(edit title) How to succeed as an entrepreneur in Sweden. The Basics Options

[krigeren]

The old saying goes the best tax shelter in Sweden is not in Sweden...

How to succeed as an entrepreneur in Sweden.

1. Do it somewhere else. It will probably be easier.
2. If you are a sadomasochist like me read on…….

The basics.

The Business Plan

The first step is seeking out opportunity and then packaging that into a viable and preferably scalable business model. Write a business plan. You will need it as a measurement device for your own progress and for various government agencies (which I address later) and possibly even lenders and/or investors at some stage.
As an experienced serial entrepreneur the two most successful businesses I ever ran had no business plan. The business model was instinctual and I did not need outside resources to develop the idea. However, here to make the most out of your business you will need one.

Verify your plan either with a business case or a test case.

Depending what industry you are in this generally requires talking to lots of people, running pro forma numbers versus reality numbers. This phase is really all about backing up the bullshit you have written in the business plan. Make a lot of gut checks during this phase if something does not seem right you are probably correct. Its your business if you skate over the details here, particularly the bothersome ones.


Initial Resources

During phase one and two use the experts at your disposal! You can call any of these organizations and speak to them in English. I don’t do this by being pushy I do this by appealing to the Swedish logic (and frankly it rarely even has to go that far) i.e.,

Skatteverkat. “Look I want to pay taxes but I don’t speak Swedish. I don’t want to break the law I need to speak to someone in English”

Arbetsförmedlingen “I want to work with you to employ unemployed people” Hey they want that to..at that point..they are more than happy to speak English.

Skatteverkat http://www.skatteverket.se

It’s very important you have an excellent understanding of your costs so an understanding of the tax system is vital. You can get the majority of information off of the Skatteverkat website (in English) and if you can’t find it there...Call them…which you will likely to 5 to 20 times over the course of writing and verifying your business plan.
While calling and reading will help a great deal in getting your business plan and the case completed there are many nuances within the Swedish tax code that are just not plainly spelled out. Here is a good example:

If my company has a car but I don’t the tax authorities will not generally allow me to treat the first company car as solely a company car and will force me to pay a benefit tax on it (the same as income tax). Now there are ways around this. The car that you own can be a 1980 Volvo 240 and the company car a Mercedes S63 AMG. As long as you use that AMG for only business purposes like driving to Zurich to talk about tax shelters it can all be written off as an expense. NOTE 1.

Skatteverkat 0800 to 1900. Monday to Thursday. Friday 0800 to 1600. 0771-567 567.

Arbetsförmedlingen http://www.arbetsformedlingen.se

Even if you are not opening your own business Arbetsförmedlingen can help you find a job, believe it or not ;-). One advantage you can give yourself as an immigrant job seeker is to enroll in the “Instegsjobb” program. Basically if you arrived here less than 36 months ago and taking a Swedish course Arbetsförmedlingen will support by paying up to 75% of your salary (up to 750 SEK a day) to your employer for up to 6 months at that employer (24 months total). This job program usually gets peoples foot in the door for unskilled and low skilled labor jobs but if you use it as a promotional tool for higher skilled jobs for you as well.

Arbetsförmedlingen for the EMPLOYER.

Arbetsförmedlingen for you as an employer is an incredible resource. I always experienced the quality of labor I hired from other government supported job agencies was absolute rubbish. That is, most employees I want in other countries are either already working somewhere else or they are sold to me by recruiting firms and have been screened prior to being submitted to me. However, unemployment in Sweden is so ridiculous there are gems to be found within the system but you have to be good at sifting through the piles to find them.
Helping you get your business off the ground.

If you are over 25 and unemployed you are able to pitch Arbetsförmedlingen that you are starting a business. They will pay you 320 SEK a day to do so. You need a business plan for this and other services here. I have been told it needs to be in Swedish by people who are not good in English. English is fine with others. Its very important to build trust and form a good relationship with the people at your local office.

