Expand your business to Sweden

What is it like to set up a company in Sweden as an international organisation? What do you need to consider, what is involved and what do you encounter when you want to recruit staff?  

Our experience in Sweden   

Hereby, in cooperation with Karin at Beyondo, we are very happy to share our experiences when we opened an entity in Sweden.  

We are Van der Valk Solar Systems, an international company active in the sustainable solar energy industry. Since 2020 we have had a branch in Sweden. Our head office is located in the Netherlands, and we have offices in Spain and England.  

Our experience in Sweden    

Expanding your organization to another country can be exciting, because different rules quickly apply, and the (business-) culture is different. We have experienced our expansion into Sweden as very positive. We develop and produce sustainable solar mounting systems for pitched roofs, flat roofs and open fields. Due to the growing demand for our products from Sweden, and surrounding countries (the Nordics), we have decided to open a branch here to better serve the market. As we now have an office and warehouse in Sweden, we can deliver our products faster and we speak the local language. We started in Varberg but soon moved to Stockholm. We noticed that this place was too small and too remote. This made it difficult for us to find staff and therefore we made the step to Stockholm. In Sweden, they speak good English and with our international experience, it is easier for us to trade here than in a country where English is less well-spoken.  We have experienced a small cultural difference in the cooperation between companies. For example, the communication style is different and the expectations of how contracts are drawn up. Despite that, we are very flexible and there is always a solution that works well for both parties.     

All tips at a glance:   

• Make sure you have a good business location. By starting in the big city it is easier to find qualified personnel.    
   
• Immerse yourself in the Swedish labour market, legislation and employment contracts.    
   
• Swedish culture is individualistic and they have an indirect way of communicating.   
   
• Provide high-quality and innovative products.   

Recruitment   

In the beginning, we recruited staff through our own network. But due to the continued growth of our organization in Sweden, and it is difficult to search for people from the Netherlands, we came into contact with the Swedish recruitment agency Beyondo through another cooperation partner. It is nice to have a party that completely unburdens us when recruiting staff in Sweden. They introduce candidates to us and from there we take on the recruitment process by conducting interviews with candidates. In addition to our interviews with the candidate, the representatives from Beyondo also maintain contact with the candidate. Despite the fact that many Swedes speak English well, it is nice for people to also have a contact person who speaks their own language.    

It is nice to have a Swedish cooperation partner who helps you with the recruitment process, because you think that the Dutch and Swedes are very similar, but there are small cultural differences. For example, the application process in Sweden is designed slightly differently than we are used to in the Netherlands. In Sweden, for example, they take more time for the application process. In addition to the recruitment process, Beyondo also advises and provides us with the necessary information in the field of legislation and employment conditions. In short, it is very nice to work with Byondo. They switch quickly,  are transparent in their communication and are very involved.    

Our Swedish colleague Lana has the floor  

Our colleague Lana came to us through Beyondo. She is currently Account Manager of Nordics at Van der Valk Solar Systems Nordics. She happened to come across our vacancy on LinkedIn. Our company really appealed to her and came into contact with Karin from Beyondo. She has experienced the conversations with Beyondo as very positive and likes the openness of the organization. Karin is helpful and thinks along with you.    

What do you like about Van der Valk Solar Systems?   
That you immediately get to come into the group dynamics, friendly people and incredibly helpful colleagues. The competence is broad and everyone contributes knowledge and expertise. I say everything, I enjoy myself very well and get a lot of development opportunities in the areas I need to strengthen. 

Do you notice a difference between working for a Swedish and an international organization?  
Generally, not much, but the system is different in Sweden. We are a bit more formal in Sweden and we approach things differently, such as tasks and assignments. Otherwise, there is not much difference. Everyone works and contributes with the same positive energy and goodwill.   

Do you have any tips for colleagues who want to work for an international employer?   
I would say it’s a different company culture that you have to be open to participate in, everyone is equally important, and you are enjoying diversity of cultures and high. It is different in a positive way, you should like that sometimes it is fast-paced and can independently search for answers. That you are outgoing and have no problem with doing the little extra for the team's structure and flow. 

Personally, I enjoy myself a lot and feel that I have ended up in the right place where I dare to be myself and to develop in the right way. I have a lot of support in getting into every part of the work tasks and I am free in how I plan my days which makes it me work productively. Looking forward to when we visit NL every time because you learn a lot from the Dutch colleagues, and you get to know your work colleagues more closely 

Conclusion    

The Swedish market is an attractive environment for foreign companies that focus on quality, sustainability and corporate social responsibility. The Swedes are very open to new innovative products, as long as you deliver efficient and high-quality products.   

An advantage is that the Swedes are generally highly educated and they speak good English. Furthermore, it is useful to look for staff through a local recruiter. They can guide you well in finding qualified personnel, they think along with you and the candidate during the application process.     

 Thank you to the marketing team of van der Valk Solar System, for sharing these valuable insights with us. 

Are you an organisation looking to expand your business into the Swedish or Nordic market? Do you need assistance on how to approach the market, market research, recruitment or any other information regarding your expansion plans? Beyondo can assist you on your journey!  Reach out to the Beyondo team for more information!