Sweden has a global reputation for entrepreneurship. We’re a small country, but we’ve produced our fair share of global companies and ideas. People ask ”why?”, seemingly expecting a secret (?) formula. I don’t think there is one. What there is – however – is a lot of trial and error, people willing to share what they’ve experienced, and a startup community that — on most days — makes it easier to work together than to work alone.
But I can tell you what it’s not: it’s not about the singular visionary leader making a masterplan and sticking to it. Most of the time, it’s someone having a problem and trying to fix it — then hitting a wall, learning something, and trying again. And again.
From the outside, this can look chaotic — like a flock of starlings wheeling in the wind. But if you watch closely, there’s a rhythm to it. People move independently, yet still in relation to each other. Connections form and dissolve, ideas and wishful foresights bounce around, and out of the apparent disorder, progress emerges.
The things that make this possible aren’t always spectacular either. They’re found in the small, everyday actions: sending an email to introduce two people who should meet; taking the time to r e a l l y listen to someone with a different background, even if you disagree; and holding on to the belief that work with a long-term horizon is worth more than chasing a quick win; understanding that the slow hunch beats eureka.
That’s how I think collaboration, inclusivity, and sustainability is most often manifested — not as slogans, but as small, everyday decisions that shape what gets built and how.
If you want to copy anything from Sweden, don’t copy the surface. In fact, don’t copy at all. Instead, work to instill a mindset that entrepreneurship can be learnt, that trust is a currency, and that failure is just meaningful progress and needs to be part of the deal. It’s rarely neat nor predictable, but when enough people clash this way, the results can surprise. Because, in the end, what looks like chaos up close is simply collaboration in disguise.