Finding Employees
There are three important programs for you as the employer that are all designed at getting you labor at reduced costs.

1. Praktik. This option will give you a employee over the age of 25 where the salary is completely paid by Arbetsförmedlingen for a period of up to 6 months.
2. Integgsjobb as described above.
3. Nystartjobb – If you hire someone unemployed for at least 12 months or a new immigrant you receive a bonus to your tax account of twice what you would actually pay in employment tax per person.

Now, each one of these programs should be used for different purposes.
1. Hiring a Praktik is great to use for hiring Swedes who are native to the country. As an immigrant business owner you will need someone to act as the “face” of your company, to work in sales and marketing if you are serving the domestic market. Don’t be tempted to approach the customers yourself. I love selling but luckily my experience made me know from the begging not to go that route.

This role is very important to a new startup. If you choose the wrong person here your business could very well fail. You are dependent upon this person but never let them know it. This person can also be the one that translates all sales and communication material with the customer into Swedish. Ideally you will find someone with some expertise in the field. The more Swedish and the more connected they are to the good old boy network within the industry they are trying to serve the better…the pickle is finding someone with those qualities who is also motivated and whom will work well in your new startup. It won’t be easy. The first person I chose took 3 months to find and worked out fairly well. He was used to working in a large company from an office, having an expense account, and a company car. He had none of that when I started up. Tell them up front what to expect. If they show any reservation or you have any gut check reactions do not hire them.

2. Integgsjobb. If you are in need of entry level workers this can reduce your costs by 75 percent. This is a great opportunity to utilize all the talented foreign labor that exists out there.

3. Nystartjobb – you should try and use this program for people you hire permanently from the pool Praktik and Integgsjobb hires. This tax credit can build up and save you from paying employment tax on up to two workers at the same pay rate.

Limitations and requirements for Praktik, Integgsjobb, and Nystartjobb.

You can only have 1 Praktik or 1 Integgsjobb per company per 5 employees. You cannot have 1 of each working at the same time. You only receive their services for a short period of time for free or at a reduced rate (up to 6 months).

Loopholes.

Form multiple companies. For example, if you have three companies (this could be one sole proprietorship, the rest could be partnerships, or companies). With multiple companies you are able to hire multiple praktik and integgsjobb at the same time. In this example, I could have a praktik working for a partnership, 1 integgsjobb working for a corporation, and 1 integgsjobb working for my sole trader. When the 6 months is up for the integgsjobb you can move that person over to another company. You could do this up to 4 times over 2 years if you had 4 companies.

When I first found out about this loophole I was probably as surprised as you probably are. But as long as it is only 1 praktik or 1 integgsjobb per unique company ID its ok.

Technically you could make money off of this by forming many companies. Hiring tons of people at 75% payout. They then pay you back x amount as a consulting fee that is more than the 25% you had to pay them. Plus you would have to be careful what they paid you for because charging the employee for being hired is illegal in Sweden. This is dodgy and I would not recommend it. The staff at Arbetsförmedlingen has the final say on whether or not a Praktik or Integgsjobb slot is approved.

Arbetsförmedlingen 0771-416 416 M-F 0800 to 2200. Saturday and Sunday 1000-1600. Generally you don’t have much luck at getting a hold of senior staff on the weekends.

Bolagsverket http://www.bolagsverket.se/in_english

You have to register your company through Bolagsverket. They are very particular on the description of your business and also rather picky on the name you issue to your company.

Although the cheapest way to begin is starting up a sole trader if you end up with a result over 360.000 SEK the top tax kicks in and you end up paying over half of the profits in tax to the state. This is only a short term solution.

If you do not have the 100.000 SEK to open a company aka aktiebolag starting a partnership (limited or not) as this would allow you to defray the income across yourself and several family members thereby reducing the tax burden.

