From Entrepreneurship in the United States to entrepreneurship in Uppsala. How did this happen? And how did I make it happen?
In all honesty, I never thought I would be living in Sweden. Actually, I never heard anything about Sweden until I was an adult. Growing up in New York had me thinking that it was the only place to be. For awhile I thought it was the best place in the world, until I received my passport and started traveling.
I lived in New York for 32 years and then moved to Atlanta, Georgia. From there I transitioned to South Beach, Miami where my connection to Sweden began. Miami is where I met the love of my life and she just so happened to be from Uppsala.
I still couldn’t imagine living in Sweden until I visited for the first time, where I was greeted with lots of love and opened arms. Upon my visit as I travelled from the airport, the first thing I noticed was the cleanliness of Swedens highways and lush landscapes of forests.
Then after a few visits to Sweden I started considering living in Uppsala since I was going to get married with a Swede. However, I knew it was going to be a lengthy process and also I asked myself many questions like: Can I run a successful business as an entrepreneur in Uppsala and other parts of Sweden? How can I use my skillset as a fitness coach, herbalist and public speaker?
First things first. I obtained my permanent residency and workers permit through the Swedish immigration and embassy. It took awhile but when you follow the Swedish rules and laws it makes the process much smoother. Secondly, I took a Skatteverket course and webinar to learn about working from abroad in Sweden and starting a business. I strongly suggest looking into the sites below if you’re serious about starting a business in Uppsala or anywhere else in Sweden.
Here are my top 3 websites for starting a business and networking with potential clients and other entrepreneurs.
This site helped me tremendously as I started my health coach and herbal tea businesses.
Almi is another great site. This is how Almi can help you.
Almi provides financing in the form of loans and venture capital, as well as support and guidance in business development for small and medium-sized enterprises.
3. https://entreprenorsstaden.nu/
Here is a website where you can find entrepreneurial events to network with other entrepreneurs in Uppsala.
Sweden can be a great place to thrive as an entrepreneur but keep in mind that, there are some differences between entrepreneurship in Sweden and in the United States.
In Sweden, everyone is invited to share his or her opinion. This openness also translates into honesty. Swedes are transparent and expect the same from their business partner: if there is a problem or changes occur, be open about it and pro-actively share this information.
The United States is more power driven and demanding towards it employees for high productivity and profits. Opinions doesn´t matter, only sales and profits.
Swedens Punctuality and gender equality
Work-life balance is highly valued: meetings are scheduled during office hours and punctuality is important. If you have an appointment with a Swedish buyer, be on time or call to say you are late. Moreover, remember that Sweden is a gender equal society. When doing business, you will encounter men and women alike, all with the same roles and commitments both at work and at home.
In my experience as an entrepreneur in the states. I remember setting scheduled appointments and always waiting on tardy individuals that I set an appointment with. So I truly appreciate the commitment that Swedes have kept for being on time.
Work roles of men and women are not as equal in the states as Swedens.
In the U.S., some examples of how workplace discrimination negatively affects women’s earnings and opportunities are the gender wage gap (e.g., Peterson and Morgan, 1995), the dearth of women in leadership (Eagly and Carli, 2007), and the longer time required for women (vs. men) to advance in their careers.
In closing, entrepreneurialism can have its challenges (especially) when moving abroad. However, with a sound business plan and management I believe you can make it as an entrepreneur anywhere in this world.
To be continued…
Michael Green