for it. (…) Remember to always review and ask it not to create data aside from your documents.”

Be flexible and ready to adapt

Moving to a new place inevitably means having to learn not just the practicalities such as how to write a CV or which websites to use to look for job openings, but also learning how to navigate a new culture with all its unspoken expectations.

Swedish workplaces are generally less hierarchical than many other countries, but that doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want whenever you want without anyone raising an eyebrow. Swedes are usually direct, but be careful of being too abrasive or boastful: raising your voice, even during a spirited argument, or banging your own drum to show off your skills may not go down well.

“Talk, deliberate, complain like a Swede and you’ll come across like you know what the job entails, so your trustworthiness increases,” said an Indian data analyst who preferred to remain anonymous.

“Office politics are just as strong in Sweden as anywhere else. The flat hierarchy is deceiving as social hierarchy is enforced quite a bit in that lack of formal hierarchy. Take your time in learning these dynamics wherever you work before revealing your talent and capabilities. Expect those internal politics to happen, and they won’t hurt so much when they do,” said Kyle, the Canadian reader in Gothenburg.

This article about Swedish office politics may be useful.

Stay true to yourself

Adapting to your surroundings is one thing. Completely changing who you are is another.

For one thing, your happiness is as important as your career progression, and for another, your foreignness need not be an impediment: it’s also a skill that sets you apart from the rest. It means you have unique experience, and also, in the right setting, provides an opportunity to sometimes violate those social rules we mentioned above, because people assume you will, anyway.

“Trust is key. Build trust in your network, work with integrity. It’s OK to violate jantelagen if you are maintaining integrity. Sometimes your outsider and more honest/open opinion will burn bridges, especially those that may feel threatened by talent. But it will build trust with other colleagues who see it as brave and more trustworthy to work with,” said Kyle from Canada.

Hunker down for the long haul

We don’t want to scare you, because there are plenty of examples of people who quickly find their dream job in Sweden and settle into their new workplace, enjoying perks such as long summer holidays, generous parental leave and the famous work-life balance.

But if you do find it tougher than you expected: know that you’re not alone.

Several readers who responded to the survey said they were still trying to find a job in Sweden.

“I found jobs all over Europe but not here. They say they have a lack of experienced senior engineers but the don’t seem to be doing much to solve this,” said a Brazilian in Gothenburg.

A reader from Bangladesh said she was “at a loss” as to how to make a career change from her current AI role in Stockholm, despite many years of experience as an IT project manager.

“Over the past 18 months, I’ve submitted over 600 applications to various organisations. Unfortunately, despite being overqualified for some positions, I’ve faced rejections at every turn, from both large and small companies. The job market here, especially for foreign-born women, feels overwhelmingly challenging,” she said, adding that the struggle had impacted her mental health.

The Local has on several occasions reported on foreign residents’ struggle to get a foot on the Swedish job ladder, with many facing hurdles such as employers’ unfamiliarity with international degrees, discrimination, or a lack of network that can provide paths into a company.

So during the job hunt, don’t forget to care for yourself. Share your concerns with fellow job-seekers, ask for help and join networking groups – this is good not just for creating new contacts, but also in terms of your social well-being and meeting people who are in a similar situation.

And finally, as one British reader in Stockholm advised, keep looking: “Be open-minded with the opportunities that present themselves. It isn’t an easy market to enter and doesn’t feel inclusive.” But he added, “don’t give up”.

SHOW COMMENTS