Really though you want to open an aktiebolag as soon as you can. You have to have 100.000 SEK in capital and really have to keep that money sunk into the company otherwise risk having the company closed down. Sweden is trying to reduce the amount to 50.000 and reduce the reporting requirements of the auditor assigned to the company. Still though, for someone used to getting online at incorporate.com and starting a new company for about $500 US dollars the requirements here are ridiculous…when in rome. You can declare goods capital but you have to have this approved by an auditor. It’s a pain in the ass as well not really worth it.

The good news is when you get your aktiebolag open you end up being taxed on the profits at a rate of only 28 percent and if your accountant plays with the numbers a bit for reserves this can go down to 26 percent. To me that’s a completely reasonable tithe to pay to the crown for doing business. Try to keep as much assets in your company as you can. There are many tricks to doing so and many standards in Swedish tax code that you as a small company can use to your advantage.

There is a great deal more to cover in preparing the immigrant business owner to successfully launching a company let alone running it.

In the future I will cover:

Hiring Employees
Business ideas and Examples.
Swedish business stories.
The importance of professionals.
Negotiations – How to land your first contract.

Practical Guides

Starting Up a Business Guide –
http://www.bolagsverket.se/in_english/info...ment/pdf/9e.pdf
I have yet to go through the following pages but it may prove useful to some startups. There are several agencies that want to support new business here. Not sure if it’s of any use or not.

http://www.tillvaxtverket.se/sidhuvud/engl...b800017332.html

Websites to Visit.

ALMI www.almi.se You can get advice in English via IFS at this link http://almi.se/ifs-radgivning/Sprak/Engelska/ They also have access to microcredit and business loans however, I have not looked into the details.

NOTE 1. Regarding Taxation and Company Structure. You can learn a great deal from wealthy Swedes in terms of their behavior. Most affluent Swedes own their own companies/trusts and keep most of the wealth in the company (often companies). Once Swedes reach a certain level of wealth they often make a trip to Luxembourg to do the holding company routine, thereby further reducing their corporate tax burden. Fact is most Swedes who own their own companies do not pay themselves that high of a salary. You can really only go to about 360,000 SEK before the high tax kicks in. You can pay yourself dividends from company profits however, above a certain amount those are no longer taxed as a capital gain and instead treated as income and taxed as such (yeah..OUCH). It’s basically a big shell game. Swedes are forced to open companies in other countries that really just end up being tax shelters. They don’t personally take income on the companies however, the companies benefit them personally all the same. I think its silly song and dance, where most often the wealthy outsmart the government, if the government here were more progressive and rewarded the wealthy more they would not have to go through all these motions…..but I think the wealthy like doing it as well..it makes them feel sly..and who would not want to own a summer house in the South of France that is a tax write off for the French company you own? Lastly, I think there is a massive gap in wealth disparity here in Sweden because the wealth gap report does not include this habit.

[007]

have you figured out a way to pay off your wife's 2,000,000 (2M) SEK bankruptcy debt yet?

[krigeren]

You are a cute fury little thing.

Like I said in my last post 90% of what you have to say is putting other people down. Thats your nature. How is that working for you?

My wife's debts have nothing to do with this post but you sure like to rub it in. Its really big of you and says more about you than it does me.

In the interest of sharing knowledge with people in the same boat...

If I keep profits in the company rather than take it out as salary they cant count my income against me because there is none.

I can also divorce her on paper here and live in the same place and claim we have two separate economies and all is kosher as well.

[Furu]

The old saying goes the best tax shelter in Sweden is not in Sweden...How to succeed as an entrepreneur in Sweden. 1. Do it somewhere else. It will probably be easier. 2. If y ... (show full quote)

The old saying goes the best tax shelter in Sweden is not in Sweden...

How to succeed as an entrepreneur in Sweden.

1. Do it somewhere else. It will probably be easier.
2. If you are a sadomasochist like me read on…….

The basics.

