When I arrived in Sweden in 2001 I spent a year doing the International Executive MBA at Stockholm University school of business. With two small chlidren and a mortgage I decided it was time to get a job after graduation.
Well, I had been CFO of a NASDAQ listed company based in Hong Kong and China, co-founded and ran an international consulting company, lived in 5 countries and been a successful journalist. I could have my pick of the jobs with top Swedish companies, right?
Majzner does not sound like Svensson and in 2002 I had rudimentary Swedish. The job offers were coming in fast but not one of them from Sweden. A former client who owns Naxos Classical CD label asked me to run his international company from my base in Stockholm. It was a fantastic job, just loads of travel.
Wanting to be more rooted in Stockholm and close to the family, in 2004 I started Antipodes Premium Wines which is now Sweden’s largest direct seller of wine. Even though no Swede would employ me I now employ a large number of them. Some with funny first or last names and strange non-Svensson backgrounds too!
My story of being unemployable is not so uncommon. Ever met a taxi driver who has higher university qualitifications than you? Too often sadly, though I couldn’t pronounce their names!
I swore I would never start my own company here but the entrepreneurial urge and necessity got the better of me. Six years later I have no regrets (and less hair) but the path was not a stroll through Hagaparken!
If you are interested in learning more about starting your own business here as a foreigner then The Local has a seminar which you must attend. With Company University (Företags Universitet) the Seminar The Key to Sweden will be informative and give you the chance to hear from others how to make it.
If you stay until the last session you can hear me as part of a panel session. Click below to read more and register.
http://www.foretagsuniversitetet.se/konferenser/TheKeyToSweden/
I look forward to meeting you and answering your questions.
Cheers
Mark