The Business Plan

The first step is seeking out opportunity and then packaging that into a viable and preferably scalable business model. Write a business plan. You will need it as a measurement device for your own progress and for various government agencies (which I address later) and possibly even lenders and/or investors at some stage.
As an experienced serial entrepreneur the two most successful businesses I ever ran had no business plan. The business model was instinctual and I did not need outside resources to develop the idea. However, here to make the most out of your business you will need one.

Verify your plan either with a business case or a test case.

Depending what industry you are in this generally requires talking to lots of people, running pro forma numbers versus reality numbers. This phase is really all about backing up the bullshit you have written in the business plan. Make a lot of gut checks during this phase if something does not seem right you are probably correct. Its your business if you skate over the details here, particularly the bothersome ones.


Initial Resources

During phase one and two use the experts at your disposal! You can call any of these organizations and speak to them in English. I don’t do this by being pushy I do this by appealing to the Swedish logic (and frankly it rarely even has to go that far) i.e.,

Skatteverkat. “Look I want to pay taxes but I don’t speak Swedish. I don’t want to break the law I need to speak to someone in English”

Arbetsförmedlingen “I want to work with you to employ unemployed people” Hey they want that to..at that point..they are more than happy to speak English.

Skatteverkat http://www.skatteverket.se

It’s very important you have an excellent understanding of your costs so an understanding of the tax system is vital. You can get the majority of information off of the Skatteverkat website (in English) and if you can’t find it there...Call them…which you will likely to 5 to 20 times over the course of writing and verifying your business plan.
While calling and reading will help a great deal in getting your business plan and the case completed there are many nuances within the Swedish tax code that are just not plainly spelled out. Here is a good example:

If my company has a car but I don’t the tax authorities will not generally allow me to treat the first company car as solely a company car and will force me to pay a benefit tax on it (the same as income tax). Now there are ways around this. The car that you own can be a 1980 Volvo 240 and the company car a Mercedes S63 AMG. As long as you use that AMG for only business purposes like driving to Zurich to talk about tax shelters it can all be written off as an expense. NOTE 1.

Skatteverkat 0800 to 1900. Monday to Thursday. Friday 0800 to 1600. 0771-567 567.

Arbetsförmedlingen http://www.arbetsformedlingen.se

Even if you are not opening your own business Arbetsförmedlingen can help you find a job, believe it or not ;-). One advantage you can give yourself as an immigrant job seeker is to enroll in the “Instegsjobb” program. Basically if you arrived here less than 36 months ago and taking a Swedish course Arbetsförmedlingen will support by paying up to 75% of your salary (up to 750 SEK a day) to your employer for up to 6 months at that employer (24 months total). This job program usually gets peoples foot in the door for unskilled and low skilled labor jobs but if you use it as a promotional tool for higher skilled jobs for you as well.

Arbetsförmedlingen for the EMPLOYER.

Arbetsförmedlingen for you as an employer is an incredible resource. I always experienced the quality of labor I hired from other government supported job agencies was absolute rubbish. That is, most employees I want in other countries are either already working somewhere else or they are sold to me by recruiting firms and have been screened prior to being submitted to me. However, unemployment in Sweden is so ridiculous there are gems to be found within the system but you have to be good at sifting through the piles to find them.
Helping you get your business off the ground.

If you are over 25 and unemployed you are able to pitch Arbetsförmedlingen that you are starting a business. They will pay you 320 SEK a day to do so. You need a business plan for this and other services here. I have been told it needs to be in Swedish by people who are not good in English. English is fine with others. Its very important to build trust and form a good relationship with the people at your local office.

Finding Employees
There are three important programs for you as the employer that are all designed at getting you labor at reduced costs.

1. Praktik. This option will give you a employee over the age of 25 where the salary is completely paid by Arbetsförmedlingen for a period of up to 6 months.
2. Integgsjobb as described above.
3. Nystartjobb – If you hire someone unemployed for at least 12 months or a new immigrant you receive a bonus to your tax account of twice what you would actually pay in employment tax per person.

Now, each one of these programs should be used for different purposes.
1. Hiring a Praktik is great to use for hiring Swedes who are native to the country. As an immigrant business owner you will need someone to act as the “face” of your company, to work in sales and marketing if you are serving the domestic market. Don’t be tempted to approach the customers yourself. I love selling but luckily my experience made me know from the begging not to go that route.

This role is very important to a new startup. If you choose the wrong person here your business could very well fail. You are dependent upon this person but never let them know it. This person can also be the one that translates all sales and communication material with the customer into Swedish. Ideally you will find someone with some expertise in the field. The more Swedish and the more connected they are to the good old boy network within the industry they are trying to serve the better…the pickle is finding someone with those qualities who is also motivated and whom will work well in your new startup. It won’t be easy. The first person I chose took 3 months to find and worked out fairly well. He was used to working in a large company from an office, having an expense account, and a company car. He had none of that when I started up. Tell them up front what to expect. If they show any reservation or you have any gut check reactions do not hire them.

2. Integgsjobb. If you are in need of entry level workers this can reduce your costs by 75 percent. This is a great opportunity to utilize all the talented foreign labor that exists out there.

3. Nystartjobb – you should try and use this program for people you hire permanently from the pool Praktik and Integgsjobb hires. This tax credit can build up and save you from paying employment tax on up to two workers at the same pay rate.

Limitations and requirements for Praktik, Integgsjobb, and Nystartjobb.

You can only have 1 Praktik or 1 Integgsjobb per company per 5 employees. You cannot have 1 of each working at the same time. You only receive their services for a short period of time for free or at a reduced rate (up to 6 months).

Loopholes.

Form multiple companies. For example, if you have three companies (this could be one sole proprietorship, the rest could be partnerships, or companies). With multiple companies you are able to hire multiple praktik and integgsjobb at the same time. In this example, I could have a praktik working for a partnership, 1 integgsjobb working for a corporation, and 1 integgsjobb working for my sole trader. When the 6 months is up for the integgsjobb you can move that person over to another company. You could do this up to 4 times over 2 years if you had 4 companies.

When I first found out about this loophole I was probably as surprised as you probably are. But as long as it is only 1 praktik or 1 integgsjobb per unique company ID its ok.

Technically you could make money off of this by forming many companies. Hiring tons of people at 75% payout. They then pay you back x amount as a consulting fee that is more than the 25% you had to pay them. Plus you would have to be careful what they paid you for because charging the employee for being hired is illegal in Sweden. This is dodgy and I would not recommend it. The staff at Arbetsförmedlingen has the final say on whether or not a Praktik or Integgsjobb slot is approved.

Arbetsförmedlingen 0771-416 416 M-F 0800 to 2200. Saturday and Sunday 1000-1600. Generally you don’t have much luck at getting a hold of senior staff on the weekends.

Bolagsverket http://www.bolagsverket.se/in_english

You have to register your company through Bolagsverket. They are very particular on the description of your business and also rather picky on the name you issue to your company.

Although the cheapest way to begin is starting up a sole trader if you end up with a result over 360.000 SEK the top tax kicks in and you end up paying over half of the profits in tax to the state. This is only a short term solution.

If you do not have the 100.000 SEK to open a company aka aktiebolag starting a partnership (limited or not) as this would allow you to defray the income across yourself and several family members thereby reducing the tax burden.

Really though you want to open an aktiebolag as soon as you can. You have to have 100.000 SEK in capital and really have to keep that money sunk into the company otherwise risk having the company closed down. Sweden is trying to reduce the amount to 50.000 and reduce the reporting requirements of the auditor assigned to the company. Still though, for someone used to getting online at incorporate.com and starting a new company for about $500 US dollars the requirements here are ridiculous…when in rome. You can declare goods capital but you have to have this approved by an auditor. It’s a pain in the ass as well not really worth it.

The good news is when you get your aktiebolag open you end up being taxed on the profits at a rate of only 28 percent and if your accountant plays with the numbers a bit for reserves this can go down to 26 percent. To me that’s a completely reasonable tithe to pay to the crown for doing business. Try to keep as much assets in your company as you can. There are many tricks to doing so and many standards in Swedish tax code that you as a small company can use to your advantage.

There is a great deal more to cover in preparing the immigrant business owner to successfully launching a company let alone running it.

In the future I will cover:

Hiring Employees
Business ideas and Examples.
Swedish business stories.
The importance of professionals.
Negotiations – How to land your first contract.

Practical Guides

Starting Up a Business Guide –
http://www.bolagsverket.se/in_english/info...ment/pdf/9e.pdf
I have yet to go through the following pages but it may prove useful to some startups. There are several agencies that want to support new business here. Not sure if it’s of any use or not.

http://www.tillvaxtverket.se/sidhuvud/engl...b800017332.html

Websites to Visit.

ALMI www.almi.se You can get advice in English via IFS at this link http://almi.se/ifs-radgivning/Sprak/Engelska/ They also have access to microcredit and business loans however, I have not looked into the details.

NOTE 1. Regarding Taxation and Company Structure. You can learn a great deal from wealthy Swedes in terms of their behavior. Most affluent Swedes own their own companies/trusts and keep most of the wealth in the company (often companies). Once Swedes reach a certain level of wealth they often make a trip to Luxembourg to do the holding company routine, thereby further reducing their corporate tax burden. Fact is most Swedes who own their own companies do not pay themselves that high of a salary. You can really only go to about 360,000 SEK before the high tax kicks in. You can pay yourself dividends from company profits however, above a certain amount those are no longer taxed as a capital gain and instead treated as income and taxed as such (yeah..OUCH). It’s basically a big shell game. Swedes are forced to open companies in other countries that really just end up being tax shelters. They don’t personally take income on the companies however, the companies benefit them personally all the same. I think its silly song and dance, where most often the wealthy outsmart the government, if the government here were more progressive and rewarded the wealthy more they would not have to go through all these motions…..but I think the wealthy like doing it as well..it makes them feel sly..and who would not want to own a summer house in the South of France that is a tax write off for the French company you own? Lastly, I think there is a massive gap in wealth disparity here in Sweden because the wealth gap report does not include this habit. ... (hide full quote)

Great piece of information.

Thanks.

[Furu]

have you figured out a way to pay off your wife's 2,000,000 (2M) SEK bankruptcy debt yet?

Can you declare bankruptcy in Sweden.

[krigeren]

Not really trying to get the thread hijacked any more than it already has so I responded to you over here.

http://www.thelocal.se/discuss/index.php?s...mp;#entry483552

[byke]

I was honestly expecting at the end of the OP ... "and for just €/£/$/9.99 ... you too can read the full guide to success and power management in nordic countries in this easy 3 step program"

Anyway, jokes aside ... very good post.
Just out of interest, how do you rack up a 2m debt?

[Plowbridge]

Credit where credit is due. Well done for taking the time to provide useful information that could help others.

[Mo]

copied & pasted into Word & saved somewhere safe, thanks

[Gordy]

Thanks for the info krigeren.

I'm just in the throes of preparing a business plan with a view to re-locating to the Trelleborg area from Ireland sometime in the first half of 2010.

I have enquired by email to Trelleborg Kommun's business development company for information but now a week later I have no reply!

Here in Ireland you can find local enterprise organisations which have small premises for rent at low cost to business start-ups and they also provide shared receptionist services etc. Can the same be found in Sweden? Where should I look for more info?

The business will be involved in specialist food production initially for the Swedish market, but then hopefully expanding to export to Germany and other EU markets, I'll be investing about 200,000SEK in equipment and a further 80,000SEK for a B2C eCommerce website which will need specialist features, are there any grants available to assist with any of these costs?

[Donato Tagliano]

A very good post. Thanks for sharing your information.

[Bender B Rodriquez]

Here in Ireland you can find local enterprise organisations which have small premises for rent at low cost to business start-ups and they also provide shared receptionist serv ... (show full quote)

Here in Ireland you can find local enterprise organisations which have small premises for rent at low cost to business start-ups and they also provide shared receptionist services etc. Can the same be found in Sweden? Where should I look for more info? ... (hide full quote)

Look for kontorshotell (office hotels). They rent out space and such services.
There are also special "incubator" offices located near the universities but they are usually for high-tec start-ups.

[hjoian]

not had time to read your whole post yet,but look forward to reading it later. Looks like some good info here! Thanks.

[mkvgtired]

You are a cute fury little thing. Like I said in my last post 90% of what you have to say is putting other people down. Thats your nature. How is that working for you? My wife ... (show full quote)

You are a cute fury little thing.

Like I said in my last post 90% of what you have to say is putting other people down. Thats your nature. How is that working for you?

My wife's debts have nothing to do with this post but you sure like to rub it in. Its really big of you and says more about you than it does me.

In the interest of sharing knowledge with people in the same boat...

If I keep profits in the company rather than take it out as salary they cant count my income against me because there is none.

I can also divorce her on paper here and live in the same place and claim we have two separate economies and all is kosher as well. ... (hide full quote)

It is better to try your hand at business and fail than to just sit around and resent other people's success. You can tell by his response that he will never need any of the info you posted. Probably has a government job.

[krigeren]

Thanks for the info krigeren.I'm just in the throes of preparing a business plan with a view to re-locating to the Trelleborg area from Ireland sometime in the first half ... (show full quote)

Thanks for the info krigeren.

I'm just in the throes of preparing a business plan with a view to re-locating to the Trelleborg area from Ireland sometime in the first half of 2010.

I have enquired by email to Trelleborg Kommun's business development company for information but now a week later I have no reply!

Here in Ireland you can find local enterprise organisations which have small premises for rent at low cost to business start-ups and they also provide shared receptionist services etc. Can the same be found in Sweden? Where should I look for more info?

The business will be involved in specialist food production initially for the Swedish market, but then hopefully expanding to export to Germany and other EU markets, I'll be investing about 200,000SEK in equipment and a further 80,000SEK for a B2C eCommerce website which will need specialist features, are there any grants available to assist with any of these costs? ... (hide full quote)

I have made a few calls today.

Regarding loans and stipend. First I called ALMI www.almi.se and they administer IFS Advice services in English. I was referred to speak with a Johanna but the number was busy all day. I will try calling ALMI and IFS tommorow. I don't think there is much in the way of grants available...I have heard organizations talk about focusing on structuring the rules and policies to make it easier for all entrepreneurs. There are micro loans and standard loans. I have no idea about the process to getting those but it almost seems to get those you have to have solid financials or a business model that excites a VC. Honestly, the only time I have been able to convince banks to loan my companies money was after they are up and running...but I could be missing something here. If anyone has any insight here please post.

I want you to be careful with business parks and incubators. Most all here are above board. However, a couple of them are absolute rip offs where the ownership is only interested in getting money our of you for services and/or digging their nails into a part of your business. Again that is the extreme and not the everyday rule...just be cautious.

Every kommun has an economic advisor that is available to the public you may want to try calling them..there website is here...try calling Malin Wahlden...her contact details are here: http://www.trelleborg.se/naringsliv/Starta-eget/ Please share your results with us.

It is better to try your hand at business and fail than to just sit around and resent other people's success. You can tell by his response that he will never need any of t ... (show full quote)

It is better to try your hand at business and fail than to just sit around and resent other people's success. You can tell by his response that he will never need any of the info you posted. Probably has a government job. ... (hide full quote)

Who knows. Some people can't stand to see others get ahead. Personally, when I lead people if they are not getting ahead of me then I am doing something wrong. To each their own.